Forest School: Bringing Visual Arts Outdoors, Lecture notes of Visual Arts

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Forest School: Bringing Visual Arts Outdoors

Marie Claire Murphy (MIC)

Background of the Study

PRIMARY SCHOOL

TEACHER

MA STUDENT,

LIMERICK SCHOOL OF

ART AND DESIGN

EXPLORING MY OWN

VISUAL ARTS; STUDIO

SPACE

HOLLY TREES SCHOOL,

BRENTWOOD, ESSEX,

UK.

EARTHFORCE

EDUCATION,

WICKLOW, IRELAND

The Forest

School

Association

• Established in 2011 (UK) and 2016

(Ireland)

• Defines Forest School as:

an inspirational process, that offers ALL

learners regular opportunities to achieve

and develop confidence and self-esteem

through hands-on learning experiences in

a woodland or natural environment with

trees

Identified Key Features of Forest School…

Six Guiding

Principles

1. Forest School is a long-term process of frequent and regular sessions in a woodland or natural environment, rather than a one-off visit. Planning, adaption, observations and reviewing are integral elements of Forest School.
2. Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural wooded environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
3. Forest School aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
4. Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
5. Forest School is run by qualified Forest School practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice.
6. Forest School uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for development and learning.

Research- Positive Outcomes

Attainment of UK National Curriculum Objectives

(O’Brien, 2009; Swarbrick, Eastwood and Tutton, 2004)

Social Skills and Impersonal Skills

(Harris, 2017; Waite, Bolling and Bentsen ,2015; O’Brien, 2009)

Language and Communication Skills

(Waite, Bolling and Bentsen ,2015)

Gross and Fine Motor Skill Development

(Waite, Bolling and Bentsen ,2015)

Motivation and Concentration

(Roe and Aspinall, 2011; O’Brien, 2009)

New Perspectives

(O’Brien, 2009)

Pride, Inclusivity and A Sense of Belonging

(Cumming and Nash, 2015)

Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence

(Waite, Bolling and Bentsen ,2015; Roe and Aspinall, 2011;

O’Brien, 2009; Swarbrick, Eastwood and Tutton, 2004)

Deeper Awareness of the Natural Environment

(Turtle, Convery and Convery, 2015; Ridgers, Knowles and Sayers,

2012; Harris, 2017; O’Brien, 2009)

Forest School; a Constructivist Pedagogy?

A focus on learning and not performance A view that learners are active co-constructors of meaning and knowledge That a teacher pupil relationship is established and built upon the idea of guidance and not instruction That learners are engaged in tasks seen as ends in themselves and having implicit worth And that assessment is promoted as an active process of uncovering and acknowledging shared understanding (O’ Brien, 2009, p. 47).

What does Forest School look like?

However, there is criticism…

• The Scandinavian philosophy of ‘ Frulitsliv ’ may be lost due to cultural differences (Leather 2013; 2018; Lloyd, Truong and Gray, 2018; Waite and Goodenough, 2018)
• The rapid development and commodification of Forest School leading to a loss of awareness of the philosophical underpinnings (Leather, 2018; 2013)
• Forest Schools is under-theorised in outdoor education literature (Leather, 2013). Research of large scale, long-term effects is required and the need to deepen the research-based understanding of the outdoor learning process (Harris, 2017).
• Slade, Lowery and Bland (2013) argue that many of the forest school studies are anecdotal, and there is a need for a systematic approach to the impact of forest school in primary schools
• Forest School activities should be linked to the planned work in school (Slade, Lowery and Bland, 2013) There is a tension between the achievement of academic curricular aims and playful learning (Waite and Goodenough, 2018; Slade, Lowery and Bland, 2013, Harris, 2017; Maynard, 2007)
• Standard of qualification (Knight, 2018)

Some unanticipated results of this study Change of attitude towards the outdoors; earthworm Enjoyment of space; control over their proximity to other children Co-operative learning; a natural formation of groups with freedom to change

Continuing this exploration

• ‘How Children and Teachers in Four Primary School Classes Perceive the Impact of the Introduction of Forest School Sessions on Teaching and Learning’
• How do the children perceive the Forest School sessions?
• Do the teaching and learning methodologies adopted in the Forest School sessions differ to the practice and methodologies articulated in the Irish Primary Curriculum?
• How do the teachers perceive the Forest School sessions?
• Were there any teaching and learning methodologies that the class teachers may incorporate into their own practice?