NATURAL HISTORY AND ILLUSTRATED JOURNALS AS TOOLS FOR
PLACE-BASED EDUCATION

By

DAIRE MAGUIRE

A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standards:
_________________________________________
Lyn Baldwin (Ph.D.), Thesis Supervisor, Dept. Biological Sciences
_________________________________________
Sharman Learie (MA.), Dept. Adventure Programs
__________________________________________
Kellee Caton (Ph.D.), Dept. Tourism Management
__________________________________________
Mark Rowell Wallin (Ph.D.), Co-ordinator, Interdisciplinary Studies
Dated this 2nd day of April, 2013, in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the proposition that natural history and
illustrated learning journals are tools for place-based education. Specifically, researching the
literature on illustrated learning journals, natural history and place-based education has
shown that natural history's methodologies of direct observation and hands-on documentation
coupled with the documentation method of journals supports place-based education. As a
case study, I use my own experience with illustrated field journals to highlight the reflective
process of creating natural history based illustrated learning journals. This research adds to
the relatively new but growing notion of sense of place and research regarding its efficacy
and how it comes about. Finally, included are recommendations for future journaling
practice.
Thesis Supervisor: Assistant Professor Lyn Baldwin

ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost I owe much gratitude to my mother and father who have allowed
me such incredible opportunities without asking anything in return, so that I may carve out a
path, which makes me happy; Lyn Baldwin for inspiring me with her passion for ecology and
place, for introducing me to illustrated learning journals, hitting the trails with me so I may
see her journaling practice and love of the land, and for agreeing to be supervisor, which
must have been frustrating at times; Sharman Learie for providing a unique perspective, his
thesis has been an amazing resource, and he has continually been a source of support
throughout this process; Kellee Caton for her enthusiasm in supporting this project, even with
her busy schedule with her own students; Mark Wallin for providing a unique academic
outlet with the Interdisciplinary program, there's no doubt I wouldn't have continued school if
it wasn't for this program; Ross Cloutier for allowing me to explore many topic areas in his
self-directed Outdoor Education courses, in which I discovered the field of place-based
education.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................................. ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................... iv
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .................................................1
RESEARCHERS PERSPECTIVE ........................................................................................1
SIGNIFICANCE ....................................................................................................................3
OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH .....................................................................................8
RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND OBJECTIVES .................................................................8
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ..........................................................................10
PLACE-BASED EDUCATION CONNECTS PARTICIPANTS HOLISTICALLY TO
THE LAND ..........................................................................................................................11
ILLUSTRATED LEARNING JOURNALS DOCUMENT THE MOMENT ....................15
NATURAL HISTORY PRACTICE AS A METHOD OF DIRECT OBSERVATION
AND HANDS-ON OBSERVATION OF NATURAL PROCESSES.................................19
WEAVING IT ALL TOGETHER .......................................................................................22
CHAPTER THREE: THE JOURNAL ....................................................................................23
POSTCARD FROM HOME................................................................................................24
NOTES AND EXERCISES ON ART .................................................................................27
REFLECTIONS ON WRITTEN PIECES ...........................................................................29
SITE VISITS ........................................................................................................................32
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................37
iv

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE JOURNALING PRACTICE .............................39
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................42

v

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

-- Researchers Perspective -Journaling has changed my perspectives towards place by allowing me to revel in the
splendor of the natural world. The act of journaling for me is the act of slowing down, and as
such I am able to subscribe to the moment through the quite introspective lines I make on the
page.
I bring to this research a childhood history growing up in an urban environment,
where I never learnt the meaning of place. Conversely I am also influenced by the newfound
experience as a wilderness guide/instructor and the recognition that place matters. These two
perspectives have allowed me to understand the importance of having an ecological identity
and what consequences result from a lack of relationship with place.
Born and raised in the ever continually sprawling metropolises of Dublin, I never
garnered an overall strong connection to where I lived; 21st century globalization and
homogenization robed me of the famed Irish sense of community my grandparents would
have experienced. With sixty-two percent of the Irish population living in urban
environments today (The Irish Times, 2012), Celtic culture and language has demised
(Princeton University). In place of small local communities, I grew up amidst vast faceless
housing estates. My childhood home was located in a land where deciduous forest had been
replaced by asphalt. This process was ongoing so that even the remnant forest that housed the
tree house that friends and I built was cleared to make way for more development.
Continually squeezed out of natural places to exude our energy, and not being involved in
organized sports, boisterous anti-social behaviour presided — a tale told throughout

1

developed nations. All this led to my disdain for the place where I had grown up. In fact I
attribute my lack of sense of place to why it was so easy for me to leave Ireland and to why I
consider a foreign land home, not the place I was born and raised. It was with recent musings
then, on my own identity or lack of it that led me to the field of place-based education.
Thomashow (1995) argues that ecological identity "is grounded in a person's relationship
with the natural world" (Thomashow, 1995, as cited in Learie, 2009, p.36). Developing a
sense of place is tied intimately with having an ecological identity, something I sorely lacked
growing up in Ireland. Place-based education addresses feelings of placelessness and a lack
of ecological identity by causing individuals to "consider how their actions, values and ideals
are framed according to their perceptions of [place]" (Thomashow, 1995, p. xiii).
I have been truly blessed to have come to Canada and experience many natural
environments; however, it is easy to glamorize the aesthetic of this place and create
superficial connections with it. I believe my first two years in Canada were just that —
superficial, fueled by the high octane adventure sports of the Adventure Guide Diploma,
moving from one environment to another, the environment really being secondary — any
place Canada — to the activity. However it was with the end of my two years adventure
schooling that really led me to come and know (and love) a place. Spending the course of a
summer backpacking in the Canadian Rockies and becoming in sync with the land
profoundly affected my life. After I mused about how in such a short period of time I came to
adore this place and knew as Bert Regally proclaimed upon seeing the Rocky Mountains in
1904, "A Canadian Switzerland I shall go no further"(Whtye Museum of the Canadian
Rockies, 2011). The Canadian Rockies, endless as they are, evoke my sense of intrigue, deep
reflection and desire to explore. As a lonely traveler in a vast landscape, one connects easily
2

with the terrain and for the first time in my life I found a sense of place. The sense of place
garnered in the Rockies has fueled my want of a career in guiding and instruction, so that I
may spend as much time as humanly possible there.
Although I had a devoted appreciation for the Rockies, I often wondered how
meaningful that connection was. Was I merely a passive observer, unaware of all I was
missing in the rush to camp or peak or ski run? — a question that also applies to the
adventure community/industry at large. Questions like these led me to investigate illustrated
learning journals when plant ecologist Lyn Baldwin introduced me to them. The journal for
me was a way to reorganize the meaning and direction of my relationship with the land,
simply to slow down and notice the natural wonderments all around. Journals allowed me to
become my own teacher, a constructor of knowledge rather than recipient of it. Illustrated
field journals are a juxtaposition of words and images on a page spread that allows me to
reflect on the specifics of a place. In this way journals are a tool for documenting the
moment. Becoming an amateur naturalist I have taken many courses I hoped would be useful
to me —the natural environment, interpretation courses, and ecology courses— none have
taught me as much as my own time spent outside with pen, journal, field guide and if I'm
lucky someone with knowledge of the area.

