More-than-human stories: experimental co-productions in outdoor environmental education pedagogy

Abstract

This research draws upon pedagogical experimentation on a ski-touring journey in the Australian Alps, building upon place-responsive pedagogies in outdoor environmental education with insight from new materialist and posthuman theory. In particular, this research focusses on the generative potential of considering co-productions and assemblages that include the materiality of a more-than-human world. Combining place-responsive and new materialist ideas, the concept of more-than-human stories is offered as a pedagogical strategy that may challenge anthropocentrism and develop different ways of thinking about and with more-than-human places. An example of these ideas in practice is offered, where Ya, an undergraduate student, presents her more-than-human story—One Single Moment—a picture-story book created on the ski-touring journey. Following her picture-story book, she maps the conditions of possibility, the various pedagogical influences that led to the creation of One Single Moment. Our aim through this research is to offer methodological and pedagogical insight into using new materialist theories in creative and productive ways.

Keywords:

• New materialism
• posthuman
• assemblages
• storylines
• more-than-human world
• outdoor environmental education
• postqualitative

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge and thank Alistair Stewart and Marcus Morse who provided advice and comment on earlier versions of this paper. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers who offered insightful feedback on the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Winter Alpine Environments, is an Outdoor Environmental Education subject at La Trobe University. The subject description, written by Mangalsdorf (2018), explains: ‘Students examine aspects of natural history, land management, snow deposition and ecology directly relevant to selected Alpine environments of South Eastern Australia. Students develop technical expertise of cross-country ski touring to enable safe exploration and promote experiential and interpretative knowledge of winter alpine environments.’

2 Australia’s alpine areas (including surrounding slopes and valleys) make up 0.3% of Australia’s landmass (Slattery, 2015). The Bogong High Plains make up a small part of these alpine areas. As a sight of study, they offer a unique landscape with endemic species and contested natural history. The high plains are part of the Victorian Alpine National Park, established in 1989, after a long struggle for ‘protection’ (Slattery, 2015). The alpine areas have been (and remain in some aspects) a contested space between interest groups such as grazers, hydroelectric power, ski resorts, timber industry, conservationists and recreational users. Current issues facing the high plains are climate change and invasive species that are threatening endemic species. These topics are discussed at various times through the Winter Alpine Environments subject.

3 Importantly, we do not imagine place in a static or anthropocentric way. As we develop throughout this paper, places don’t belong to humans—we are part of them. Places are inherently more-than-human, unbounded and inconsistent. Our new materialist and posthuman perspectives envision places as open-ended assemblages.

4 We acknowledge debate over whether new materialisms are actually new, considering they draw upon a range of philosophical traditions. Nonetheless, the neologism ‘new materialism’ works and it is the newer work from this disposition we predominantly cite.

5 A rhizome is a concept created by Deleuze and Guattari (1987) as a way of thinking differently to linear images of thought, allowing heterogeneous connections and movements. Gough and Price (2004) explain that ‘abandoning arborescent [tree like/linear] thinking means becoming nomadic, allowing thoughts to wander beyond familiar territories and to produce new texts/terrains’ (31).

6 ‘Fascinations’ is an activity/thought experiment Scott has been playing with, aiming to acknowledge the agency of the more-than-human world, prompted by previous research (Jukes et al., 2019; Jukes, 2018). ‘Fascinations’ aims to develop what Bennett (2010) describes as an aesthetic-affective openness. The activity/thought experiment is also influenced by ‘wild pedagogies’ in allowing the ‘self-will’ of the student and the more-than-human world to influence the educational context (Morse et al., 2018). Intriguingly, the etymology of fascination derives from Middle French and Latin words with meanings like bewitch/er, enchant, spell and speak.

Additional information

Funding

Scott's contribution to this research was funded by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

Notes on contributors

Scott Jukes

Scott Jukes is a PhD candidate and works as a sessional lecturer at La Trobe University, teaching in alpine and river environments. He is interested in how students engage with the more-than-human world and creating affirmative educational experiences. Scott’s research focusses on outdoor environmental education pedagogies, posthuman methodologies and new materialist thinking.

Ya Reeves

Ya Reeves grew up in remote coastal and alpine environments in Australia. She recently completed her undergraduate degree in Outdoor and Environmental Education, is about to undertake an Honours project and works as an outdoor educator and guide. Ya carries a passion for creativity, humour, and mountain places into all aspects of her work, study, and life.