Abstract:
Ellis (2004) argues that auto ethnography is a methodology that begins with the
researcher as the site of study. Employing a qualitative storytelling structure shows,
instead of tells. As the audience reads, they are encouraged to relate the research to their
experiences, provoking reflective knowledge development. As an outdoor educator, I
began to question the nature of my craft and how it was being shaped by my personal
educational philosophy. So, drawing on a reflective journal I kept while employed as an
outdoor educator in 2007, three outdoor educators published narratives, and a historical
review of newspaper articles about Ontario-based outdoor education, conducted an
autoethnographic inquiry and built a fictional story about my craft. I exposed five
faultlines or areas of ideological tension, shaping my views about outdoor education and
my craft.