-- Significance -Place matters because it forms our identity as part of a community (whether that is urban,
rural or wilderness), without it we are merely passive observers of it.
Today's world is an increasingly global place, Thompson Rivers University (TRU)
has embraced this longstanding trend and become one of the leading international British
3

Columbian universities, hosting students from more that 80 countries (Thompson Rivers
University, 2008). As a direct result of this international community within TRU, the
university has been "embracing and promoting internationalizing the curriculum as an
important part of the TRU culture (Baldwin, et al., 2010). There are many advantages
associated with an international curriculum; students gain knowledge and understanding of
many cultures, learn to be part of the modern global workforce, and as a result become global
citizens representing Canada worldwide. However, there are also problems associated with
curricula that only focus on generic and homogenized studies as students fail "to connect
what they are learning to their own lives, communities, and regions" (Smith, 2002, p. 587)
because local learning opportunities are largely ignored (Sobel, 2004). This disconnect is
hereditary in an internationally focused curriculum as students are expected to internalize and
master obscure knowledge (Smith, 2002), rather than becoming "participants in the
construction of meaning" (Smith, 2002, p. 586). If one considers if it is even possible for
students to truly learn about place on a country, continent and international level without first
knowing their own (Baldwin et al., 2010), questions arise on the efficacy of international
curricula. Comenius, a seventeenth-century education philosopher is known to have said,
"Knowledge of the nearest things should be acquired first, then that of those farther and
farther off" (cited in Woodhouse, 2001). In fact Laurie Lane-Zucker, executive director of
The Orion Society as of 2004, ascribes the focus on international curriculum and the
embracement of globalization as contributing to the process of disintegration between
community connections with cultural identity, traditions, history and local environs, leading
to "industrial pollution, biodiversity/habitat loss, and aquifer depletion (Sobel, 2004). In other
words, our disconnection with place may be one of the root causes to the wide spread
4

environmental degradation we are currently struggling with. There is much at stake; the
climate models are more alarming than ever, and the environment is suffering untold stresses
at the hands of humanity. The "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity", has made it clear
that, "human beings and the natural world are on a collision course...[that] human activities
inflict harsh and often irreversible damage on the environment and on critical resources"
(Kendall, 1992 from Introduction section, para. 1). With intertwined fates, humanity is also
suffering; "the prevalence of cancer, asthma, and other public health epidemics is
unprecedented" (Sahn, 2012).
Internationalization of curriculum is not just prevalent in the mainstream disciplines
but can also be seen in adventure programming curriculum (wilderness communities), albeit
in a different way. Whereas broader TRU curriculum focuses on internationalizing learning,
the curriculum at the adventure department has become largely oriented towards, "technical
and people skills rather than in land skills" (Baker, 2005, p. 267). While it is a guide training
program and technical and people skills are the hallmark of a good guide, a total avoidance
of understanding the environment seems slightly ignorant. Sharman Learie, a member of the
faculty, reflecting on the changing curriculum stated, "Much to my dismay the adventure
department decided to remove both natural history and the cultural environment from the
department’s curriculum about five years ago" (Learie, 2013, personal communication). With
such a focus on technical and people skills, students tend to perceive "the landscape as an
interchangeable backdrop rather than developing a personal connection to it" (Baker, 2005, p.
267). This revelation is not just seen at the TRU adventure studies, but in the adventure
industry as a whole.

5

In an urban, rural or wilderness context, place-based education can provide a solution
for reorganizing curriculum towards the local as "it prepares people to live and work to
sustain the cultural and ecological integrity of the places they inhabit" (Woodhouse &
Knapp, 2000, p. 4). In this sense place-based education promotes what Orr (1992b) described
as "Ecological Literacy", as participants gain "the knowledge necessary to comprehend
interrelatedness, and an attitude of care or stewardship" (p. 92). Place-based education is
particularly positioned to achieve these goals through its interdisciplinary and
multidisciplinary nature. Place-based education is interdisciplinary as it is deeply connected
with the field of outdoor and environmental education. Outdoor education's main purpose "is
to provide meaningful contextual experiences...that complement and expand classroom
instruction" (Woodhouse & Knapp, 2000, p. 4). Environmental education's instructional
approach is "directed toward developing a citizenry prepared to live well in a place without
destroying it (Orr, 1994, p. 14 as cited in Woodhouse & Knapp, 2000, p. 2). It is inherently
multidisciplinary (Woodhouse & Knapp, 2000) as it encompasses such fields as: "literature,
visual arts, ecology, geography, english language studies, and history" (Baldwin, et al.,
2010). Like place-based education, the practice of natural history and illustrated learning
journals often utilize many different disciplines as part of the process of coming to know
place.
A loss of connection to the natural world often results in these places having a
decreased value in our lives. Stephen Jay Gould insisted that, "we will not fight to save what
we do not love" (cited in Orr, 1992a, p.6). Evidence of this came with the Federal
Governments cuts to Parks Canada's budget in the summer of 2012 by approximately $30
million per year. But these places do have value; they "protect and present nationally
6

significant examples of Canada's natural and cultural heritage, and foster public
understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure the ecological and
commemorative integrity of these places for present and future generations" (Parks Canada,
2002). In an attempt to fill budget gaps Parks Canada has proposed increased park fees
(Parks Canada, 2013), a net result that will equal higher fees and reduced services, evident
through park closures in the wintertime (Herbert-Daly, 2013). It is worrying that the people
whom we need to encourage to visit parks so that they connect with nature are being turned
away due to increased costs, and moreover receive less value for more cost with the reduced
services (Hebert-Daly, 2013). Richard Louv (2005) documented in his book "Last Child in
the Woods" a whole generation that is devoid of nature due to urbanization and technology.
This generation he says suffers from 'nature deficit disorder'. In what is now an urban country
with more than eighty percent living in urban environments (Statistics Canada, 2009), our
national parks have an ever "critical role to play in helping Canadians to connect with nature
in a real and transformational way" (Herbert-Daly, 2013).
As a result of my research of the literature and my own practice of illustrated
journaling, I believe that the use of illustrated learning journals in place-based education can
be a powerful tool to connect with place. It disregards generic and homogenized studies, and
instead, connects learning to participant’s identity and place. It creates an ecological identity
through the formation of actions, values and ideas of place. It forms an ecological literacy
where participants are not just aware of environmental wrongs but strive to right those
wrongs, slow the forces of globalization, environmental degradation and protect the places
we live and love.

7

-- Overview of the Research -Illustrated field journals direct one in knowing a place, practice and reflection upon this
interaction solidifies relationship with place.
Illustrated learning journals help link abstract concepts and theoretical knowledge to
the phenomena seen locally at one's place. However, I have come to realize, that as much as
they are tools for looking at the external landscapes of a place, illustrated journals are also
tools for looking at the internal landscape of the mind. Reflecting on the journaling process
encourages the participant to create meaningful connections to the land. Through reflection
one can look back at the experience and process and give it purposeful meaning. Reflecting
on the process is the act of transcribing the thoughts and feelings that led to a certain page
spread, be it of a vast landscape or of a single leaf. By reflecting on these nuances, the
actions, values and ideals of one's perception to place surface more easily.

Research Questions and Objectives
In recognizing that the scope of this paper could never do justice to this immensely
broad multidisciplinary field of the topic, I focused this research on the following questions:
1. In my experience, is natural history an integral part of developing sense of place?
2. Is there efficacy in using illustrated journal for contextualizing natural history
learning as part of a place-based pedagogy?
Objectives of the research included:
1. Creation of a literature review.
2. Creation of an illustrated learning journal.

8

3. Reflection on process of illustrated learning journal to my future role as a place-based
educator and guide.

9

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

The purpose of this literature review is to develop a framework for describing how natural
history bolstered by illustrated learning journals aids place-based education goals in creating
sense of place among participants. The sections are as follows:
Place-Based Education. In this section I have highlighted the connections place-based
education has with outdoor (Gair, 1997; Fitzpatrick, 1968; Martin, 2001; Learie, 2009),
experiential (Carver, 1996; Cooper, 1994; Ewert, 1996; Martin, 2001; AEE, 2002;
Dewey, 1938) environmental (Roth, 1969; Learie, 2009) and adventure (Gilbertson, et
al, 2006; Bosch & Oswald, 2010; Miles & Priest, 1990) education. These interrelated
fields provide a foundation for understanding place-based education. I have then
discussed the key concepts of place-based education by drawing on work from key
researchers (Smith, 2002; Knapp, 2005; Baker, 2005; Gruenewald, 2003; Raffan, 1993;
Baldwin et al, 2010).
Illustrated Learning Journals. In this section I have mapped the history of journal
keeping (Baldwin 2010; Leslie, et al 1996; Greene, 2011; Canfield, 2011), discussed
the formats (Canfield, 2011; Baldwin, 2010; Hinchman, 1991), drawing on key work
from researchers and theorists of the efficacy of journaling practice (Leslie, et al.,
1996; Greene, 2011; Canfield, 2011; Baldwin, 2010) and discussed how journals
enable students to become constructors of knowledge (Baldwin, 2010; Park, 2003;
McManus, 2001; O'Connell and Dyment, 2006).
Natural History. This section sets out to define and to understand the field (Gilligan,
2009; Pielou, 1994; Fleischner, 2001, 2005, 2011; Kolan & Poleman, 2009) and track
10

its evolution (Pyle, 2001; Trombulak & Fleischner, 2007; Gilligan, 2009; Pyle, 2001;
Fleishchner, 2001; Fuytuma, 1998; Kolan & Poleman, 2009; Wilcove & Eisner, 2009;
Schmidly, 2005; Noss, 1996).
Weaving It All Together. This section weaves the concepts together in support of the
research.
Collectively, the literature review presents a broad understanding of the current discussions
in the field of place-based education, illustrated learning journals and natural history, and
relates them to the research questions.

