Connection to Nature as Feature of Meaningful PE Experiences

A challenge in advocating for a connection to nature (C2N) as a feature of meaningful experiences is that there seems to be little congruence on what a connection to nature actually is. As Branham (2024) outlines, some position C2N as a cognitive connection, where others argue C2N  is a connection of affect, and still others who view C2N as an emotional connection of love and caring, similar to the connection between humans. My personal stance aligns with the statement from Cleary et al. (2020) that C2N is a holistic (affective, emotional, cognitive) and subjective feeling of closeness or oneness with the natural word. There is seemingly endless research related to the holistic benefits of such a connection including those of hedonic and eudaemonic well-being. This aligns with Arnold (1979) who found unity with self/nature as a source of existential meaning - the meanings that stand out to us, and become part of who we are. In his book, Meaning in Movement, Sport & Physical Education, Arnold selects quotes that articulates this sense of “oneness” or “unity”: 

“....every time I fall at skiing, or every time I poke cautiously down a hill I feel an urge to get  back up and do something that will make the hill work for me, with me, bring to about the ecstasy of oneness with nature…the mogul, the slope, the snow, the skis, the body and the awareness of my body in motion. When such a state of being is achieved, I feel like yipping and yelling down the entire slope”
                                                    Anderson., B. quoted in Arnold, P., Meaning in Movement, Sport & Physical Education

A second example comes from O'Connor (2019) who used the text below as an example of rich narrative, to guide students in crafting their own narratives. You'll notice the 'unification' of both rider and the wave. 

I see a wave build on the horizon tracing a seamless path in my direction. This is the one. This is my wave. I position myself in its path, my arms respond to movement of water, body and board, muscles instinctively pull on bone as my hands blend with water. Energy rises from beneath me carrying me forward, I have joined this surging force. I peer down the crest as the sensation of speed fills my body. I spring to my feet, intimately reacting to nature’s evolving shape, I take a moment to feel its form, to get to know this totally new but very familiar wave. Now I lead in this dance. Leaning into the wave, board, body and water communicate. I glide up and down, sparkles of sunlight reflecting off the shimmering surface. Time slows, and for a moment I am this wave…

Additional complications regarding C2N is understanding how that connection can be built. As Dale Roth & Court Rustemeyer outline in this episode of the Meaningful Podcast Experience, there are perhaps a million ways to do so. With that being said, in the literature there are several themes that emerge regarding how this connection can be fostered.

Attention

The natural world and the role that it may play in education, is perhaps sometimes left as an afterthought or just not seen as worthy as other objectives. For example, during XC Running, teachers may priortize running for health-oriented purposes or perhaps to consider ‘grit’ and ‘resilience’, but may not encourage students to pause to notice the nature around them, the changing of the leaves, or the wildlife that may pass. But perhaps by paying attention to nature, as well as our bodies and emotions in/with nature, we can foster a deeper connection to it. Branham (2024), describes how an awareness of our bodies can act as a ‘vehicle of connection and communication with nature’. In addition, noticing and attending to our emotions were determined to be highly predictive of C2N connection. Authors describe attention as a spiritual act, slow yet powerful, and a way to be come fascinated with the natural world.  Alaimo et al. (2020) describe fascination as a form of attention that requires little effort to sustain that arises from pleasant and subtly stimulating natural environments. How do we or how could we guide students in attending to nature/body/emotion during Physical Education? While I generally agree with the idea that meaningfulness is revealed reflectively, I wonder whether through carefully tuned attention, can a meaningful experience surrounding C2N also occur in the moment? Perhaps this is a future pedagogical consideration regarding meaningfulness. 

Approaches such as the Walking Curriculum and nature-based solitude may be useful in this regard.  Several studies have explored the experiences of individuals engaged in nature-based solitude (Kalish et al., 2011; Long & Averill, 2013). Slow and attentive, participants have identified how being alone in nature brings about peace and a feeling of connectedness to place as they attend to the world around them. Is there a place for nature-based solitude in Physical Education? 

Quality & Quantity

Quality experiences in nature are ones that are immersive and intentionally prioritize C2N. Teachers and other adults have a significant influence on a child's education and ways they see and think about the world. Teachers can direct students attention to elements in nature are important, or unconsciously (through a lack of attention) suggest that aspects of nature are irrelevant to their lives. There is an understandable difference between learning about nature in a classroom, and immersing students in nature in ways that engage their bodily senses. Barrable et al (2023) found that the simple act of picking flowers was influential in children developing a C2N later in life.
The aspect of quantity, is perhaps best summarized by Richardson et al. (2021) paper aptly titled Moments, Not Minutes. The authors argue that time outdoors is not enough, what matters more is whether that time is spent developing a close relationship with nature (rather than simply leaving it to chance).  As an example of quantity & quality, Beery et al. (2020) describe experiences where students repeatedly returned to the same forest anthill through the course of the year to consider  how the environment and the lives of the ants change over time. Throughout the process, participants began to notice that students referred to the forest as "my forest", as a place of belonging, rather than "the forest" (something external to them).  Approaches such as these may be useful in reversing the disturbing trends of urbanization of children whose first encounter with insects may be indoors rather than outdoors, and with limited knowledge of them, begin to view aspects of nature with disgust (Barrable et. al, 2023). 
A second example maybe more familiar to adults would be gardening, as gardening involves deliberatre & sustained engagement with "authentic" forms of nature; dirt, bugs, soil, plants etc. that occurs over time. Alaimo et al. (2022),  concluded that C2N was successfully achieved through engaging in gardening. While many might scoff at the idea of gardening's inclusion in a PE curriculum, it is something that Dr. Aaron Beighle has advocated for us innovative PE practice, which he discusses here on an Episode of Run Your Life podcast w/ Andy Vasily. 

