'Reforesting' Environmental Education: A Philosophical and Praxiological Reflection from Practitioner-Researchers in Higher Education

Overview & Synopsis

This paper presents a philosophical and praxiological enquiry into a flagship MSc programme in Outdoor and Environmental Education in the UK that emphasises co-creation of knowledge and reflexive practice among students and academic staff. Using a trioethnographic approach, it brings together critical reflections from three researcher-practitioners to examine the programme's philosophical foundations and consider whether and how its curriculum fulfils the aims it espouses, particularly in relation to climate, social and ecological justice. Drawing on critical and wild pedagogies, and informed by Indigenous movements in environmental education, the paper engages with contemporary educational philosophy to propose the concept of 'reforesting'. Building on Arendt's notion of natality, 'reforesting' is presented as a way of reimagining new beginnings through critical reflection and collective praxis in higher education. In doing so, the paper contributes to discussions about how education might respond to the climate crisis while sustaining an ethos of hope and solidarity.