PLACE-BASED EDUCATION CONNECTS PARTICPANTS HOLISTICALLY TO THE
LAND
Place-based education is a relatively new term in the literature; it has deep
connections with outdoor and environmental education and as such is inherently experiential
(Knapp, 2005; Woodhouse & Knapp, 2000).
Experiential education is a process of learning "that makes conscious application of
student's experiences" (Carver, 1996, p.9). It is a holistic process, involving the entirety of
the students: mind, body and spirit (Cooper, 1994). It can take place in a variety of settings.
The settings don't have to be outdoor, adventure or environmental in nature (Carver, 1996),
however "for many experiential activities the natural environment is the medium though
which program goals and objective are realized" (Ewert, 1996, p.29). Experiential education
is unique as students actively construct their own experience and it is the "belief that the
process of personal growth occurs through change as a result of these direct experiences"
(Martin, 2001). Furthermore reflection is paramount in solidifying experiences into personal
11

change, as "just having an experience does not necessarily mean learning will have occurred"
(Dewey, 1938, as cited in Martin, 2001, p.32). Finally experiential education can be defined
as, "a process through which a learner constructs knowledge, skill, and value from direct
experiences" (AEE, 2002, p.5).
Outdoor education is concerned with the 'physical and mental development' of
participants in an 'out of the classroom' curriculum (Gair, 1997). Fitzpatrick (1968) identified
outdoor education as "a process of teaching and learning that uses natural, community, and
human resources beyond the classroom as a motivation for learning and a means of broad
curriculum enrichment" (Fitzpatrick, 1968, as cited in Martin, 2001, p.16). The goals
associated with outdoor education are "to develop positive attitudes, appreciation, values, and
a responsibility for the environment" (Martin, 2001, p.16.). The relationship between outdoor
and experiential education has "long been recognized as a catalyst for inter and intrapersonal
growth and change" (Learie, 2009, pg. 22).
Adventure education encompasses all that outdoor education does and as such is a
subcategory of it. The difference between the two is that adventure education is most often
conducted in a wilderness setting, where physical skills are taught that pertain to some sort of
real and/or perceived risk, such as whitewater kayaking, rock climbing or backpacking
(Gilbertson, Bates, McLaughlin & Ewert, 2006). The role that risk plays is paramount for
adventure education to achieve its purpose, promoting interpersonal and intrapersonal
relationships among participants, with the aim of creating positive change (Bosch & Oswald,
2010; Miles & Priest, 1990).
There has been considerable time spent understanding and defining environmental
education (Disinger, 1983; Hungerford, Peyton, & Wilke, 1980; Roth, 1969; Stapp, 1969;
12

UNESCO-UNEP, 1976; UNESCO-UNEP, 1978), however throughout these definitions a
common theme arises. That is, environmental education is structured to help students learn
ecological concepts and environmental issues with the intent that students will be motivated
to work on environmental problems (Roth, 1969). As discussed by Learie (2009), there is a
long history of discussion in the fields of outdoor and environmental education in regards to
the “benefits of time spent in nature upon the behavior towards the environment of program
participants” (Andrews, 1999; Beringer, 2004; Colletto, 1997; Gillet, Thomas, Skok, &
McLaughlin, 1991; Hanna, 1995; Miles, 1990; Miles, 1987; Purdue, & Warder, 1991;
Thomashow, 1996).

Figure 1. The relationships between the different inter-related fields of experiential education
(diagram taken from Martin, 2001. p.23).

Figure 1 depicts how outdoor, environmental, adventure and experiential education
are interrelated mutually supportive fields. Noting this is important, as place-based education

13

has emerged from these roots and as such, provides a starting point in understanding the
field.
Place-based education is not a new phenomenon. John Dewey's 19th century lab
school was an early experiment in linking student’s interests to neighborhood contextual
learning (Smith, 2002, p.586). One can go even further back to Comenius (1592-1670), an
educational reformer who believed, "we should learn as much as possible, not from books,
but from the great books of nature, from heaven and earth, from oaks and beeches" (Quick,
1890, p.77 as cited in Knapp, 2005, p. 279) and that "knowledge of the nearest things should
be acquired first, then that of those farther and farther off" (Calkins, 1868, p. 242 as cited in
Knapp, 2005, p. 279). Place-based characteristics include: (a) curriculum content that is
multidisciplinary; (b) curriculum goals that are broader than just "learn to earn": and (c) a
curriculum that integrates self, others, and place and includes ecological, economic,
multigenerational, and multicultural dimensions (Woodhouse & Knapp, 2002 as cited in
Knapp, 2005, p.280). Place-based education is concerned with the effects of place and setting
(natural and cultural) on participants and aims to create a connection between the land,
participant and community, as such developing a sense of place – a personal, social and
natural history connection between the participant and their place (Baker, 2005; Cuthbertson,
Heine & Whitson, 1997; Gillet, Thomas, Skok & McLaughlin, 1991; Gruenewald, 2003;
Knapp, 2005; Miles, 1987; Raffan, 1993; Smith, 2002). Sense of place encompasses "the
meanings and attachments that places hold for people...Its components [being] place
attachment and place meaning" (Semken & Freeman, 2008, p. 1042). Smith (2002)
recognized that while generic curricular models are inappropriate to place-based education,
five thematic patterns could be adapted to fit different settings: cultural studies, nature
14

investigations, real-world problem solving, internships and entrepreneurial opportunities and
immersion in to community life. Furthermore Smith (2002, p. 593) identified common
elements in place-based curriculum, which include: (a) surrounding phenomena that are the
foundations for curriculum development, (b) an emphasis on students becoming the creators
of knowledge rather than only the consumers of knowledge created by others, (c) students'
questions and concerns playing a central role in determining what is studied, (d) teachers
acting primarily as co-learners and "brokers" of community resources and learning
possibilities, (e) the walls of community and school buildings being crossed frequently, and
(f) student work that is based on its contributions to community wellbeing and sustainability"
(as cited in Knapp, 2005, p. 280). The terms landfullness and landlessness are terms
generally applied in place-based education to describe participant’s connection or lack of
with their natural environs (Baker, 2005).
Place-based education is uniquely situated to reorganize the meaning participants
have with place. It is positioned to do this through its innate connections with the proven
models of outdoor, environmental, adventure and experiential education. There are many
tools used in place-based curriculum owing to its multidisciplinary nature. One tool however
that strongly supports place-based education is the illustrated learning journal. It is a flexible
tool that allows participants to become creators of knowledge; it acts as a vessel of ideas and
observations; and can be a catalyst for connecting the other disciplines associated with placebased education.

15

ILLUSTRATED LEARNING JOURNALS DOCUMENT THE MOMENT
Baldwin (2010) in Documenting the Moment discusses how journals have a long
history as a medium for "transcribing the days' events", albeit the nature of journals has
varied in content and medium, depending on the goals and the discipline. Leslie, et al (1996)
notes journals are an ancient tradition of record keeping that span native people's accounts of
the seasons and hunts to records of scientific expeditions. She notes how such prominent
thinkers as Darwin, Thoreau and Leopold utilized the journal (Leslie, et al., 1996). In the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, "the keeping of field notebooks was considered an
absolutely essential activity" (Greene, 2011, p.251), evident by those eminent scientists who
kept them: Maria Sibylla Merian, Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark,
John James Audubon, Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, Henry Walter Bates, Henry
David Thoreau (Creene, 2011, p.252) and Richard Spruce (Canfield, 2011). Charles Darwin
even published his expansive field narrative, 'The Voyage of the Beagle', in which he
described his observation of the Galapagos Islands. Carl Linnaeus, the man responsible for
devising the classification system used to describe all living things, kept a journal of notes
and sketches on his field excursions in Sweden (Canfield, 2011). William Dampier, who was
known as a pirate naturalist wrote copious field notes in 'A New Voyage Round the World'
when he circumnavigated the globe three times, observing birds, animals and the weather as
he went (Canfield, 2011). Captain James Cook would later use Dampier’s notes, when he led
expeditions from 1769-1771 aboard the HMS Endeavour. While it is true that "the status of
field record keeping has come into questions in the recent age of technological proliferation"
(Canfield, 2011, p.1), Canfield believes that, "meticulous record keeping is at the heart of
good science" (Canfield, 2011, p.1).
16

