Augmented outdoor education in high schools. Audio guides on the cultural heritage of the Parioli neighbourhood in Rome

Abstract

The paper offers an overview of theories, practices, and methods in outdoor geography education, highlighting the pedagogical foundations from which they emerge and focusing on enhanced fieldwork supported by digital technologies. It then presents a PCTO (Pathway for Transversal Skills and Orientation) project conducted in 2019 with students partecipants from the Liceo Scientifico Manfredi Azzarita in Rome. Drawing on multiple methods, the project developed an experiential, outdoor, collaborative, and augmented approach to geography education, leading to the production of itineraries and audio guides on the cultural heritage of the Parioli neighbourhood in Rome, available on APPasseggio–a platform that promotes cultural heritage through walking and storytelling. The project is presented as a case study in outdoor and augmented geography education, emphasizing the methods tested, the results achieved, and the educational goals attained. By analyzing this experience, the article contributes to debates in geography education – while also engaging with heritage studies – by arguing for the need to move towards outdoor and augmented practices that interconnect territorial, socio-cultural, and informational resources.