Mark Leather | University of St Mark & St John (original) (raw)

Papers by Mark Leather

Background: Teaching experientially in post-secondary education has challenges; institutional con... more Background: Teaching experientially in post-secondary education has challenges; institutional constraints, neoliberal management, and a colonized learning environment. We discuss playing as a form of experiential education. Purpose: We challenge conventional teaching and offer an alternative to enrich and broaden conventional pedagogies. We argue for the benefits of playfulness and how this leads to creativity, wellness, and improved graduate employability. Methodology/approach: As provocation to the consequences of neoliberalism in education, we examine the literature from a biased position as advocates of play and experiential education. We argue for faculty to adopt an ontology and pedagogy of play. Findings/conclusions: Play is well represented in the literature; contributing positively to a range of health and educational outcomes. As play manifests in numerous forms in postsecondary education, faculty would benefit from a clear educational rationale for an ontology and pedagogy of play. We share examples from our practice which highlight spontaneous and planned play and playful attitudes/behaviors and suggest how play may be integrated as planned curriculum. Implications: Ideally, these concepts resonate with faculty allowing them to challenge conventional pedagogies and confirm play in practice with the underpinning of experiential education research.

International explorations in outdoor and environmental education, 2021

This chapter explores the theoretical foundations of what is meant by a sense of place, and the c... more This chapter explores the theoretical foundations of what is meant by a sense of place, and the challenges and opportunities that developing a sense of place brings to outdoor education now and in the future. We take an international perspective based on a shared understanding of our roles as practicing university outdoor educators. Our discussion of sense of place in higher education is rooted in shared place-responsive teaching experiences in two locations: Plymouth, UK and Reykjavik, Iceland. We advocate for place-responsive education and encourages educators to take a critical view regarding human relationships with culture, time, and nature. A critical approach to outdoor education leads to reconstructing it as more than just activities and a focus on relations between self, others, and nature. It means at times slowing down and moving away from the fast and furious adrenaline-charged experiences and giving space to experiential, aesthetic, and more mindful embodied fieldwork experiences. In the foreseeable future, educators are challenged to look at nature as hyperreal and be open to embracing new, exciting and different ways of developing a sense of place

Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, Jul 1, 2020

The initial online publication contained several typesetting errors. The original article has bee... more The initial online publication contained several typesetting errors. The original article has been corrected. Publisher's note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Jun 15, 2022

Background: A recent dialogue in the field of play, learn, and teach outdoors (referred to as "PL... more Background: A recent dialogue in the field of play, learn, and teach outdoors (referred to as "PLaTO" hereafter) demonstrated the need for developing harmonized and consensus-based terminology, taxonomy, and ontology for PLaTO. This is important as the field evolves and diversifies in its approaches, contents, and contexts over time and in different countries, cultures, and settings. Within this paper, we report the systematic and iterative processes undertaken to achieve this objective, which has built on the creation of the global PLaTO-Network (PLaTO-Net). Methods: This project comprised of four major methodological phases. First, a systematic scoping review was conducted to identify common terms and definitions used pertaining to PLaTO. Second, based on the results of the scoping review, a draft set of key terms, taxonomy, and ontology were developed, and shared with PLaTO members, who provided feedback via four rounds of consultation. Third, PLaTO terminology, taxonomy, and ontology were then finalized based on the feedback received from 50 international PLaTO member participants who responded to ≥ 3 rounds of the consultation survey and dialogue. Finally, efforts to share and disseminate project outcomes were made through different online platforms. Results: This paper presents the final definitions and taxonomy of 31 PLaTO terms along with the PLaTO-Net ontology model. The model incorporates other relevant concepts in recognition that all the aspects of the model are interrelated and interconnected. The final terminology, taxonomy, and ontology are intended to be applicable to, and relevant for, all people encompassing various identities (e.g., age, gender, culture, ethnicity, ability). Conclusions: This project contributes to advancing PLaTO-based research and facilitating intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration, with the long-term goal of fostering and strengthening PLaTO's synergistic linkages with healthy living, environmental stewardship, climate action, and planetary health agendas. Notably, PLaTO terminology, taxonomy and ontology will continue to evolve, and PLaTO-Net is committed to advancing and periodically updating harmonized knowledge and understanding in the vast and interrelated areas of PLaTO.

Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 2020

This is an unusual article in that it brings together the perspectives of many on this journal's ... more This is an unusual article in that it brings together the perspectives of many on this journal's editorial board, around the issue of contending with COVID-19. Twenty statements showcase a range of thoughts and experiences, highlighting the differences and similarities in the way the pandemic is impacting on the educational practice of outdoor and environmental education. The future is not yet written, of course, so it is worth thinking about how the current moment may impact on the months and years to come. The aim of this article is to influence and support such thinking.

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors identified that Lindsay Crompton w... more Following publication of the original article [1], the authors identified that Lindsay Crompton was omitted from the article. The author group has been updated above and the original article [1] has been corrected.

Sport Education and Society, Jun 18, 2014

There has been increasing interest in recent years in the significance of a sense of place in the... more There has been increasing interest in recent years in the significance of a sense of place in the literature of outdoor adventure education. In the UK relationships between outdoor education and the environment still appear largely focused on the science of the natural environment and the activity in question. In this paper we present empirical evidence from an action research project to demonstrate how a combination of formal and informal pedagogy in a higher education context can lead to a socio-cultural and historical understanding of place and enrich the learning experience of students when teaching the classical outdoor adventurous activity of sailing. The sport of dinghy sailing is a module within a Bachelor's undergraduate degree in outdoor education and was taught from a small fishing town in Devon, England. We adopted an integrated and experiential critical pedagogy of place that allowed theory and practice, thought and action to be a holistic experience and this approach provided opportunities for informal as well as formal learning. This action research project used methods including: photo-elicitation, focus group interviews and evidence from the analysis of written student assignments. Our findings show that students discover a significance of the meaningful relationship between the socio-cultural history of where that activity takes place and the activity itself and that as a result their engagement in the learning and research process was enriched.

In this presentation I argue for a re-conceptualization of “playtime” and the development of play... more In this presentation I argue for a re-conceptualization of “playtime” and the development of playfulness as a useful learning tool to cultivate creativity. “Playful play facilitates creativity 1 – sometimes immediately and sometimes after a considerable delay” (Bateson and Martin, 2012, p.8-9). Teaching at a University the question I address is why we may wish to engage in “playtime” and how might this be achieved. There are two arguments for including “playtime”. Firstly, the neoliberalist discourse about higher education is concerned with employability and “getting a job”. In this sense, creativity is seen as a graduate employability skill by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)2 who consider the skill of creative thinking as a prime outcome of higher education. This CBI report found that a fifth of employers were not satisfied with graduates’ use of creative thinking. Secondly, there are theoretical and empirical accounts about adult playfulness that describe its relation ...