Canfield (2011) says that field notes can be divided into several loose categories:
diary, journal, data, and catalogs. "Diary entries record information on mundane daily
occurrences...journal accounts include weather conditions, daily movements and geographic
locations, and basic observations of plants and animals...data entries encompass substantial
behavioral observations, factual records, and experimental results...catalogs record things
collected and observed" (p.11-13). Rather than separated, Canfield (2011, p.13) "consider[s]
the ways that field notes are cohesive documents composed of facts, theory, data and
narrative". Baldwin (2010, p. 1) notes two formats of journaling that have been prevalent
throughout history: the 'reflective journal' – transcribing internal emotional dialogue, and the
'informative journal' – describing country, natural history, people encountered etc. Hannah
Hinchman (1991) described resonant journals as a way to capture both the internal (reflective
journal) and external landscape (informative journal) verbally and visually (as cited in
Baldwin, 2010).
Incorporation of visual images into the journal recognizes drawing as a method of
observation (Dempsey & Betz, 2001; Whiteley, 2008). Keller (2011, p.161) notes that this is
not a new discovery, "From Leonardo da Vinci to Charles Darwin, drawing has a long and
illustrious history as a means of scientific investigation and communication". In fact da Vinci
is quoted as saying, "And you who claim to demonstrate by words the shape of man from
every aspect of his membral attitudes, dismiss such an idea, because the more minutely you
describe, the more you confuse the mind of the reader and the more you will lead him away
from a knowledge of the thing described. Therefore it is necessary to both illustrate and to
describe" (as cited in Keller, 2011, p.161). Resonant journals incorporate verbal
representation ("effective at depicting temporal and logical relations among events and
17

objects"), and visual representation ("effective at depicting spatial or typographical relations
between objects or events") (McLoughlin and Krakowski, 2001 as cited in Baldwin &
Crawford, 2010, p. 27).
Illustrated or resonant journals are flexible tools and connect nicely with the
characteristics of place-based education by integrating many disciplines (Leslie, et al., 1996).
Furthermore, Baldwin importantly mentions "writing an illustrated journal is also inherently
an act of creation and enables students to become the active creators of knowledge rather
than passive recipients of information" (Baldwin, 2010, p. 1-2). With the key phrase 'creators
of knowledge' in mind, Park (2003), discussed how, "learning journals help to engage
students in the learning process" (p.196), in that it "encourages independent thinking...and
encourages them to take responsibility for their learning" (p.196). McManus (2001), coined
the phrase 'Learning-Centred Paradigm, which describes learning, such as journaling that
"situates learners at the centre of the experience, empowers and motivates them to assume
responsibility for their own learning, and adopts teaching and learning strategies designed to
encourage students to see themselves as active thinkers and problem-solvers (Park, 2003,
p.183). After reviewing the literature on the subject, O'Connell and Dyment (2006)
concluded, "how journals can be a useful instructional/learning strategy that allows students
to reflect critically on material, to ground their learning in their lived experience" (p.672).
Becoming an active creator of knowledge has important associations with place-based
education as Smith (2002, p. 586) noted that a problem traditionally associated with
education "is that the job of students is to internalize and master knowledge created by other"
rather than being "participants in the construction of meaning". The notion of constructing
meaning shows the true value of journals to place-based education as the value lays "both in
18

the actual information that is recorded as well as in what is gained in the process of recording
itself" (Canfield, 2011, p.14). Greene (2011), also see this value noting, "their ability to serve
as an incredible fertile incubator for your ideas and observation (p.258). Clare Walker Leslie
(1996) notes how nature journals gets students involved in watching "processes, patterns,
shapes, cycles and changes in their own immediate landscapes" (p.36). The consequences of
this holds to more than just nature observations but is multi-disciplinary utilizing English,
mathematics, science, art etc, "it integrates many disciplines and allows opportunities for
various styles of learning" (Leslie, et al., 1996, p. 37). Furthermore journaling speaks to
place-based educations experiential routes, as it is " hands-on learning at its best" (Leslie, et
al., 1996, p. 37).
Illustrated learning journals and natural history are mutually supportive. Natural
history is a practice of observation and experience that utilizes the humanities, all which are
congruent in journaling practice. Furthermore natural history promotes ecological identity
and literacy; and as such strongly helps connect participants to place.

NATURAL HISTORY PRACTICE IS A METHOD OF DIRECT OBSERVATION AND
HANDS-ON OBSERVATION OF NATURAL PROCESSES
Natural history can be defined as "a field-based science employing descriptive and
comparative methods for understanding and interpreting the biotic and abiotic components of
the natural world, the relationships among them, and their evolution through time" (Gilligan,
2009, p.25). Furthermore "natural history methodologies emphasize hands-on observation
and interpretation of organisms in their natural habitat, and include identification and
classification skills, and understanding the interplay between physical factors such as weather
19

and climate, geology, and soil formations and the life histories of organisms" (Gilligan, 2009,
p.25). Natural History is comprised of varying subjects: sky, climate and atmosphere, terrain,
seas, plant life, birds, mammals, fish and insects (Pielou, 1994). It differs from Ecology in
that in that it deals with the non-living as well as the living (Pielou, 1994). Fleischner (2001,
2005) defined natural history as "a practice of intentional, focused attentiveness to the morethan-human world, guided by honesty and accuracy." There has been a "broad agreement that
natural history concerns itself with direct observation, description, and comparison of natural
features and phenomena" (Kolan & Poleman, 2009). Furthermore Kolan & Poleman (2009),
see natural history as more than a "subject" or "discipline", instead regarding it as a practice.
As a practice it is seen as "an inquiry that strives for depth as well as breadth and a
commitment to deepen our sense of connection and belonging to this world" (Kolan &
Poleman, 2009). Natural History comes naturally to us, hardwired as we are by an ancestry
whose "patterns of attention were sharpened as [they] watched for danger and sought food
(Shepard 1978 as cited in Fleischner, 2011).
In the 19th and early 20th century there was a Victorian obsession with Natural
History (Pyle, 2001). In fact the study of nature was seen to be a critical component of an
engaged citizen's life and practiced widely where at the very least "an educated person would
have a basic acquaintance with local flora and fauna" (Pyle, 2001, p.17). However, in the
21st century it has been largely recognized that there has been a seismic shift away from
natural history (Trombulak & Fleischner, 2007; Gilligan, 2009; Pyle, 2001; Fleishchner,
2001; Fuytuma, 1998; Kolan & Poleman, 2009; Wilcove & Eisner, 2009; Schmidly, 2005)
that started in the mid 19th century with three main developments: (a) "the rise of highly
quantitative, experimental, and specialized scholarship", (b) the depopulation of the
20

countryside and rise of the cities and suburbs", and (c) World War II and the subsequent Cold
War (Pyle, 2001, p.20). Environmental education has tried to fill the void of natural history,
but there are incongruent differences between the two: "nature study always and
fundamentally stresses direct contact between student and organism" (Pyle, 2001, p.22),
whereas environmental education oftentimes (but not always) moves away from direct
interaction by focusing on secondhand connections, such as text books and online resources
rather than the natural history surrounding students. In fact, "research has indicated that these
programs are less effective than programs that are actually embedded in students' schools and
communities in teaching children to be aware of their place (Sobel 2004 as cited in Baldwin
et, al., 2010, p 14). However, now in the 21st century there has been a current resurgence in
natural history (Pyle, 2001), seen by the "growing collective of academics who champion the
legitimacy of natural history as an academic pursuit (Wilcove and Eisner 2000; Trombulak
and Fleishner 2007)" (Baldwin et, al., 2010, p. 14).
An important justification for the use of illustrated journals to build a sense of place
tool may be found in Gillman's observation that "natural history also stems from a rich
tradition of humanities such as visual and literary arts" (Gilligan, 2009, p.25). Furthermore
related to the idea of place, nature studies focused on the local – local flora, local fauna and
habitat, whereas environmental education "tend to concentrate on the big picture of
ecological roles, functions, habitats, relationships, and patterns" (Pyle, 2001, p.22).

WEAVING IT ALL TOGETHER
Natural History’s methodologies of direct observation and hands-on observation coupled
with the documentation method of journals supports place-based education.
21

Place-based education develops a sense of personal, social and natural history for
participants by creating connections between them and the land. Natural history and
illustrated learning journals can help in achieving these connections. Natural history practice
focuses on the local, through direct observation and hands-on observation of natural
processes and as such deepens participant’s sense of connection and belonging to their place.
Illustrated learning journals aids natural history practice. Journals allow participants to
become the constructors of knowledge and document their moments so that they create
connections between themselves and the land. From this discussion it is evident that in
achieving a sense of place, natural history's methodologies and journal's innate
documentation methods can support place-based education. The diagram (Figure 2) below
shows the interconnectedness of the fields.

