Outdoor Education, Frictions and our Common World: Similarities within Settler Colonialism

            After reading the article De-Centering the Human in Multispecies Ethnographies by Pacini-Ketchabaw, Taylor & Blaise (2016), I noticed some similarities between this article and the article titled Frictions in Forest Pedagogies: Common Worlds in Settler Colonial Spaces also by Pacini-Ketchabaw (2013). The main similarity that I noticed was that both articles discussed the frictions that occur among human and more-than-human species, specifically the ways in which children interact with the environment around them without acknowledging the histories of these forests, especially within settler colonialism. The main difference I noticed between these articles is that the article by Pacini-Ketchabaw (2013) seems to be looking at frictions and early childhood education through traditional early childhood research practices, whereas the article by Pacini-Ketchabaw, Taylor & Blaise (2016) take a slightly different viewpoints and looks at friction and early childhood education through the lens of posthumanism. Although both articles discuss similar topics through different lenses, they are both connected to the teachings of the 4 frames in the kindergarten program, specifically the belonging and contributing frame.

            In the Pacini-Ketchabaw, Taylor & Blaise (2016) article, they analyze frictions and early childhood education through the lens of posthumanism. Posthumanism explores the idea of learning with more-than-human species instead of from more-than-human species as part of the ‘common worlds’ in which we live and learn together. One example they provide of this ‘common world’ encounter between human and more-than-human species is an interaction between children and earthworms. The earthworms are being impacted by the children by almost being stepped on and picked up, and the children and being impacted by the earthworms when their hands get sticky and slimy from holding them. This demonstrates how humans and more-than-human species intermingle, learn and change each other through their interactions (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Taylor & Blaise, 2016).

In the Pacini-Ketchabaw (2013) article she analyzes frictions and early childhood education through a more traditional early childhood lens. She looks at the idea of frictions by discussing forest pedagogies and outdoor education within early childhood education centres. She first focuses on how children learn in and from the forest, engaging in scientific inquiry, imaginary play and hands-on experiences within the forest, and then digs a little deeper to suggest that forest pedagogies help us acknowledge how we shape the forests and how the forest shapes us through our interactions. One example of this forest pedagogy that they discuss is when children climb on moss their hands leave an imprint, but when children slip and scrape their knees on the moss, the forest has left its imprint on the child as well (Pacini-Ketchabaw, 2013).

Despite these different lenses, both of these articles focus on the frictions created by the interactions of humans and more-than-human species within our shared worlds. Both articles discuss how humans and more-than-humans and continually transformed when they interact with one another, and that new histories are created within the forest and within us through these interactions. Once acknowledged, these frictions are the catalysts for change. They have the ability to produce movement, action and effect in humans and more-than-humans (Pacini-Ketchabaw, 2013), (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Taylor & Blaise, 2016).

One major point that both articles stressed was the acknowledgement of frictions between Indigenous peoples and settlers, or settler colonialism. Pacini-Ketchabaw, Taylor & Blaise (2016) stated that forests already hold histories besides the ones we create when we interact with more-than-human species inside them, specifically violence within colonialism, and in order to work through these frictions and histories we must first acknowledge them. Pacini-Ketchabaw, (2013) states that we need to acknowledge how Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies were erased from outdoor education in early childhood centers, which only creates more friction the longer it is ignored.

After analyzing both articles, their similarities, differences and different lenses through which they analyze outdoor education, early childhood education, frictions and histories within our common worlds, I believe that the reason children interact with the environment without noticing frictions or histories is because of early childhood curriculums like the Kindergarten Program. The Kindergarten Program focuses on the 4 frames, which are belonging and contributing, problem solving and innovating, self-regulation and well-being, and demonstrating literacy and mathematics behaviours (The Kindergarten Program, 2016). After looking at the 4 frames, I noticed that the only frame that mentions relationships, communities, the natural world is belonging and contributing. Also, there is only a small section on one page that mentions outdoor education (The Kindergarten Program, 2016). I believe that outdoor education is such an enriching, rewarding experience for children. They get to interact with the environment in ways that a traditional classroom cannot provide for them, and I believe that children should get the chance to explore outside as much as possible. But, when educators are not provided with the tools, resources, knowledge or guidance to acknowledge the ideas surrounding ‘common worlds’, forest pedagogies, and past and present histories, it provides a disservice to the land that we engage with for our own benefit through outdoor education. Acknowledging these histories and common worlds, as well as teaching children how to treat the land with respect is something that I believe should be taught to children at an early age, as these are fundamental concepts, ideas, and beliefs will stick with them for the rest of their lives. I believe it could also be the catalyst for change that frictions create, and through our own learning and training we could provide our students with the tools and knowledge to work towards transforming these frictions into positive histories, relations and even reconciliation in both the present and the future.

References

Ontario, Ministry of Education. (2016). The Kindergarten Program, 1-328.

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V. (2013). Frictions in forest pedagogies: Common worlds in settler colonial spaces. Global Studies of Childhood, 3(4), 355-365.

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Taylor, A., & Blaise, M. (2016). De-centering the human in multispecies ethnographies. In C. Taylor, & C. Hughes (Eds.), Posthuman Research Practices in Education (P. 149-165). Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan.