Abstract

The aim of this article is to describe purposes, aims, and teaching and learning methods of outdoor education based on such previous studies that have discussed outdoor education from the point of view of promoting sustainable development in schools and teacher education. The purpose is that the findings can be used for the development of curricula in schools and teacher education. Here, outdoor education is understood as a didactic method that utilises authentic learning environments and combines a subject of academic study with its real-world surroundings, actors, and activities for fostering sustainable development conceptions and actions of students and teachers. It involves regular activities outside the classroom, giving individuals the chance to use all their senses and to create personal experiences in the real world. Outdoor education is seen as a part of education for sustainable development when environmental issues and problems, environmental conservation, and issues of sustainability are included in it. In the previous years, research has shown that education for sustainable development including outdoor education has many positive effects on both individuals’ learning outcomes and their conceptions of environment.