Figure 2.The relationship between place-based education, natural history, and illustrated
learning journals and the cultivation of sense of place.
(Modeled after, Martin, 2001, p.23)

22

CHAPTER THREE: THE JOURNAL

To aid the researcher in understanding the efficacy of journaling as a tool for gaining
sense of place, an illustrated learning journal was created. Throughout my entries four
distinct modes appeared; Postcards from Home; Notes and Exercises on Art; Reflections; and
Site Visits. Each mode represents a distinct way of interacting and coming to know a specific
exterior landscape as well as interior landscape. The first three modes act individually
whereas the site visits intertwine all three modes and as such is where the most authentic
interaction of geographical and temporal space occurs. The focus on the journal was towards
the learning of observation skills, rather than drawing skills. There were barriers to observing
and drawing as noted throughout the process. The journal integrated many disciplines from
literature, visual arts, ecology, geography and English language studies as seen in the
examples throughout this chapter. Not as evident in the first three entries, but prevalent
throughout the site visits entries was a systematic process of observation that followed a
structural framework and then reflection on the entire learning process. A theme that the
researcher wanted to have running through the journal was the idea of subscribing to the
moment, a theme that was conveyed in the opening page (Figure 3).

23

Figure 3: Example page spread that opens the journal

POSTCARDS FROM HOME
The 'postcards from home' entries are modeled after an assignment created by Lyn
Baldwin as a way to help her Ecology students find the ecology of their place. Their place
being home - Kamloops or another place with which the students are familiar. The
assignment was designed to improve students "ability to transfer the theoretical knowledge
learned in lecture to the specifics of a place" (Baldwin, 2012). The assignment had three
learning objectives:
1) To encourage transfer of knowledge from the abstract to the specific.
2) To encourage creativity in a content-rich course.
3) To stimulate reflection about the role of ecology in familiar landscapes.
(Baldwin, 2012)

24

Two of the 'postcards from home' that appeared in the journal are shown here, Figure 4
concerns the climate in Kamloops and Figure 5 the source of the Thompson River.
A:

B:

Figure 4: Example 'postcard from home', entitled 'Climate in Kamloops', showing (A) front
side of the postcard and (B) text on the backside of the postcard.

The learning objectives of the 'postcards from home' assignment were achieved in
Figure 4. Abstract knowledge of topography and rain shadow effects on regional climates
was related to the specifics of Thompson Valley. It encouraged creativity in creating a
different way of transcribing ecological information, which was done via the image Figure 4.
25

And indeed it stimulated reflection on the role of ecology in creating grasslands on the dry
side of the transition zone, between the Coast Mountains to the west and Shuswap Highlands
to the east. However, it seemed a level of authenticity was missing. Going back to the
journals purpose as a tool of direct observation, the way in which the postcard simply
depicted a theoretical map didn't seem to achieve those lofty ideals as the map above was
transcribed from a similar one of a different region. Does this style of journaling, where one
doesn't even need to leave the comfort of home help in achieving a connection to place? This
I wouldn't learn until my next 'postcards from home' entry.

A:

B:

Figure 5: Example 'postcard from home', entitled 'Source of the Thompson River', showing
(A) front side of the postcard and (B) text on the backside of the postcard.
26

This 'postcard from home' entry holds many of the same characteristics as the
previous one (Figure 4) in that rather than direct observation; it really is a product of abstract
knowledge. This entry aimed to ask the simple question 'where is the water of the South and
North Thompson Rivers coming from? Again this entry aimed to enlighten the researcher as
to why we have the regional climate we do. In light of my previous concerns regarding the
efficacy of this style of journaling I came to the realization that yes, indeed, this style does
aid in coming to connect with place. However, it must be seen as having purpose to give one
an overview of a place, to open the enquiring mind and should be followed up with time on
the ground. It is on the ground where much knowledge is gained. Here the practitioner can
make further connections from abstract knowledge to local through direct observation,
description and comparison of the natural features and phenomena of their place. In
rearranging the abstract to local, drawing can be a powerful tool of observation and also
creates for the practitioner an outlet in which s/he can describe and compare.

NOTES AND EXERCISES ON ART
Observations comprise the cornerstone of the journaling process. The observation
tool utilized most in the journal was drawing as it "has long been recognized as a strategy for
teaching observation skills (Dempsey and Betz 2001; Whiteley 2008; as cited in Baldwin &
Crawford, 2010). Drawing has a second benefit as an observation tool in that it has
permanence, the observations will have a form past the act. However if this form is to be true
to the observation, drawing skill is vital. As such, it was seen pertinent to revitalize the
researcher's art skills throughout the journals and it was with this that some interesting
findings arose on barriers to journaling. Figure 6 shows an exercise in trying to understand
27

the elements of a landscape, which was shown to be various masses, set into various planes
that recede into the distance. Figure 7 shows an exercise in trying to learn uniformity in tree
gestures so that they may be called upon quickly in the field when making sketches. What
ones sacrifices in authenticity they gain in speed.

Figure 6: Depicting the Elements in a Landscape - Masses and Planes.

Figure 7: Depicting Tree Gestures.
28

The addition of 'notes and exercises on art' entries came with the frustrations the
researcher felt towards his drawing ability. This has been seen to be one of if not the biggest
barrier to the journaling processes. This barrier has been noted in other settings too. Notably
when art was introduced into the botany lab (Baldwin & Crawford, 2010), "students reported
feeling uncomfortable and intimidated by the required drawing" (p.26). There feelings
surfaced in much the same way as this researcher experienced, as they had lacked art practice
since grade school and "felt they had little ability to communicate visually" (p.26). Baldwin
and Crawford noted that "the key to developing competence with drawing is practice" (p.29),
with this in mind the researcher for this paper focused effort into approving artistic ability.
Even still, it is very disheartening to ruin a page spread after spending countless hours in the
field, it makes one want to put the journal away and take out the camera in fear.
There are other ways to observe other than drawing, and writing is another tool to
make observations visible.

REFLECTION ON WRITTEN PIECES
The act of writing can reveal stories in the land and also in the mind. Writing is not
just a means of expression but in journaling practice can be a means of exploration and
discovery — "an attentive writing practice can extend perception like a microscope or an
ultraviolet light to revel the unseen dimensions of our home places" (Tallmadge, 1996, p.5 in
Leslie, et al., 1996).

29

Figure 8: Reflective page spread, entitled, 'Beauty'.

The more I delved into my journaling practice, the more I noticed my want to reflect
as I now had an outlet for it. A profound reflection came when I watched a video of Richard
Feynman discussing beauty, as summarized in Figure 8 —
Richard Feynman had a friend who was an artist, who sometimes took a view, which
he didn't agree with very much. His friend would hold up a flower and say, "look how
beautiful it is" to which Feynman of course would agree. But his friend would continue
and say, "you see, as I as an artist can see how beautiful this is, but you as a scientist
take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing." Feynman indeed thought his friend was
quite nutty! First-of-all he would say, "The beauty that you see is available to me and
other people too, I believe. And although I may not be as aesthetically refined as you, I
can appreciate the beauty of a flower. But at the same time I see much more about the
flower than you see - for you see I can imagine! I can imagine the cells in there, the
complicated actions, which also have a beauty, it's not just beauty at this dimension,
there’s also beauty at the other dimensions - the inner structure, also the processes, the
fact that the colour and the flower are evolved to attract insects to pollinate it is
interesting. It means that the insects can see the colour, it adds a question does this
aesthetic sense also belong in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds if
interesting questions, which science, knowledge only adds, adds to the excitement,
mystery and awe of a flower." (Gower, 2011).
30

Through reflecting on this piece (Figure 8) I discovered —
"Having an outlet, my illustrated journal led me to discover that I'm a naturalist not an
ecologist, nor do I have a desire to be. I mused on how I see ecology as only adding to
the pleasure I experience in the out of doors. I go to these places to explore, but just
like the flower these places hold more dimensions than just the aesthetic top layer. For
me ecology helps me to find out as much as possible about the world I travel through
and live in. I'm just looking to find out more about the world! This said, the degree to
which I want to explore the field has a limit. You see for me I don't need to have an
answer, I don't need to understand everything, and I’m not frightened by not knowing.
Some of the beauty in fact comes from not knowing, I'd much rather to not know and to
know that I don't know rather than having an answer which may be wrong, With this
taught in mind I am guided by how much I want to delve into the discipline. I am
reminded of the article 'The Rise and Fall of Natural History', where Pyle talks about
Naturalists as sharing a devotion to the idea of first hand experience with the animal
and plants under study - ecology can add to this experience but one needs to be careful
as by delving too deep into this field that insists on quantifying it may actually take
away" (Maguire, 2012).

