Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2019-08-01 So . We're Going for a Walk: A Placed-Based Outdoor Art Experiential Learning Experience Priscilla Anne Stewart Brigham Young University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Stewart, Priscilla Anne, "So . We're Going for a Walk: A Placed-Based Outdoor Art Experiential Learning Experience" (2019). Theses and Dissertations. 7543. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7543 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. So . We’re Going for a Walk: A Placed-Based Outdoor Art Experiential Learning Experience Priscilla Anne Stewart A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Mark Allen Graham, Chair Daniel T. Barney Brian D. Christensen Department of Art Brigham Young University Copyright © 2019 Priscilla Anne Stewart All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT So . We’re Going for a Walk: A Placed-Based Outdoor Art Experiential Learning Experience Priscilla Anne Stewart Department of Art, BYU Master of Arts Schools in the United States often emphasize making children competitive in a global economy while neglecting the importance of developing citizens who are ecologically responsible. Problems of climate change, loss of biodiversity, mass extinctions and degradation of the natural environment, are often ignored. Some researchers have suggested that children lack unstructured play time in nature, have an increased amount of screen time, lack mindfulness, and are insulated from the natural world. Many children rarely have significant experience with nature’s wildness. It is common for people to experience a sense of placelessness in the hyper-mobility of present times where “globalizing” agendas limit a sense of place or community. Teachers can also feel constrained by the physical confines of school and the intellectual confines of ordinary school curriculum. As a response to my students’ lack of significant experiences with nature, my own dissatisfaction with ordinary teaching, and my sense that school curricula neglect ecological issues and restricts teaching innovation, I created a summer mountain wilderness art workshop designed to give 6th, 7th and 8th grade students an immersive alternative art education experience. This study explored the affordances and limitations of an alternative classroom focused on outdoor experiences, walking, art/ecological studies, and my own experiences in attempting to change the conditions of teaching and learning. This research uses qualitative methodologies including action-based research, elements of a/r/tography, arts-based research, and an ecological arts- based inquiry that involves questions about ecology, community, and artistic heritage. Keywords: place-based education, nature, wilderness, curriculum theory, walking ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is not mine alone. It was a team effort. I would like to thank my two intelligent, wise and loving parents who raised me. I am the last of seven children to get a higher education degree. They have always emphasized the importance of learning and supported my brothers and me throughout. Whether we are in Nepal, India, Amsterdam, New York, Ecuador, France, Iceland, Scotland or Big Cottonwood Canyon, Dr. Mark Graham has been a patient, kind, knowledgeable friend and mentor. He has taught me that the walk is worth the walk but also that it is good to have goals. I cannot express enough thanks for the influence he has been and will continue to be in my life. Daniel Barney has influenced my need to keep learning. His example of researching new ideas, mastering new skills, and asking the questions that need to be asked will always stay with me. All of my brothers influence and inspire me. They are supportive and kind. Courtney has especially been a big help because of his knowledge about education and writing, and his willingness to give me feedback and discuss ideas. I am grateful for the time and enthusiasm my friend Amy Ollerton shared with me. We discussed ideas, planned dream teaching situations, and had many teaching therapy sessions. TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE ......................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ...........................................................................................................viii CHAPTER 1: Introduction .................................................................................................... 1 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2: Review of Literature ....................................................................................... 7 My Response ..................................................................................................................... 7 The Inattentiveness of American Schooling Toward Ecological Issues .............................. 8 Children are missing nature ............................................................................................ 9 Place-based Education ..................................................................................................... 10 Critical place-based education. ..................................................................................... 13 Place-based education and the cultivation of stewardship and identity. ......................... 14 Outdoor Education and Experiential Learning ................................................................. 15 Environmental Education................................................................................................. 18 Nature, Wilderness, and Education .................................................................................. 19 Multiple Intelligences and Literacies ............................................................................... 21 Holistic Education ........................................................................................................... 23 Teacher Well-Being ......................................................................................................... 24 Other Narratives About Nature ......................................................................................... 24 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 25 iv CHAPTER 3: Research Methodology ................................................................................. 27 Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 27 Research Methodology .................................................................................................... 28 A/r/tography .................................................................................................................... 28 Arts-Based Ecological Inquiry ......................................................................................... 29 Case Study Research ....................................................................................................... 30 Action Research .............................................................................................................. 31 Narrative Inquiry ............................................................................................................. 31 Autobiographical or Autoethnographic Research ............................................................. 32 Going for a Walk: A Research Methodology ................................................................... 32 Data and Methods of Gathering Data ............................................................................... 33 Self-questioning ........................................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 4: Curriculum ................................................................................................... 35 Curriculum as an Ecological Text and Contemporary Art .................................................... 35 Curricular and Teaching Contexts .................................................................................... 36 Curriculum Theory .......................................................................................................... 36 Curriculum as an Ecological Text .................................................................................... 37 Let’s Go for a Walk: Currere ........................................................................................... 38 Ideas About Nature and Criticality ................................................................................... 40 Critical pedagogy ........................................................................................................