Sport Education and Society

ABSTRACT

International Explorations in Outdoor and Environmental Education, 2021

Living with the Sea, 2018

Research Methods in Outdoor Studies, 2019

Fulvic acid (FA) and superabsorbent polymer (SAP) are widely applied to improve crop growth and y... more Fulvic acid (FA) and superabsorbent polymer (SAP) are widely applied to improve crop growth and yield under water deficit conditions, but little is known about the changes in crop physiological parameters related to water deficit tolerance when SAP and FA are combined. A pot test with maize (Zea mays L.) plants was conducted to examine the combined effect on photosynthesis, leaf water, proline, and growth under soil water deficit. Maize plants were subjected to two soil moisture conditions at the late crop growth phase: water deficit (WD, 50% field capacity) and well-watered (WW, 80% field capacity). The SAP (4.5 g m-2) was mixed into the soil layer at sowing and the FA solution (2 g L-1) was sprayed twice during water control. The combined application significantly improved maize grain yield under both watering conditions. The net photosynthesis rate, intrinsic quantum yield, fluorescent parameter (Fv/Fm), and chlorophyll content all improved with the combined application under both watering regimes. The compensating effect of combining chemicals on yield and photosynthesis parameters was higher than when applied alone under the two watering conditions. For prolonged and WD conditions, leaf proline and water content were higher under the combined treatment than when used separately. Under the WD conditions treated with FA and SAP, Fv/Fm had positive significant correlations with leaf water content and osmotic potential; leaf proline did not show any correlations with either the osmotic potential or leaf water content. This result demonstrated that SAP and FA could be combined to maintain high leaf proline and improve photosynthesis to mitigate adverse effects of moderate water storage on maize growth.

We aim for this to be an interactive, thought-provoking session whereby participants are encourag... more We aim for this to be an interactive, thought-provoking session whereby participants are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences in outdoor spaces and to engage in the wider debate of how to support others to develop an awareness and appreciation of the world around them. We include presentations from across the disciplines, including geography, sociology, outdoor learning, higher education (pedagogy and research) and other related disciplines. This includes practitioners’ perspectives on how to maintain a playful attitude with older children, young people and adults. We argue for the re-conceptualisation of “playtime” and the development of playfulness as a useful approach to cultivate creativity (Leather, 2014), that goes well beyond childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. What is playfulness? It is a mood state that facilitates and accompanies ‘playful play’. It may not be observable in behaviour – playful individuals are not necessarily playing, even though the...

Veronica Strang, a cultural anthropologist, writing about the River Stour in Dorset captures in p... more Veronica Strang, a cultural anthropologist, writing about the River Stour in Dorset captures in part the essence of the magical and picturesque qualities found in water: The water flowing down the Stour is both natural and cultural, responsive to a changing spatial, temporal, physical and ideational landscape. Its material qualities-its composition, its transmutability, reflectivity, fluidity and transparency-are inherent, but also responsive to context. Similarly, people's biological, sensory and perceptual experiences of these qualities are universally human, and yet simultaneously a product of a particular individual and cultural moment in time and space. Their physical, emotional and imaginative interactions with water render it mesmeric, sacred, comforting, stimulating, beautiful and fearful. (2004: 245) Always bearing in mind the complexity conveyed in the above the following chapter will seek to explore something of the background to water environments and their presence in outdoor education. However, before proceeding it may be helpful to consider how we sense and then 'make sense' of the experiences water environments offer informal outdoor education. Over 50 per cent of the world's population live within 3 km of a body of freshwater and only 10 per cent reside further than 10 km distant (Kummu, et.al. 2011). The furthest point from the coastline in England and Wales is just 110 km and a third of us dwell within 10 km of the seashore (Environment Agency 1999). Unsurprisingly Britain's cultural heritage has long been influenced by a history of living, trading and fighting on and near the sea. Although these links may have weakened the coast remains important not merely to those living adjacent to it but to those who travel to the seashore to enjoy leisure activities. Finally the absolute necessity of water for our survival means it

This presentation is an autobiographical account of my connection with the sea and the associated... more This presentation is an autobiographical account of my connection with the sea and the associated narratives that it holds. The sea is my Heimat – my homeland and I feel a personal sense of belonging to this place. The concept of somaesthetics is introduced as a way of exploring my embodied cognition of time with the sea. I consider how my earliest experiences of the sea has influenced my professional practice as a university lecturer, and as a consequence how seascapes have affected my students’ understanding of their own connection to the sea. I discuss the romanticised stories of the sea and explore how matters of social justice and oppression can be found just beneath the surface. Autobiography as my construction of reality here is what Bruner (1991: 8) describes as “hermeneutic composability”, that is the telling of my story and its comprehension as a story depends upon the human capacity to process knowledge in an interpretive way. Autobiography is to do with recovering a past...

