Rehumanizing Science Education: Exploring Outdoor Learning as an Avenue Toward Holistic Wellbeing

Mainstream education in the United States has prioritized Eurocentric ways of knowing and being, favoring dominant cultures while rejecting relevant learning and creativity. The emphasis on standardization and competition have hindered students and teachers from honoring their full humanity (i.e. humanization), including their social, historical, and creative selves. Science education, as a microcosm of the larger United States education system, elevates homogeny rather than alternative ways of knowing and being, significantly impacting historically marginalized populations. To prioritize authentic connections over knowledge production while simultaneously disrupting Eurocentricity, this paper posits outdoor learning as an avenue toward rehumanizing the science education field by honoring students and teachers as whole people. Attending to the four dimensions of holistic well-being-cognitive, affective, physical, interpersonal-we suggest that outdoor learning can intentionally broaden perceptions of people and land, acknowledging the inherent dignity within all life. This manuscript synthesizes research from various scholars in science education, outdoor learning, and social justice. We conclude with implications for educators, education participants, and scholars interested in exploring outdoor learning and examining how their science practices either perpetuate dehumanization or foster processes of rehumanization for students and teachers of color.