These lived experiences in reflecting are supported by Baldwin and Crawford (2010), who
noted how "learning journals have been used to promote a wide variety of learning
outcomes...[such as] longer-term goals [in] promoting reflection" (p.27; from Connor-Greene
2000). In writing, one can shine a light on otherwise invisible landscapes. When drawing as a
tool for observation there may be a tendency to avoid local nature. We lack appreciation for
local nature that we would show for example toward the "Natural Sublime" (Tallmadge,
1996, p.5 in Leslie, et al., 1996) of national parks, which culture has taught us to beautify.
Writing can focus one's eye on the seemingly banal local nature, showing us its natural
sublimity "by throwing a light of attentive imagination upon the green world we normally
31

take for granted" (Tallmadge, 1996, p. 30 in Leslie, et al., 1996). Writing and reflection on
nature as a mode of journaling aids in developing a sense of place as "one never observes in
the abstract, but always at a certain time, with a certain intent, viewpoint or mindset. One
never perceives things in general, but particular things, and these things manifest themselves
in place, not floating free in some conceptual ether but grounded, embodied, rooted in a
particular space and time" (Tallmadge, 1996, p. 24 in Leslie, et al., 1996).
Writing and reflection appears at its finest when we go into the field as engagement
with nature provides raw internal dialogue. Everything one encounters posses a question.
When writing and reflection are coupled with ecological thought (postcards from home) and
art they complement each other and awaken the resonant journal in site visits.

SITE VISITS
It is during site visits where the journaling process feels most integrated, as this is
where it most follows the 'resonant journaling' model, capturing verbally and visually the
internal and external landscape. Here one can see the different ways of knowing weaving
together — ecology notes (postcards from home, mode 1) investigate the external world with
the help from art (mode 2) as an observational tool; writing and reflection capture both the
internal and external landscape bolstered by the engagement of the site visit.
I never go out expecting what I'll find as I don't want to have preconceived notions of
what may present itself, instead I let things present themselves in their own nature and my
journal simply acts as "vessel" (Hinchman, 1999) in which to capture them.
Depicting the external landscape, Figure 9: "barefoot on the banks of the Thompson
one suddenly develops awareness that these frigid waters are glacial fed from up high in the
32

Columbia Mountains. The channel between McArthur Island & Rabbit Island is only knee
deep, being the lee side of the river. The north side of the island has large sandy beaches,
whereas the south shoreline is steep, constantly being eroded back by the river. The island is
much like the heart of the land, contracting in the summer to the heavy pulsations of the
Thompson, and exploding in the winter when the water has less fervor. Much of the middle
of the island is open grass and a few trees, but the northeast corner is denser and the
northwest corner is overgrown. The island is an overwinter spot for deer, an island of nature
in a sea of urban" (Maguire, 2012).

Figure 9: Page spread entitled, "Rabbit Island"

Depicting the internal landscape, Figure 9: "spending the night on the island leads me
to muse on the type of experience I like to have in nature. This trip for example had Sean and
myself exploring the island for resources. The bark of the cottonwood that got caught in the
2009 fire fell off the tree easy and made the roof for our lean-to shelter. The tall grass on the
northwest corner provided excellent bedding. While I may not have learnt much about the
island in terms of ecology, geology, history, etc, I learnt of the warmth a fire radiates on a
cold night. I learnt the howl of the coyote not a hundred meters from where I lay. I learnt the
33

sound of the deer as it meandered around the island. In the end, who shall distinguish?"
(Maguire, 2012).
Depicting the external landscape, Figure 10: "oftentimes it is easy to be mesmerized
by the cloud that has swept into out valley and hidden all but a few peaks such as Mont
Dufferin. At these times the air near the ground is colder than the layers of air above. The
cold air is never very deep, often only 200-300m. Overlying it is air that is perhaps 10-15
degrees Celsius warmer. Not only is the air warmer above the inversion, it is often clearer as
well. Standing atop Mount Peter and looking south, I am rewarded with a mesmerizing view
of Kenna Cartwright Park and Mount Dufferin. I can count my blessings as I know below the
inversion ceiling I would be faced with cold, dense air that is murky with ice crystals and
trapped air pollution. However, being above the inversion ceiling tells a different tale, here I
am greeted with the sun shinning brightly though drier cleaner air" (Maguire, 2012).

Figure 10: Page spread, entitled, 'Mount Dufferin'

Depicting the internal landscape, Figure 10: "comfortable up high I am afforded an
opportunity to muse on how I get to know a place. I'd been living in Kamloops near four
years before I ventured up Mount Peter. A sad statement considering for me knowing a place
34

is not dictated by my knowledge of the area, but rather my story there, my explorations, my
unstructured wanderings, my getting lost in a place" (Maguire, 2012).
From my time journaling one over arching discovery continually comes to mind, that
heading outside often leads within. The simple act of spending time outside can oftentimes
lead to quite introspective thoughts such as the ones that came to mind when I sat down and
looked at the ridgeline above Botany Pond, Figure 11. "Any day-spent journaling with Lyn is
a rare treat indeed. Her observational skills are phenomenal, something towards which I hope
to aspire. But what intrigues me most about Lyn is her thoughtful and introspective musings
on the natural world. How she manages to communicate her thought process and
observations is little short of pure poetry. Lyn has immersed herself into a naturalists life
when journaling and every moment lived surrounded by natures symphony happens in the
moment, no past, no future, just now — a split of a second" (Maguire, 2012).

Figure 11: Page spread, entitled, 'Split of a Second'
35

It was with the 'Site Visits' that the journal truly came alive. In actuality it can be said
to be the most authentic of the four modes, in that one must leave the comfort of the indoors
in search of the internal and external, combing elements of the other three modes in syntheses
to produce a vivid synopsis of the moment — forever captured.
In delving into journaling, four modes arose. In transcribing these modes, the
researcher wanted to see if natural history was an integral part of developing a sense of
place? If as stated early that sense of place is defined as the personal, social and natural
history connections between a person and their locality then it is apparent that one (sense of
place) cannot happen without the other (natural history). Natural history was prevalent
throughout the four modes; being the purpose of ecological notes, being the subject of art
practice; being the muse for reflection; and providing the stage for the site visits. If as I
believe and as my research suggests that natural history can be an integral part of developing
a sense of place, the next logical step in the research was in disclosing 'the efficacy of
illustrated journal use to contextualizing natural history learning as part of a place-based
pedagogy.' Earlier I suggested that illustrated learning journals as a method of constructing
knowledge and documenting the moment provide a format for natural history's
methodologies of direct observation and hands-on observation, thus supporting its efficacy in
place-based pedagogy. Journaling practice only supported this finding. This was most
evident in the 'Site Visits' where intimate connections were made between the researcher and
the natural environment through observations made while journaling.

36

CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION
This paper has explored if natural history and illustrated learning journals can act as
tools for place-based education. This investigation was undertaken in two distinct ways.
Firstly, the literature review aimed to see if there existed inherent connections that supported
the proposition, 'natural history and illustrated learning journals as tools for place-based
education'. Secondly, the journal chronicled the researcher's lived experience with illustrated
learning journals and natural history in coming to know a place. In direct response to the
investigations two distinct forms, the findings also emerged in two forms, those from the
literature and those from the journal.
The first question the research sought to answer was if natural history is an integral
part of developing sense of place? This was answered both from the literature and the
journal. The literature review indicated that sense of place comes about through social,
personal and a natural history of a place. Owing to this very definition it can be easily
concurred that natural history is innate to sense of place development. Furthermore, the
findings from the literature suggest that a sense of place can be achieved through natural
history methodologies and illustrated learning journals innate documentation methods. As
such both support place-based education objectives. The journal also answered the first
research question, as its purpose was to aid sense of place development, and as place is a
"space with meaning" (Baldwin et al., 2010) then I do believe the journal reorganized the
meaning that the space of the Kamloops environs holds for me. Through the ecological notes
I learned to focus on local ecological processes, allowing me to not only know but to
appreciate why this place is the way it is. Through art practice I focused my eye on the
previous unknown beauty that this space holds. Through writing, I reflected deeply on this
37

space but most importantly situated myself in the lived landscape. And through the site visits
the journal combined all three modes that created a document of my experience with the land
at that very moment.
Upon answering the first question, the second research question sought to explore the
efficacy in using illustrated journals to contextualizing natural history learning as part of a
place-based pedagogy. The literature review indicated that natural history is a practice,
whereby the primary methods employed are direct observation and hands-on observation of
natural processes. In aiding these methods nature study has historically utilized visual and
literary arts. Journals, which have been defined as an observation tool through the use of
visual and literal methods, hence are shown to support natural history. Secondly, the journal
also answered the second question. This was especially seen throughout the site visits where
the journal acted as a vessel in observing such natural phenomena: water sources, river
erosion processes, deer habitats, historical fire patterns and inversions, to name a few.
In concluding, this paper has shown that Natural History can be fundamental to placebased education; furthermore it has shown that journals do indeed contextualize natural
history learning. As such the findings suggest that there is efficacy in using illustrated
journals for contextualizing natural history learning as part of a place-based pedagogy.

