What the resource is:
In a short 15 minute film, this Teachers TV programme demonstrates the impact of Forest School on a group of Reception and Year 1 children from Charlbury School Oxfordshire. We see children experiencing outdoor learning in wet and dry weather and hear their views of the activities. We also gain an understanding of how the activities have changed children from the perspectives of both teachers and parents. Of the greatest benefit to trainee teachers, we hear how teachers and outdoor educators develop the Forest School programme and how the children experience it.
The aims of the resource:
To demonstrate the learning opportunities Forest School programmes offer young children.
Key findings or focus:
The idea of Forest Schools originally came from Scandinavia where it is now embedded into practice, especially for early years children. British educators (both classroom and outdoor based) became interested in the model and have for some time created similar experiences. However, the idea of young children spending much of their learning time outdoors is not new to Britain. Although not mentioned in the programme, Margaret (1860-1931) and Rachel McMillan (1859-1917) were committed to open-air nurseries where young children could explore the imagination, develop their sensory and perceptual faculties and care for gardens and pets. In 1914, they opened an open-air nursery school training centre in Peckham. Today their work is recognised as a milestone in the history of early years education.
Forest Schools offer an effective environment for children to engage in a wide range of learning opportunities through which they can explore subjects such as materials and forces, as well as developing their motor skills, confidence and imagination, a model not dissimilar to the work of the McMillan sisters.
The quality, authority and credibility of the resource from your subject perspective in relation to ITE:
The quality of the programme is high in terms of demonstrating the pedagogical philosophy of Forest Schools; however, more information is needed in terms of the deeper impacts on children and how Forest School helps them to scaffold, for example, their emerging scientific ideas. It does bring to the fore a continuing discussion about health and safety and how to include self-exploration within a clear protection framework. The programme offers a good balance between the voices of children and adults.
The programme refers to the findings of a 2007 study co-funded by the New Economics Foundation and the Forestry Commission, which can be sourced via the internet (see further resources). This study found Forest School to be of benefit to learners in ways demonstrated by the programme, but offers a more in depth discussion, which would work well as a follow-up reading for ITE students or CPD for teachers.
The implications for ITE tutors/mentors:
This video would be a useful starting point for a module discussing learning outside the classroom and how teachers can facilitate outdoor experiential learning. The resource also offers an opportunity to observe cross-curricular learning in action and ways in which early years science - such as exploring materials - can be offered in nature-based contexts.
The relevance to ITE students:
This resource will support ITE primary students to consider one interpretation of learning outside the classroom through opportunities in natural environments. It offers them a window on early years pupils talking about their learning experiences in this context, and teachers reflecting on their experiences engaging in the programme. It also demonstrates a partnership between outdoor educators and classroom teachers and the benefits this can bring to teachers.
References:
O'Brien, L. and Murray, R. (2007) "Forest School and its impacts on young children: case studies in Britain", Urban Forestry and Urban Greening vol. 6, issue 4, 15 November 2007, pages 249-265
Knight, S. (2009) Forest Schools and Outdoor Learning in the Early Years. London: Sage
Reviewed by:
Dawn Sanders