Wilderness as a Learning Place

Abstract

Outdoor education in wild places can be traced back to Thoreau. Wilderness education came into its own in the 1960s with Outward Bound and NOLS. Educational programs in wilderness settings contribute to various learnings. They may contribute to humility, sense of wonder, and connectedness to nature and help develop the learner's sense of personal, social, and natural history. They contribute to sense of self and personal competence. Careful programming is necessary to achieve the learning potential of wild places.