Forest School Research Paper
FOREST SCHOOL ENGLAND DEFINITION
Forest School is an inspirational process, that offers children and young people opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem, through hands on learning experiences in a local woodland environment. According /www.worcestershire.gov.uk/
Forest school (learning style)
From Wikipedia Forest school is a type of outdoor education in which children (or adults) visit forests/woodlands, learning personal, social and technical skills. It has been defined as "an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence through hands-on learning in a woodland environment".[1] Forest school is both a pedagogy and a physical entity, …show more content…
with the use often being interchanged. The plural "schools" is often used when referring to a number of groups or sessions.
Forest school uses the woods and forests as a means to build independence and self-esteem in children and young adults. Topics are cross-curriculum (broad in subject) including the natural environment, for example the role of trees in society, the complex ecosystem supported by a wilderness, and recognition of specific plants and animals. However, the personal skills are considered highly valuable, such as teamwork and problem solving.[2] The woodland environment may be used to learn about more abstract concepts such as mathematics and communication. Forest school provision is also called nature schools.
Activities and scope
Schedules within forest schools vary, but one approach is to take school learners to woodland for once a week, with an initial 6 week observation and assessment period, where a baseline is produced for each child in terms of areas of their holistic development, with particular emphasis on their social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL). Once the baseline assessment has been produced the Forest School Leader / Practitioner will then continue with the long term programme over the course of the learning period in order to support the child in their development and learning. The practitioner will provide opportunities for each child to develop in areas that have been identified as requiring interventions or support of any kind[3] The duration and frequency of visits influences the degree of outcome; more time spent in forest school brings greater benefits.[4] Visits should ideally continue throughout the year, allowing children to experience all weathers and the changing seasons.
Forest schools are for all learners, of any age, often "led by the learner`s interests" (learner initiated learning) by comparison to other outdoor education which "starts with an issue agenda or problem for the learner to investigate".[5] The main goals of forest school in primary age children includes encouraging curiosity and exploration with all of the senses, empowering children in the natural environment, and encouraging spatial awareness and motor development.[2] Forest schools usually provide a higher adult to child ratio than some learning styles, in order to ensure children are supported sufficiently in a higher risk environment.[6]
Beyond primary school age children, forest school is frequently used to further develop social skills and explore creative learning and focuses on developing firm foundations for continued personal and education development.
In particular it has been used as an alternative curriculum provision to support continued mainstream education involvement, or as a temporary/transitional approach back into school.[citation needed]
Consistent with Attention Restoration Theory, children taking part in forest school have been described as more relaxed.[7] Relationships between the children and each other, with adults, and with the environment, are …show more content…
important[8]
Forest school is part of the broader area of outdoor education. Outside the school curriculum, this extends to summer holiday camps, Scouting, Outward Bound projects and many other activities. Before children reach school age, Forest kindergartens provide a similar service.
Forest school is currently taking place in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA, Malaysia, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland and Germany.
Special needs
The combination of freedom and responsibility has been particularly beneficial to children who suffer from lack of confidence or whose behaviour is challenging.
With high adult: child ratios, children can safely experience activities that are often prohibited, such as climbing trees or lighting fires. Children have the freedom to explore the area within the forest, this helps the child to learn to manage their own safety and move around comfortably.The programme allows children to grow in confidence and independence and extend their abilities.
Some children do not perform well in classrooms.They are encouraged to develop their innate curiosity and develop the motivation to learn.They may come from a non-academic family background, may have a short attention span, or may just not be comfortable with the organisation of a teacher standing in front of a group of pupils. Boys in general, prefer to be outside, and learn better in this way.
In a major study in the USA, students with behavioural problems in "Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning" (EIC) programmes caused fewer discipline problems than their traditionally educated peers. Similarly, Forest schools have been found to help children with additional support needs, including Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autistic
children.
History
This ethos was introduced to the UK during the 1990s. The growth of forest school has been unprecedented throughout the UK with many practitioners providing quality provision true to the original ethos. Bridgwater College in Somerset was the pioneer of the forest school concept in the UK in 1994.Various government and NGO agencies propose the use of woodland as part of the school educational curriculum; for example the Forest Education Initiative[18] and the Forestry Commission.[7] By 2006, there were approximately 140 forest schools in Britain.The governmental agencies have in some cases been set targets for the use of their resources for education or health benefits,[7] or are focused on the educational outcomes and see forestry as a step towards them.Many businesses and non-profit organisations facilitate forest school long term programmes. In Wales training and strategic oversight is provided by Forest Schools Wales and government agencies such as the Forestry Commission who have supported research and the development of practical experience for forest school practitioners. In England support has been provided by the Forest Education Network (which has replaced the Forest Education Initiative) to those initiating forest school provisions. Such provision is provided within schools using their own trained staff or by external independent forest school providers. Many organisations now offer accredited forest school training courses to enable practitioners to deliver forest school in their own settings and ensure children and teachers work within rich natural experiences. The OCN Level 3 training course is most widely recognised within the UK. Developing from the Institute of Outdoor Learning`s (IOL) Forest School Special Interest Group, in June 2012 The Forest School Association was established. It is an independent UK body.