This symposium brings together perspectives from geography, philosophy, alternative education and... more This symposium brings together perspectives from geography, philosophy, alternative education and sport and exercise science to consider a sense of place and agency in education beyond the classroom. Drawing on embodied perspectives to decenter the assumptions of the classroom as enclosure which frame much educational research (Lundie 2015). In place of the enclosure as locus of methodology, the challenges of non-formal and expansive educational settings refocus educational enquiry on the intrinsic, ipsative and intersubjective dimensions of the learner in their interactions with place, peers and nature. Introducing the research programme for Space, Place and Agency in Childhood and Education at the University of St Mark and St John, Plymouth, an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Faculty of Education and Social Science and the Faculty of Sport and Health Science, the symposium will feature speakers who cross boundaries and challenge traditional dichotomies between formal, ...

Research Methods in Outdoor Studies, 2019

International explorations in outdoor and environmental education, 2021

Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, Jul 1, 2020

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Jun 15, 2022

Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 2020

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Sport Education and Society, Jun 18, 2014

Sport Education and Society

ABSTRACT

International Explorations in Outdoor and Environmental Education, 2021

Living with the Sea, 2018

Research Methods in Outdoor Studies, 2019

Research Methods in Outdoor Studies., 2020

This chapter considers autobiography as a useful method for outdoor studies. It draws on educatio... more This chapter considers autobiography as a useful method for outdoor studies. It draws on educational texts as well as utilising theoretical perspectives from both geography and sociology to argue for its effectiveness. Our sense of becoming as an outdoor person becomes illuminated when we use autobiography. While this critical self-reflection is acknowledged as not the only way of knowing ourselves and our outdoor practice, it is an effective and practical approach in gaining awareness into one's life as well as the contexts we inhabit. Criticisms of this method are addressed, as well as the related terms of autoethnography and hermeneutic inquiry. This chapter is as much a story about my research journey as it is about the method of autobiography as part of my professional outdoor practice. If you have ever pondered the questions, who am I? And how on Earth did I end up here doing this? Then I suggest you have already started your autobiographical journey. Why should you consider autobiography? In general terms, the personal and human decisions that are made about all research methods are inherently human, as Letherby (2015) emphasises; accepting that all research and scholarly writing takes place somewhere on an autobiographical continuum highlights how important it is to always keep a research diary within which the researcher(s) records connections to (or not), and personal, as well as intellectual, reflections on the research process (p.165).

Rethinking Outdoor, Experiential and Informal Education: Beyond the Confines, 2018

Research Methods in Outdoor Studies., 2020

This chapter outlines common rationales for mixed methods research and identifies the importance ... more This chapter outlines common rationales for mixed methods research and identifies the importance of careful planning to undertake mixed methods research. We argue researchers in outdoor studies must avoid reproduction of celebratory and simplistic rhetoric of mixed methods research as a panacea to shortcomings in any given data collection and analysis process. More specifically, we seek to support researchers to consider how different research methodologies present different ways of knowing and accompanying evaluation, quality, and evidentiary criteria. The limitations of mixed methods designs are discussed in relation to pragmatic and logistic concerns as well as the difficulty of connecting methods that present different underlying philosophical assumptions. Using mixed methods research techniques and approaches in a specific project is an intuitively appealing way to develop robust answers to our research questions, and has a long history. Mixed methods research is predicated on the belief that there are different and multiple valuable and legitimate techniques for developing knowledge and therefore using more than one method in research is advantageous. Nonetheless, even with specific nomenclature, "we are 30 to 40 years deep into a multiple, mixed methods discourse, and we still can't define the method or be clear on its benefits" (Denzin 2012, p. 82). More specifically, core "controversies" continue to be debated (Cresswell, 2011; Sparkes, 2015; Teddlie and Tashakkori, 2010) including definitional issues ranging from what counts as mixed methods research to specific concepts and terminology used, (in)commensurability of paradigms, methodological hierarchies, and the overall value of mixed methods research. We do not advocate any specific definition of what counts as mixed methods research by virtue

