Under an open sky: Reflections and challenges of university students

• Main Authors: Þorsteinsson, Jakob Frímann, Árnadóttir, Hervör Alma, Gísladóttir, Karen Rut, Jónsson, Ólafur Páll
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2022
• Subjects: outdoor education; frilufstliv; outdoor recreation; nature; uncertainty; reflection; slowness; hæglæti; ígrundun; náttúra; óvissa; útimenntun; útilíf; útivist; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/netla/article/view/3653

Within the educational systems, attention has been directed to the importance of creating an environment and conditions to cultivate students’ ability to deal with the uncertainty and challenges of our time – whether in the field of environmental issues, pandemics or other factors.International research suggests that friluftsliv and guided outdoor education can be a useful and powerful way to work with such skills. The Scandinavian term ‘friluftsliv’ is culturally and legally defined and has for a long time been the subject of research in various academic fields, including education. Within this tradition, strong emphasis is laid on traveling through nature and in nature by one’s own power and in harmony with nature. The paper also draws on the English traditions of outdoor education and adventure education.The strong experiences gained from taking learning out into nature can be attributed to the challenging interactions of students when dealing with unpredictable environment and weather conditions. In order for such experiences to be learning experiences, contributing to the increased competences of the students, it is necessary that students reflect on their experiences in an organized way. Reflection is integrated into most subjects of outdoor education and has developed greatly over the past decades and is in fact a core component of professional practice.The purpose of this article is to draw out the possibilities of nature as both a learning environment and a co-teacher, and develop creative ways to meet contemporary demands in the education of university students. The goal is to shed light on the role of reflection in bringing out the possibilities for learning and development that are inherent in spending time in nature. We therefore raise two research questions to guide our work: (1) How do students describe their challenges before, during and after a four-day journey through the wilderness of Iceland? (2) What evidence can be found in students’ writings that indicate that reflecting on the journey has ...