Reflection

While attention can perhaps facilitate a meaningful connection in-the-moment, reflection remains a key pedagogical approach to students uncovering meaningfulness in their experiences. In the introduction, the example the surfer arises from O'Connor's (2019) case study which was used as  guide for students to craft their own rich narrative to highlight the "rush to movement" and engagement of bodily senses is one way that teachers might attempt to foster a C2N. O'Connor's example wasn't explicitly connected to C2N but open a variety of movement possibilities such as attending / dancing at concert. 

As an example of another approach, in our schools Outdoor Ed/PE program, students participate in an outdoor grade level trip each year from Grades 7 to 9 (Nordic skiing, Canoeing, Backpacking). A few years back, we decided to "revamp" our approach to logbooks, by more explicitly prioritizing C2N and the features of Meaningful PE experiences. The question guide on the inside cover of their logbooks is shown right. Teachers would provide students time in the evening, or during times of solitude to write about their experiences. Each year, students would continue to contribute to the same logbook from the previous year and were able to then revisit their reflections. Below is a selection of entries of one student (pseudonym, "Elise"), which I believe highlight certain features of MPE as well as a C2N developing through reflection. You'll certainly notice Alaimo et al. (2020) description of fascination is evident. 

The mountains were stunning, with freshly fallen snow sparking on their peaks. I will never forget the amazement I experienced when were were skiing in the mountains....I loved it because it made me feel like I was I was in some other world, this beautiful place helps me connect with nature and peers. 
                                  - "Elise" Reflection, written on January 22nd, 2022
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It was so rainy
but the river and the hills
were so beautiful 

Fire burning brightly
Sitting here all together
trying to keep warm 
                                   - A selection of "Elise's" haiku's written May 13th, 2024 during Grade 8 Canoe Trip 

WE SAW THE NORTHERN LIGHTS!! I had never seen them before. They were so stunning. They were all lit up and green and white, and they were so VIBRANT. Definitely a highlight of this trip, maybe even my life. 
                                     - "Elise" Reflection, written October 7th, 2024, during Grade 9 Backpacking  

An Indigenous Worldview...

While a unity with nature may be difficult for researchers in the Western world to define, it is perhaps easily understood through an Indigenous worldview.  Indigenous populations have long held a deep connection to the natural world, where the earth is viewed as equal (Sierra, 2020). In writing this blog, I went back and forth as to weather or not "connection to nature" was the most appropriate terminology. Does an effort to "connect" students to nature imply that we are disconnected and different from the natural world to begin with (Beery et al., 2020). I wonder if the term "Environmental kinship" which seems to appear in more recent literature is more appropriate. 
Despite best intentions, King et al. (2020) describe how our current environmental education practices focused on stewardship are often “shaped by human-centric views of human-nature dualism” (p. 2). Despite the best intentions, these pedagogies of stewardship reaffirm our dominance over, and distinction from, nature as opposed to a kinship with nature. Perhaps it's hard to feel united with something you don’t have reverence for.  
To what extent does developing environmental kinship require us to reconsider our human superiority and reposition our relationship with the natural world? 

References

Alaimo, K., Coringrato, E., Lacy, K., Hébert, J. R., & Beavers, A. W. (2024). Caretaking, accomplishment and connection to nature: The “gardening triad” and its role in new community gardeners’ engagement, and social and emotional well‐being. People & Nature,6(5),2014–2028. https://doiorg.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1002/pan3.10696\

Barrable, A., Friedman, S., & Beloyianni, V. (2024). Nature connection in adulthood: The role of childhood nature experiences. People & Nature, 6(4), 1571–1580. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1002/pan3.10657

Beery, T., Chawla, L., & Levin, P. (2020). Being and Becoming in Nature: Defining and Measuring Connection to Nature in Young Children. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 7(3), 3–22.

Branham, L. (2024). Embodied earth kinship: interoceptive awareness and relational attachment personal factors predict nature connectedness in a structural model of nature connection. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1400655

King, H., Beazley, H., Barclay, L., & Miller, A. (2024). Re-imagining child-nature relationships in ecotourism: children’s conservation awareness through nature play and nature-based learning. Children’s Geographies. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1080/14733285.2024.2308008

O’Connor, J. (2019). Exploring a Pedagogy for Meaning-Making in Physical Education. European Physical Education Review, 25(4), 1093–1109. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1177/1356336X1880228

Richardson, M., Passmore, H-A., Lumber, R., Thomas, R., & Hunt, A. (2021). Moments, not minutes: The nature-wellbeing relationship. International Journal of Wellbeing, 11(1), 8-33. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v11i1.1267

Sierra, P. (2020). Connection to mother earth: For this young Indigenous woman, passion for environmental justice is rooted in the land. National Catholic Reporter, 57(5), 4a.

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