Bringing the inside out and the outside in : place-based learning rendering classroom walls invisible

Hung (2014) explains that an authentic sense of place comes from direct personal lived experiences that build up both consciously and unconsciously over time. In alignment with this view and others purporting the same, my childhood experiences of doing, feeling, and watching in the wild seem to be early vanguard counsellors of my human–place relationship and teaching pedagogy (Chawla, 2007; Hung, 2014; Kudryavtsev, Stedman, & Krasny, 2012; Malpas, 1999). This presumption also resonates with eco-psychology’s views identifying the importance of transpersonal connections between humans and the natural world (Chawla, 2007; Wolsko & Lindberg, 2013). Retrospective research also indicates that fulfilling experiences in nature during childhood positively affects adults’ self-rated pro-environmental attitudes and actions (Collado & Corraliza, 2015, p. 39). To this end, the meaning that emerges from early experiences with nature can be carried forward implicitly into a person’s appreciation for, connectedness with, and stewardship of the natural world (Gendlin, 2004). These views, particularly in light of current world environmental issues, emphasize the importance of embedding ecopedagogies in everyday educational practices.