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Challenging the Pedagogical Basis of Contemporary Environmental Interpretation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

Kevin Markwell
Kevin Markwell*
Affiliation:
Department of Leisure, and Tourism Studies, Central Coast Campus, University of Newcastle
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Abstract

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Environmental interpretation can be defined as a kind of non-formal environmental education carried out in predominantly recreational settings within which visitors are provided with opportunities to become more aware of particular concepts and phenomena through first hand experiences. The fundamental objective of environmental interpretation programs is commonly given as increasing visitors' empathy for environmental conservation: the visit becomes a transformatory experience as a result of which it is intended that visitors become more committed to ensuring the continued integrity and sustainability of the environment. This paper argues that, as presently practised, environmental interpretation is informed largely by a somewhat conservative, traditional pedagogy, and as such tends to be didactic, knowledge-driven, and shaped more by technique than by philosophy. An attempt is made to outline, at least conceptually, an interpretive process influenced more by the principles of an alternative educational framework called andragogy, one which acknowledges the (earning characteristics of adults, accentuates the affective domain of learning, and which might ultimately lead to greater levels of visitor involvement in learning processes.

Type
Thematic Section—Interpretation and Environmental Education
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 12 , 1996 , pp. 9 - 14
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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