Atmospheres and Hauntings: Book of Extended Abstracts for the European Institute for Outdoor Adventure Education and Experiential Learning Conference. , 2018

On behalf of the conference team I am delighted to bring together here the extended abstracts for... more On behalf of the conference team I am delighted to bring together here the extended abstracts for the EOE conference held at Plymouth Marjon University in the UK in June 2017.

Living with the Sea: Knowledge, Awareness and Action. Routledge Studies in Human Geography, 2019

Past and Presents. Living with the sea and making connections; a matter of a personal and profess... more Past and Presents. Living with the sea and making connections; a matter of a personal and professional Heimat.
This chapter is an autobiographical account of my connection with the sea, seascapes and ultimately my British cultural maritime heritage. It is my Heimat-my homeland and a sense of belonging to this place. I consider how this has directly influenced my professional practice as a university lecturer, and as a consequence how seascapes and the places and experiences associated with them have affected my students' understanding of their own connection to the sea. My construction of reality here is what Bruner (1991, p.8) describes as "hermeneutic composability", that is the telling of my story and its comprehension as a story depends upon the human capacity to process knowledge in an interpretive way. Autobiography is popular in feminist approaches to scholarship as a category of studying and practice where individuals are compelled to display self-knowledge through the creation and presentation of stories about the self (Cosslett, Lury, & Summerfield, 2000). Autobiography is to do with recovering a past "and depends on the deployment of an often shifting, partial and contested set of personal or collective memories" (ibid, p.4). Questions of validity inevitably arise with the use of autobiography due to the subjective nature of memory recall and the possibility of embellishment. Van Manen (1997) defends this use that may include fictious scenarios, emotions or moods within a life story, as they still allow us to be imaginatively or emotionally involved. So this is my story, as I remember it, and interpret it that is an autobiographical account of my Heimat; my connection to seascapes starts with my first recollections of encounters with the sea. First encounters My connection to the sea starts with my annual family 'seaside' holidays to Broadstairs on the Kent coast in south east England for the first eleven years of my life. As I write I recall

The Changing World of Outdoor Learning in Europe, 2018

In order to understand the last twenty years of outdoor education in the National Curriculum of E... more In order to understand the last twenty years of outdoor education in the National Curriculum of England, I suggest it is necessary to consider the English/British cultural construction and appreciation of outdoor education and how this became manifest in a formalised, central government prescribed National Curriculum. The Education Reform Act (ERA) of 1988 was a momentous event in the direction, content and ethos of the formal education system in Englanda definite line in the sand. The ERA formalised the National Curriculum and made explicit and compulsory an entitlement curriculum for those aged 5 -16 years. It referred to the spiritual and moral development of the child in the context of a 'broad and balanced' curriculum. The National Curriculum Council (NCC) (1990) highlighted the value of outdoor education experiences describing how they could make significant contribution as a focus of cross curricular work. Earlier than this, Cook (1999) discusses the significance of the 1944 Education Act and a post-war Britain and explores how the outdoors was incorporated into the education of children as a response to a number of social and political concerns. Allison (2016) identifies six 'waves' of outdoor education as a useful way to summarise the historical developments of outdoor education in the UK including; exploration, personal and social development, environmental education, curriculum connections, sustainability and climate change, and inter-cultural education. The 'curriculum connections' understood by policy makers are rooted in a shared cultural perspective rather than an evidence based research position, influenced by the national narrative of exploration; for example Francis Drake (16 th century), Captain Cook (18 th century) and Scott of the Antarctic (20 th century), and the dominance of the outdoors for 'character building' as seen in the personal development programmes of Outward Bound (1941) and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (DofE) (1956). To some extent outdoor education in England was born out of a particular set of circumstances associated with war.