-- Recommendations for Future Journaling Practice -Educated through a guiding program, a plethora of time spent recreating outdoors,
and working in the industry taught me how my career and my industry undervalues natural
places. There is appreciation, albeit superficial. Wanting to connect more deeply with these
places I welcomed the practice of journaling. This paper has chronicled my journaling
38

practice and reflection on that practice. Through this a series of recommendations for my
own future journaling practice have come to light.
Recreating and working in the adventure industry has led me to discover that the
activity in question and journaling can be mutually supportive. However field journaling and
outdoor activities—especially adventure activities—can be in conflict. This occurs due to the
time consuming process of documenting the moment. If I step off the trail and take out the
journal, this can be a major interruption to the rest of the group. However in noticing other
journaling practitioners the same interruption doesn't seem to exist. This is largely due to
artistic skill. If one is competent in art, a sketch of a landscape can materialize in less then a
minute, whereas I painstakingly struggle to sketch a landscape in ten minutes. This highlights
the importance of art in journaling practice. Good artistic skills also add rigour to one's
representation of observed phenomena. However, as a place-based educator, I believe that
illustrated field journals will play an important role in my personal and professional
development and as such, they are worth the investment. In order to gain the greatest benefit
from my journaling practice, I propose the following recommendations for myself (or any
other outdoor educator who wishes to develop an illustrated field journal practice):
1. Seek out opportunities to develop art skills.
2. When at all possible, create time for reflective writing about the journaling
experience.
3. Acknowledge the inherent tension between journaling and "doing" by articulating
expectations for myself about when and where journaling is appropriate.

39

4. Develop an increased repertoire of modes of engagement. I found site visits to have
the greatest impact on my connection with place, but there are numerous other
exercises I can practice in order to develop my practice.
5. Begin to use illustrated journaling in guiding/teaching. This will include exploring the
varying opportunities to share field journals with client/students.
6. Resist the critic—if journaling is about the process, then failed pages are part of the
process and represent an important part of my practice. Accept that images that don't
look like what I was drawing will stand beside later, more "accurate" images and that
both represent authentic experiences.
7. Improve naturalist skills, such as joining naturalist clubs specific to the areas I will
guide.
From growing up in urban Ireland, where a sense of place eluded me, to immensely feeling
connected to spaces in Canada, this research has articulated how my feelings towards a place
emerge. The research has spoken of the importance of sense of place as well as how it comes
about. Orr (1992b) spoke of having Ecological Literacy when one "has the knowledge
necessary to comprehend interrelatedness, and an attitude of care or stewardship" (p.92).
Keeping an illustrated journal and tuning into nature led me to comprehend the
interrelatedness of this place. It is impossible not to have an attitude of care once one has
knowledge. The journals therefore undoubtedly instilled in me a "knowing, caring and
practical competence" (p.92) for this place. This agrees with Thomashow's (1996, p. xiii)
notes on ecological literacy, as causing one to "consider how their actions, values and ideals
are framed according to their perceptions of nature". As such natural history and illustrated
journals in coming to gain a sense of place led me to an 'environmental empathy' (Learie,
40

2009, p.37) of this place. The lessons of this project have lead me towards wanting to achieve
a knowing of natural spaces and more so a care for them, such as those Sharon Butala spoke
of in her book, 'The Perfection of the Morning: An Apprenticeship in Nature:
It is one thing to come from the city and be overwhelmed by the beauty of Nature and
to speak of it, and another thing entirely to have lived in it so long that it has seeped
into your bones and your blood and is inseparable from your own being, so that it is
part of you and requires no mention of hymns of praise (1994, p. 89).

41

References
Andrews, K. (1999). The Wilderness expedition as a rite of passage: Meaning and
process in experiential education. The Journal of Experiential Education, 22 (1), 3543.
Association for Experiential Education (AEE). (2002). What is the definition of experiential
education? Boulder: CO: Author.
Baker, M. (2005). Landfullness in Adventure-Based Programming: Promoting
Reconnection to the Land. Journal of Experiential Education, 27 (3), 267-276.
Baldwin, L. (2010). Documenting the Moment: using illustrated journal as a teaching
tool in undergraduate education. Retrieved 2012, 12-April from Thompson
Rivers University - Faculty - Lyn Baldwin:
http://www.tru.ca/faculty/lbaldwin/Field%20Journal/Documthemoment_10.pdf.
Baldwin, L., Block, T., Crawford, I., Naqvi, K., Ratsoy, G., Templeman, E., et al. (Feb, 1820, 2010). Making Connections: Teaching through the Experience of Place.
Kamloops: A pre-conference workshop Educational Developers Caucus, Thompson
Rivers University.
Baldwin, L., & Crawford, I. (2010). Art Instruction in the Botany Lab: A Collaborative
Approach. Journal of College Science Teaching, 40 (2), 26-31.
Baldwin, L. (2012, 11-April). BIOL 3240 - Ways of Knowing. Class Notes, BIOL
3240, 10/1-10/6. Kamloops, BC, Canada: Thompson Rivers University.
Baldwin, L. (2012, September). Postcards from home - finding the ecology of your place.
Course Outline. Kamloops: Thompson Rivers University.

42

Beringer, A. (2004). Toward an ecological paradigm in adventure programming. Journal of
Experiential Education, 27 (1), 51-66.
Bosch, R. & Oswald, M. (2010). Adolescents' perceptions of an adventure-based program.
Perspectives in Education. 28(1): 64-76.
Butala, S. 1994. The Perfection of the Morning: An Apprenticeship in Nature. Toronto:
Harper Collins.
Calkins, N. A. (1868). Primary object lessons for a graduated course of development.
New York: Harper & Brothers.
Canfield, M. R. (2011). Introduction, p.1-19 in Field Notes on Science & Nature, edited by
Canfield, M. R. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Carver, R. (1996). Theory for practice: A framework for thinking about experiential
education. The Journal of Experiential Education, 19 (1), 8-13.
Colletto, H. (1997). Education, the deep ecology movement, and transition. Trumpeter, 14
(2), 2-9.
Connor Greene, P. (2000). Making Connections: Evaluating the effectiveness of journal
writing in enhancing student learning. Teaching of Psychology, 27 (1), 44-46.
Cooper, G. (1994). The role of outdoor education in education in the 21st century. The
Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Leadership, 11 (2), 9-12.
Cuthbertson, B., Heine, M. and Whitson, D. (1997). Producing meaning through movement:
An alternative view of sense of place. The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy, vol.
14(2), 72-75.
Dempsey, B., & Betz, B. (2001). Biological drawing: A scientific tool for learning. The
American Biology Teacher, 63 (4), 271-279.
43

