Outdoor Learning ...

What is outdoor learning and forest schools?

Outdoor learning can take place in a number of different settings outside of a classroom environment. Children can learn in various contexts such as play grounds, parks, forests or woodlands, schools trips, supermarkets, museums and the beach.

Children have the opportunities to try out physical skills and become more confident and adventurous in their own right. According to Tovey (2007) children should have outdoor environments which include:

·         Designated and connected spaces;

·         Elevated spaces;

·         Wild spaces;

·         Spaces for exploring and investigating;

·         Spaces for mystery and enchantment;

·         Natural spaces;

·         Spaces for the imagination;

·         Spaces for movement and stillness;

·         Social spaces;

·         Fluid spaces.

(p.59)



 

Since the introduction of forest schools in wales children have has more opportunities to learn in the outdoor environment. Forest schools have provided ordinary schools with the opportunities to teach children transferable skills which they may not be able to achieve within a classroom setting.  Practitioners who use forest schools support and loosely structure children’s learning and development rather than try to control and restrict what children can and want to learn. Forest school’s ethos is that play and learning that takes place during this experience and opportunity is child-led and child-initiated as far as possible.

 What can children learn?

Learning outside of classroom settings can help children develop both individually and socially as children learn to become more independent as they begin to have more responsibilities.

Learning outside a classroom can also have other benefits as children have opportunities not to be restricted by the four walls of a classroom. Children have the opportunities to use their imagination and explore whilst feeling safe and secure to do some. Children have opportunities to learn life skills as well as curriculum based skills such has mathematical skills and communication, speaking and listening skills.

Here is a YouTube clip shows what skills children can develop even from a young age and how practitioners believe that forest schools' teaching and ideology is helping to promote and enhance children's development.

 

What are the positives and negatives about learning outdoors?

There are many positives for children to learn in an outdoor environment as it gives children valuable experiences to embed what they have been learning if they physically put it into action. Practitioners believe that children learn more from a memorable experience which they can be actively engaged in compared to sitting at a table  learning from a text book all of the time. 

Another positive of learning in the outdoor environment or forest schools is that children have the opportunities to learn about subjects and aspects of life which they may not have a chance to if they were restricted by a classroom setting throughout their school life.  Forest schools and outdoor learning allows children to be at one with nature, the environment, and the elements.

A negative about forest schools is that the practitioners and staff which deliver these experiences have to be fully trained and qualified. This can be a negative as  if a school does not have a trained member of staff to enable these experiences then children may be missing out on vital life skills and holistic developments if the schools cannot find a practitioner to provide these experiences.

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