This paper recommends a reconceptualisation of “experience learning”. It is premised on a belief ... more This paper recommends a reconceptualisation of “experience learning”. It is premised on a belief that the simplistic learning
cycle is problematic and moreover is an oversimplified interpretation of Kolb’s original model of experiential learning. We
argue that to understand experiential learning fully a return to the original theoretical conceptualisation by John Dewey is
necessary. Importantly Dewey conceives of an experience, and therefore the learning that results from it, as a transaction
between the individual and their environment and is therefore a consequence of their ‘trying’ and ‘undergoing’ within that
experience. Dewey also emphasises the importance of ‘meaning’ within experiential learning, something not fully accounted
for within the simplified model. We argue that with an appreciation of Dewey the full potential of learning by, and through,
the experience of outdoor education can be maximised and the full meaning of that experience explored.

In this chapter Mark Leather leads us through experiences of water environments that may be found... more In this chapter Mark Leather leads us through experiences of water environments that may be found in informal education, based upon his own professional practice as well as his own personal experiences. The chapter introduces the concept of somaesthetics and how we sense our experiences in, on, under or near water environments. Mark then highlights how these rich sensate experiences provide engaged experiences and multiple opportunities for talk, discussion and dialogue. He proposes a conceptual model to consider these discussions in the physical, socio-cultural and personal contexts and explores how ‘talk’ is fundamental in the process of informal education. This is used to consider the centrality of relationships between self, others and the natural water world and how those are key for informal education in the water environment.

Conference Paper, 2012

In this paper, I explore these terms and suggest why they may be useful for outdoor educators, pa... more In this paper, I explore these terms and suggest why they may be useful for outdoor educators, particularly in the light of the recent movement in the UK known as Forest Schools. My intention here is to introduce and connect some theoretical positions, not provide a comprehensive and polished review, but as a useful matrix of ideas to help structure research, theory and outdoor practice. The last few years have seen an exponential rise in Forest Schools and this is exemplified in the work of Sara Knight (2009, 2011, 2012). There is clearly an energy and excitement about this approach to using the outdoors for education particularly with its focus upon children from the early years stage of their education. This can be evidenced from the work of the Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL) who hosted a Forest School conference in 2011 and are in the process of setting up a national governing body (NGB) to oversee the governance of Forest School leaders (IOL, online). There are a range of issues around this and this is not the place to explore them, aside from my argument that a theoretical and philosophical base needs better articulating. Many of us involved in outdoor education would recognise the Forest School activities of shelter building, making fires and using tools in the outdoors as nothing new. These activities have been enjoyed in an organised setting since at least the start of the Scout Movement and the writing of Baden Powell in 1908. Additionally, the ethos of the Forest School approach, namely one of personal development, has been at the very core of outdoor adventure education exemplified in the writing of Kurt Hahn and the practice of Outward Bound. What is new and potentially exciting for outdoor educators is that the Forest School pedagogy is one of child centred and child initiated play based activity in the outdoors (Knight, 2009). What is intriguing about this recently published work is the lack of writing about the theoretical foundation and philosophical underpinnings upon which it is based. It is my intention here to contribute to this paucity of writing. Forest School brings a fresh and arguably new approach to outdoor education (younger age groups and play based approaches) and this can bring challenges to the orthodoxy, for instance fires and knives with 3-5 year olds tests the traditional age of participation of the scout movement. Quay (2003) explored the relationships between experiential education and theories of learning including constructivism, social constructionism and cultural discourses. He concluded that these provide a structure that enables the scope of learning theorised within experiential education to be more completely analysed. It is my intention here to explore these in a little more detail and to use the Forest School context to highlight their usefulness. However, to start some clarity of terms is first considered. In this next section I intend to show the similarities and differences in these terms so that they are not conflated and used synonymously, but are recognisable as distinctive, separate and related.