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Collier books.
Disinger, J. (1983). Environmental Education's Definitional Problem. ERIC Digest.
Ewert, A. (1996). Experiential education and natural resource management. Journal of
Experiential Education, 19 (1), 29-33.
Fitzpatrick, C. N. (1968). Philosophy and goals of outdoor education. Unpublished doctoral
dissertation, Colorado State College, CO.
Fleischner, T. (2001). Natural history and the spiral of offering. Wild Earth, 10-13.
Fleischner, T. (2005). Natural history and the deep roots of resource management.
Natural Resources Journal 45, 1-13.
Fleischner, T. L. (2011). Why Natural History Matters. Journal of Natural History
Education & Experience.
Fuytuma, D. (1998). Wherefore and whither the naturalist? American Naturalist, 1-6.
Gair, N. (1997). Outdoor Education. London: Cassell.
Gilbertson, K., Bates, T., McLaughlin, T., & Ewert, A. (2006). Outdoor Education
Methods and Strategies. Champaign: Human Kinetics.
Gillet, D., Thomas, G., Skok, R., & McLaughlin, T. (1991). The effects of wilderness
camping and hiking in the self-concept and environmental attitudes of twelfth
graders. The Journal of Environmental Education, 22 (3), 33-44.
Gilligan, D. (2009). Natural History from the Ground Up: Developing a College-Level
Natural History Program in the New Millennium. Journal of Natural History
Education, 3, 24-29.
Gower, R. (2011, October 2). The Feynman Series - Curiosity. Retrieved February 24,
2013, from YouTube:
44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmTmGLzPVyM&list=PL92F9FC91BBE221
0D&index=3.
Greene, E. (2011). Chapter 12, p. 251 - 276 in Field Notes on Science & Nature, edited by
Canfield, M. R. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Gruenewald, D. A. (2003). Foundations of Place: A Multidisciplinary Framework for
Place-Conscious Education. American Educational Research Journal, 40 (3), 619 654.
Hanna, G. (1995). Wilderness-related environmental outcomes of adventure and ecology
education programming. Journal of Environmental Education, 27 (1), 21.
Hebert-Daly, E. (2013, 27-January). The Future of our National Parks. Retrieved 2013, 20February from CPAWS Blog: http://cpaws.org/blog/the-future-of-our-national-parks
Hinchman, H. (1991). A life in hand: creating the Illuminated Journal. Layton, Utah:
Gibbs Smith Publisher.
Hinchman, H. (1999). A Trail Through Leaves: The Journal As A Path To Place. New
York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Hungerford, H., Peyton, R. B., & Wilke, R. (1980). Goals for curriculum development in
environmental education. Journal of Environmental Education, 11 (3), 42-47.
Keller, J. (2011). Field Notes on Science & Nature. Cambridge: Harvard University
Press.
Kendall, H. (2008). World Scientists' Warning to Humanity. Retrieved March 13, 2013,
from http://www.ucsusa.org/about/1992-world-scientists.html.
Knapp, C. (2005). The "I-Thou" Relationship, Place-Based Education, and Aldo Leopold.
Journal of Experiential Education, v27 n3 p277-285.
45

Kolan, M., & Poleman, W. (2009). Revitalizing Natural History Education by Design.
Journal of Nature History Education, 30-40.
Learie, S. (2013, March 10). Adventure Curriculum. Personal Correspondence. Kamloops,
BC, Canada.
Learie, S. (2009). Changing Lives, Creating Leaders: Transformational Environmental
Education. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Royal Roads University, British
Columbia, Canada.
Leslie, C. W., Tallmadge, J., & Wessels, T. (1996). Into The Field: a guide to locally
focused teaching. Great Barrington, Massachusetts: The Orion Society.
Louv, R. (2005). Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit
Disorder. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.
Martin, A. (2001). Towards The Next Generation Of Experiential Education
Programmes: A Case Study Of Outward Bound. Unpublished doctoral
dissertation, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
McLoughlin, C., & Krakowski, K. (2001). Technological tools for visual thinking: What
does the research tell us? Paper presented at the Apple University Consortium
Academic and Developers Conference, James Cook University, Townsville,
Queensland, Australia.
McManus, D. (2001). The two paradigms of education and the peer review of teaching.
Journal of Geoscience Education, 423-434.
Miles, J. (1987). Wilderness as a learning Place. Journal of Environmental Education, 18 (2),
33-40.

46

Miles, J. (1990). Wilderness Keeping by wilderness educators. Journal of Experiential
Education, 13 (3), 42-46.
Miles, J., Priest, S. (1990). Adventure Education. Pennsylvania: Venture Publishing, Inc.
Noss, R. F. 1996. Protected areas: how much is enough? Pages 91-120 in R. G. Wright,
editor. National parks and protected areas: their role in environmental protection.
Blackwell, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
O'Connell, T., & Dyment, J. (2006). Reflections on using journals in higher education: a
focus group discussion with faculty. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education,
31 (6), 671-691.
Orr, D. (1992a) Environmental literacy: Education as if the earth mattered. Twelfth
Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures, Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Orr, D. (1992b). Ecological literacy: Education and the transition to a postmodern
world. New York: State University of New York Press.
Orr, D. W. (1994). Earth in mind: On education, environment, and the human prospect.
Washington, DC: Island Press.
Park, C. (2003). Engaging Students in the Learning Process: the learning journal. Journal of
Geography in Higher Education, 183-199.
Parks Canada. (2002). The Parks Canada Charter: Our Mandate. Retrieved March 13,
2013, from: http://www.pc.gc.ca/agen/chart/chartr.aspx.
Parks Canada. (2013, 20-February). Proposed 2013 Prices. Retrieved 2013, 20-February
from Parks Canada - Fees: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/agen/tarifs-fees/consultation.aspx
Pielou, E. C. (1994). A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic. Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press.
47

Princeton University. (n.d.). Demographics of the Republic of Ireland. Retrieved 2013. 4March from Demogrpahics of:
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Demographics_of_t
he_Republic_of_Ireland.html.
Purdue, R., & Warder, D. (1991). Environmental education and Attitude change. The
Journal of Environmental Education, 2 (4), 27-28.
Pyle, R. M. (2001). The Rise and Fall of Natural History: how a science grew that
eclipsed direct experience. Orion, 17, 17-23.
Quick, R. H. (1890). Essays on educational reformers. New York: E. L. Kellogg & Co.
Raffan, J. (1993). The experience of place: Exploring the land as teacher. The Journal of
Experiential Education, 16(1), 39-45.
Roth, R. (1969). Fundamental concepts for environmental management education (K-16).
Doctoral dissertation. The Ohio State University, Columbus.
Sahn. J. (2012). Thirty-Year Plan: Thirty Writers on What We Need to Build a Better
Future. Massachusetts: The Orion Society.
Schmidly, D. (2005). What It Means to Be a Naturalist and the Future of Natural History at
American Universities. Journal of Mammology, 86 (3), 449-456.
Semken, S., & Freeman, C. B. (2008). Sense of Place in the Practice and Assessment of
Place-Based Science Teaching. Science Education, 1042-1057.
Shepard, P. (1978). Thinking Animals: Animals and the Development of Human
Intelligence. Viking Press.
Smith, G. (2002). Place-based education: learning to be where we are. Phi Delta Kappan, 83
(8), 584-594.
48

Sobel, D. (2004). Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities.
Great Barrington, Massachusetts: The Orion Society.
Stapp, W. B., Bennett, D., William Bryan, J., Fulton, J., MacGregor, J., Nowak, P., et al.
(1969). The concept of environmental education. The Journal of Environmental
Education, 1 (1), 30-31.
Statistics Canada. (2009, 22-October). Population, urban and rural, by province and
territory (Canada). Retrieved 2012, 20-February from Statistics Canada:
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo62a-eng.htm.
The Irish Times. (2012, 30-March). Urban boom as over 2.8 million people are now
living in towns. Retrieved 2013 йил 4-March from IrishTimes.com:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0330/1224314099276.html.
Thomashow, M. (1996). Ecological identity: Becoming a reflective environmentalists.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Trombulak, S., & Fleishner, T. L. (2007). Natural History Renaissance. Journal of
Natural History Education, 1-4.
UNESCO-UNEP. (1976). The Belgrade Charter: A global framework for environmental
education. Connect: UNESCO-UNEP Environmental Education Newsletter, 1(1), 1-2.
UNESCO-UNEP. (1978). Recommendations of the intergovernmental conference on
environmental education Tbilisi, USSR.
Whiteley, L. (2008). Q&A: Science sketched out. Nature, 455 (7212), 468.
Whtye Museum of the Canadian Rockies. (2011). Whyte Museum Blog: Gateway to the
Rockies Exhibition. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from Whyte Museum Blog:
http://whytemuseum.blogspot.ca/p/gateway-to-rockies-exhibition.html.
49

Wilcove, D., & Eisner, T. (2000). The Impending Extinction of Natural History. Chronicle
of Higher Education, 47 (3).
Woodhouse, J. (2001). Over the River and Through the Hood: Reviewing Place as a
Focus for Pedagogy. Thresholds in Education 27, nos. 3 and 4.
Woodhouse, J., & Knapp, C. (2000, December). Place-based curriculum and
instruction: Outdoor and environmental education approaches. ERIC Digest,
EDO-RC-00-6.

50