ERIC Number: EJ1130642
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0300-4279
EISSN: N/A
The Nature of Learning at Forest School: Practitioners' Perspectives
Harris, Frances
Education 3-13, v45 n2 p272-291 2017
This paper investigates forest school practitioners perceptions of learning at forest school to identify the topics covered, the learning styles, and the philosophies underpinning its delivery, based on interviews with experienced forest school practitioners. Practitioners identified the focus of learning at forest school as social development: teamwork, relationships with others, self-knowledge, and learning to take risks. Children also engaged with nature and developed an attachment to the woods where forest school took place. Learning styles were kinaesthetic, sensory, and experiential. Forest school leaders saw themselves as facilitators of learning rather than teachers.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Forestry, Forestry Occupations, Environmental Education, Cognitive Style, Teamwork, Interpersonal Relationship, Risk, Outdoor Education, Learning Modalities, Experiential Learning, Primary Education, Elementary School Students, Pilot Projects, Participant Observation, Semi Structured Interviews, Leadership, Teacher Role, Role Perception, Child Development, Social Development, Emotional Development, Responsibility, Self Esteem, Skill Development
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Primary Education; Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A