Introducing a fifth pedagogy: experience-based strategies for facilitating learning in natural environments Roy Ballantyne and Jan Packer School of Tourism, University of Queensland, Australia Environmental Education Research (2009), 15, 2, 243-262. Educators have identified four categories of ‘productive pedagogies’ that are considered to lead to authentic student engagement and learning in the classroom. This study was designed to explore and extend these pedagogies in the context of learning in natural environments, in particular, through the programs of Queensland Environmental Education Centres. In-depth interview and observation data were collected from students, classroom teachers and Centre teachers who had participated in twelve environmental education programs across Queensland, in order to identify the strategies that are most effective in facilitating learning in the natural environment. A fifth productive pedagogy category, “Experience-Based Learning”, is proposed. Experience-based learning is particularly important in addressing students’ environmental attitudes and actions. The implications for the delivery of environmental education programs both within and outside the classroom are discussed. Keywords: pedagogy; school students; experiential learning; learning in natural environments Introduction Environmental education research strongly suggests that learning experiences in the natural environment are extremely important in developing students’ environmental knowledge, attitudes and responsible actions (Ballantyne and Uzzell 1994; Ballantyne Connell and Fien 1998; Ballantyne, Fien and Packer 2001a, 2001b; Ballantyne and Packer 2002; Bogner 1998; Lai 1999; Rickinson 2001; Tanner 2001). For example, Palmer’s (1999) research with 1259 students in nine countries including Australia found that direct experiences with nature had far more impact on subsequent involvement in pro-environmental activities than did formal education. Similarly, Finger (1994) found nature experiences to be a better predictor of environmental behaviour than environmental awareness, information, or value orientations. Dettmann-Easler and Pease’s (1999) review of research suggests that environmental education that is solely school-based is only moderately successful, and that the best approach for teaching environmental concepts and awareness is to incorporate outdoor activities. Learning experiences in natural environments have been associated with increased levels of student motivation and achievement (Battersby 1999), as well as a greater likelihood that learning will be transferred to situations that students encounter outside of the school environment (Ballantyne, Fien and Packer 2001b). In Queensland, the State education authority (Education Queensland) has embraced the philosophy of ‘real world’ environmental instruction by establishing twenty-five Outdoor and Environmental Education Centres (O&EECs) throughout the State. These centres complement school programs and provide students with the opportunity to study particular aspects of the sustainability of the environment in which centres are located. Because the Centres are located in a range of different environments (including forest, beach, outback, estuarine and freshwater), they enhance students’ understanding of various environmental systems and address a broad range of environmental issues, including the use of land, water, mineral and energy resources.