Dr Simon Beames

Honorary Fellow

Background

Simon Beames is a senior lecturer in the Outdoor & Environmental Education Section of the Moray House School of Education & Sport.

For 25 years, Simon has taught outdoors in North America, Asia, and Europe. He is former co-editor of the Journal of Experiential Education and former Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Simon developed the Outdoor Journeys programme –– a cross-curricular, local outdoor learning initiative.  He has published five books: Understanding educational expeditions (editor), Learning outside the classroom (co-author), Outdoor Adventure and Social Theory (co-editor), Adventurous Learning (co-author), and Adventure and Society.

Outdoor Education at the University

Outdoor Journeys

Books

Understanding educational expeditions

Learning outside the classroom

Outdoor Adventure and Social Theory

Adventurous Learning

Adventure and Society

Qualifications

  • BPE (McMaster)
  • MSc (Minnesota State Mankato)
  • PhD (Southampton)

Responsibilities & affiliations

Convener of the University's Expeditions Committee

Member of the School's Equality & Diversity Committee

Board member of Venture Mór

Editorial Board for the Journal of Experiential Education and the Journal of Outdoor Environmental Education

Postgraduate teaching

  • Postgraduate academic: Experiential Education, Social Theory and Outdoor Education, PGDE Secondary Outdoor Learning
  • Practical: Rock climbing, hillwalking, winter mountaineering, Norway ski tour

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Current PhD students supervised

  • John Pierce- A Longitudinal Case Study into the Practices and Processes of Outdoor Centres in Ireland
  • Ethan Lewis- Impacts of Cultural Ecosystem Services on Community Development in a Community Garden in Edinburgh
  • Susanne Paulus- Exploring place-based outdoor education in the context of transmigration realities

Past PhD students supervised

  • Rebekah Tauritz- Developing Uncertainty Competences through Outdoor Education for Sustainability
  • Sharifah Syed Abdullah- Influences of Residential Outdoor Environmental Education on environmental attitudes and behaviours 
  • Sho Shimoyamada- The production of Scottish open gardens: Perceptions of power 
  • Clare Nugent- Nature kindergartens as pedagogical environment for early childhood: a multi-case study 
  • Jerry Tracey- An investigation into the cultural interaction between slalom and play-boating with white-water canoeing and kayaking

Research summary

  • Learning through journeys outside the classroom (local and far away!)
  • Using social theory to examine outdoor education practice
  • Exploring the relationship between adventure and learning
  • The influence of society on adventure practices

Project activity

  • Outdoor Journeys
  • A Natural Curriculum
  • The Disneyization of adventure
  • Institutional rock climbing
  • Adventure and education
  • Socio-economic status and access to outdoor learning
  • Influences of out-of-classroom learning experiences at Gordonstoun School