Forest School is an inspirational process, that offers children and young people opportunities to achieve, develop confidence and self-esteem, through hands on learning experiences in a local woodland environment. According /www.worcestershire.gov.uk/
Forest school (learning style)
From Wikipedia Forest school is a type of outdoor education in which children (or adults) visit forests/woodlands, learning personal, social and technical skills. It has been defined as "an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence through hands-on learning in a woodland environment".[1] Forest school is both a pedagogy and a physical entity, …show more content…
with the use often being interchanged. The plural "schools" is often used when referring to a number of groups or sessions.
Forest school uses the woods and forests as a means to build independence and self-esteem in children and young adults. Topics are cross-curriculum (broad in subject) including the natural environment, for example the role of trees in society, the complex ecosystem supported by a wilderness, and recognition of specific plants and animals. However, the personal skills are considered highly valuable, such as teamwork and problem solving.[2] The woodland environment may be used to learn about more abstract concepts such as mathematics and communication. Forest school provision is also called nature schools.
Activities and scope
Schedules within forest schools vary, but one approach is to take school learners to woodland for once a week, with an initial 6 week observation and assessment period, where a baseline is produced for each child in terms of areas of their holistic development, with particular emphasis on their social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL). Once the baseline assessment has been produced the Forest School Leader / Practitioner will then continue with the long term programme over the course of the learning period in order to support the child in their development and learning. The practitioner will provide opportunities for each child to develop in areas that have been identified as requiring interventions or support of any kind[3] The duration and frequency of visits influences the degree of outcome; more time spent in forest school brings greater benefits.[4] Visits should ideally continue throughout the year, allowing children to experience all weathers and the changing seasons.
Forest schools are for all learners, of any age, often "led by the learner`s interests" (learner initiated learning) by comparison to other outdoor education which "starts with an issue agenda or problem for the learner to investigate".[5] The main goals of forest school in primary age children includes encouraging curiosity and exploration with all of the senses, empowering children in the natural environment, and encouraging spatial awareness and motor development.[2] Forest schools usually provide a higher adult to child ratio than some learning styles, in order to ensure children are supported sufficiently in a higher risk environment.[6]
Beyond primary school age children, forest school is frequently used to further develop social skills and explore creative learning and focuses on developing firm foundations for continued personal and education development.
In particular it has been used as an alternative curriculum provision to support continued mainstream education involvement, or as a temporary/transitional approach back into school.[citation needed]
Consistent with Attention Restoration Theory, children taking part in forest school have been described as more relaxed.[7] Relationships between the children and each other, with adults, and with the environment, are …show more content…
important[8]
Forest school is part of the broader area of outdoor education. Outside the school curriculum, this extends to summer holiday camps, Scouting, Outward Bound projects and many other activities. Before children reach school age, Forest kindergartens provide a similar service.
Forest school is currently taking place in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA, Malaysia, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland and Germany.
Special needs
The combination of freedom and responsibility has been particularly beneficial to children who suffer from lack of confidence or whose behaviour is challenging.
With high adult: child ratios, children can safely experience activities that are often prohibited, such as climbing trees or lighting fires. Children have the freedom to explore the area within the forest, this helps the child to learn to manage their own safety and move around comfortably.The programme allows children to grow in confidence and independence and extend their abilities.
Some children do not perform well in classrooms.They are encouraged to develop their innate curiosity and develop the motivation to learn.They may come from a non-academic family background, may have a short attention span, or may just not be comfortable with the organisation of a teacher standing in front of a group of pupils. Boys in general, prefer to be outside, and learn better in this way.
In a major study in the USA, students with behavioural problems in "Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning" (EIC) programmes caused fewer discipline problems than their traditionally educated peers. Similarly, Forest schools have been found to help children with additional support needs, including Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autistic
children.
History
This ethos was introduced to the UK during the 1990s. The growth of forest school has been unprecedented throughout the UK with many practitioners providing quality provision true to the original ethos. Bridgwater College in Somerset was the pioneer of the forest school concept in the UK in 1994.Various government and NGO agencies propose the use of woodland as part of the school educational curriculum; for example the Forest Education Initiative[18] and the Forestry Commission.[7] By 2006, there were approximately 140 forest schools in Britain.The governmental agencies have in some cases been set targets for the use of their resources for education or health benefits,[7] or are focused on the educational outcomes and see forestry as a step towards them.Many businesses and non-profit organisations facilitate forest school long term programmes. In Wales training and strategic oversight is provided by Forest Schools Wales and government agencies such as the Forestry Commission who have supported research and the development of practical experience for forest school practitioners. In England support has been provided by the Forest Education Network (which has replaced the Forest Education Initiative) to those initiating forest school provisions. Such provision is provided within schools using their own trained staff or by external independent forest school providers. Many organisations now offer accredited forest school training courses to enable practitioners to deliver forest school in their own settings and ensure children and teachers work within rich natural experiences. The OCN Level 3 training course is most widely recognised within the UK. Developing from the Institute of Outdoor Learning`s (IOL) Forest School Special Interest Group, in June 2012 The Forest School Association was established. It is an independent UK body.