Synthesizing the Outdoor Education Literature to Create a Definition and List of Primary Objectives

Christian Itin (1999) said "If we want to develop critically thinking, self-motivated, problem-solving individuals who participate actively in their communities, we must have an educational system and educational approaches that model and support this" (p. 94). This educational approach is Outdoor Education. Outdoor Education and its related educational theories have been lauded for their ability to extend classroom learning (Anonymous, 1989) and to create students that are able to think critically about their experiences (Dewey, 1938). It is important to begin with a discussion of seminal educational theorists to create a theoretical framework for this branch of education.