ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the significance and potential of place-responsiveness in outdoor studies. T. Ingold's conceptualisation of enskilment, within taskscapes, provides further support to the existing body of literature that argues for the pedagogical importance of place(s) in learning and being. Proponents of place-responsive approaches have also raised questions about overly simplistic experiential models of learning, and deeply held beliefs about the 'core' philosophy of outdoor learning with regard to risk, challenge and transferability of learning. Understanding the origins of a belief in the virtues of risky outdoor pursuits tells us much about the requirements and possibilities of alternative approaches – such as dwelling and place-responsiveness. Place-responsiveness has developed as a distinct theme in outdoor studies over the past decade or so, in particular with research findings and writings from authors in Scotland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Several authors within outdoor education have written about, and researched, the philosophical and pedagogical potential of 'place'.
