Are Forest Schools For All Ages?
As the discussion of forest schools has gone on and will continue, it is apparent that the skill level of the forest schools is aimed at the earlier educational years. So when we are discussing forest schools as an alternative educational setting, can they really replace the mainstream educational system?
An example of forest schools extending out further than a younger audience is the Wrekin Forest School which is located to the North of Telford. The Wrekin Forest School have packages that include overnight stays for older children as well as families, “Go wild packages, an opportunity for adventure for all ages & abilities to be inspired by the great outdoors, to learn new skills & build self-esteem,” (The Wrekin Forest School Website, updated 2021). This particular forest school offers the skills and knowledge taught in their younger years sessions to older children and adults, for a fee, every so often throughout the year as they advocate that all abilities and all ages should have the chance to be involved in this type of learning. Regardless of the benefit to any older child and adult that partake in events like this within a forest school, it does show that they are not tailor-made to suit older learners with regards to the educational system. If forest schools were able to provide the same level of education and learning they are able to do for the younger learners then it would have a larger possibility of being a stronger alternative to mainstream schooling; as it does not have the capabilities to provide older learners with what they would require (in terms of exam seasons and learning a stricter national curriculum- which forest schools still do follow to an extent) to complete secondary or higher education.
Are There Comparisons Between Mainstream Schooling and Forest Schools?
The comparison of learning aspects differentiate between forest schools and a standard classroom in a mainstream school however, they do also share several learning aspects in common. Dr Jose Kannampuzha (2012) provides a list of learning aspects from his popular leading discussion ‘Learning Aspects’. On the list, there are aspects of learning up for evaluation such as enquiry skills, self-awareness skills, social skills, motivation skills, and creative thinking skills.
Enquiry Skills: Being able to enquire about your surroundings is a great way to advance your evaluating skills as a whole. Forest schools place a large emphasis on learners being able to develop their own questions, answers and conclusions meaning this is a definite learning aspect that a student would benefit from within a forest school. Kannampuzha (2012) elaborates on enquiry skills by stating, “a good learner should have a thirst for knowledge and should be ready to pose relevant questions.” This is also relevant for a standard classroom environment as the variety of subjects that are taught within a primary school, for example, allow students to come to conclusions which can then pose further enquiries regarding the topic.
Self-awareness Skills: Kannampuzha (2012) describes that “learners should have some understanding about themselves. Know what you are, how you learn and how you relate to others.” A forest school is a perfect educational institution to enable learners to discover who they are and what they are interested in learning about and what they are passionate about as they are motivated and encouraged to discover and ask questions about the world and what is being taught. On the other hand, self-awareness skills can also be prominent within a standard classroom as children will have likes and dislikes according to what they are learning so they still have the awareness to know what they enjoy relating to and what they understand about themselves. No matter where learners are learning they all have the ability to discuss their hopes, dreams and personal interests.
Social Skills: Relating social skills to any schooling organisation is fairly easy as it is a given that all learners (despite age or year of level) will participate in some form of teamwork within their educational years. Teamwork is the most basic social skill that is positioned, naturally, into everyone’s life. Other social skills that you would observe within a classroom are taking turns, praising others, celebrating success and helping other learners, to name a few. From experience, I know that these are just some of the aspects of learning that you learn within the school and continue to learn through school. Similar to the classroom social skills, forest schools mirror these as you would observe sharing between learners, celebrating when something positive occurs, and helping others to scaffold on each other’s knowledge. Kannampuzha (2012) provides support to this point by stating, “learners should resolve differences and support the learning of others.”
Motivation Skills: Motivation is acquired differently between forest schools and classroom learning so even though it still is a skill that can be viewed in both settings, they are used dissimilarly. Kannampuzha (2012) simply describes motivational skills as, “learners should set goals for self and work towards reaching them,” which is true for a classroom-based learning environment as this learning aspect is something that is set every single lesson time as there will be clear learning objectives to each lesson and what is expected of the learner which is where the motivation comes from- the teacher and their plans. However, a forest school is more constructivist than a standard classroom so the motivation has to be encouraged from the learner themself rather than a teaching adult. The whole concept of forest schools is to allow learners to feel motivated to go out into nature and learn how to learn so this particular learning aspect may be only partially present within forest schools.
Creative Thinking Skills: Kannampuzha (2012) summarises creative thinking skills as being “necessary to apply imagination and keep a lookout for alternative methods and explanations,” which evaluates how all learners should have the freedom and ability to express themselves creatively as a way of understanding concepts if needs be. Creative-thinking skills are something that is definitely explored with classroom learning as a creative task is near enough completed or started every day, almost as a way of reflecting on what has been taught; also what the learners understanding is. Due to the creative nature of forest schools, allowing learners to think creatively is a liberating aspect of a forest school as the intentions to allow children to think and explore and create how they wish to is one of the greatest advantages and learning aspects for forest schools.
Overall, the learning aspects have summarised that a standard classroom and a forest school have a lot in common when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of what a learner is actually learning and how they are learning it. They might be polar opposites in regards to environment, locations, rigidness and content but the learners are gaining the same or similar learning aspects despite these differences.
References:
Kannampuzha, D., 2012. Learning Aspects. [online] Aview.in. Available at: <http://aview.in/allevents/learning-aspects#:~:text=Key%20Aspects%20of%20Learning%201%20Enquiry%20Skills.%20A,…%2010%20Motivation%20Skills.%20…%20More%20items…%20> [Accessed 16 June 2021].
Wrekinforestschool.co.uk. 2021. Wrekin Forest School, Bushcraft & Survival Activity Hub | Fun and adventure for all ages & celebration needs!. [online] Available at: <https://www.wrekinforestschool.co.uk/> [Accessed 16 June 2021].
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