Forest school (learning style)

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School forest, is an outdoor education delivery model in which children (or adults) visit the natural spaces to learn personal, social and technical skills. It has been defined as "an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults a regular opportunity to achieve and develop trust through direct learning in the forest environment". School forest is a pedagogy and physical entity, with the use of which is often exchanged. Plural "schools" are often used when referring to groups or sessions.

Forest schools use forests and forests as a means of building self-reliance and self-esteem in children and young adults. Topics are the cross-curricula (broad in subject) including the natural environment, eg the role of trees in the community, the complex ecosystem supported by the jungle, and recognition of certain plants and animals. However, personal skills are considered very valuable, such as teamwork and problem solving. The forest environment can be used to learn about more abstract concepts such as mathematics and communication. The provision of forest schools is also called natural school .

Video Forest school (learning style)

Activities and scopes

The timetable of the forest school varies, but one approach is to take school learners to the forest for once a week, with an observation period and a 6 week baseline assessment, in which basic data is generated for each child in terms of their holistic development area, with particular emphasis on social and emotional learning (SEAL). Once a preliminary assessment has been generated, Forest School Leaders/Practitioners will continue the long-term program during the learning period to support the child in their development and learning. Practitioners will provide an opportunity for each child to develop in an area that has been identified as requiring intervention or support of any kind. The duration and frequency of visits affects the yield; more time spent in forest schools bring greater benefits. The ideal visit should continue throughout the year, allowing children to experience all the weather and seasonal changes.

The forest school is for all learners, of all ages, often "led by student interest" (student-initiated learning) compared to other outdoor education "starting with a problem or problem agenda for learners to investigate". The primary goals of forest schools in early childhood include encouraging curiosity and exploration with all the senses, empowering children in the natural environment, and encouraging spatial awareness and motor development. Forest schools typically provide higher adult and child ratios than some learning styles, to ensure enough children are supported in high-risk environments.

Beyond primary school-aged children, forest schools are often used to develop further social skills and explore creative learning and focus on developing a solid foundation for personal development and advanced education. In particular this has been used as a provision of alternative curricula to support sustained major education engagement, or as a temporary/transition back to school approach.

Consistent with the theory of attention restoration, children who took part in forest schools have been described more relaxed. The relationship between children and each other, with adults, and with the environment, is important

Forest schools are part of a broader field of outdoor education. Outside the school curriculum, it extends to summer vacation camps, Scouting projects, Outward Bound and many other activities. Before children reach school age, Kindergarten provides similar services.

Forest schools are currently underway in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA, Malaysia, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland, Germany and the UK.

Maps Forest school (learning style)

Supports Children With Privileges

The combination of freedom and responsibility is beneficial for children who are less confident or whose behavior is challenging. With a high adult: the ratio of children, children can safely experience activities that are often prohibited, such as climbing trees or lighting a fire. Children have the freedom to explore areas within the forest, this helps children to learn to manage their own safety and move around comfortably. This program allows children to grow in self-confidence and independence and expand their abilities.

Some children do not work well in the classroom. They are encouraged to develop their innate curiosity and develop motivation to learn. They may come from non-academic family backgrounds, may have short attention spans, or may not feel comfortable with the organization of a teacher standing in front of a group of students. Boys generally prefer to be outside, and learn better this way.

In a major study in the United States, students with behavioral problems in the "Environment as an Integrated Learning for Learning" (EIC) program caused fewer disciplinary problems than their traditionally-educated counterparts. Similarly, Forest schools have been found to help children with additional support needs, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autistic children.

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Benefits of School School

Increased confidence, social skills, communication, motivation, and concentration
Increased physical stamina, fine motor skills and roughness
Establish a positive identity for individuals and communities
Eco-friendly behavior and ecological literacy
Increased environmental knowledge, increased frequency of natural visits within the family
Healthy and risk-safe
Increased creativity and resilience;
Increased academic achievement and self-regulation;
Reduce stress and increase patience, self-discipline, capacity for attention, and recovery from mental fatigue
Improved high level cognitive skills

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History

Wisconsin

Originally a concept developed in Wisconsin in 1927. Laona, Wisconsin claimed the world's first school jungle. H. L. Russell, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, concocted the idea of â€‹â€‹a school forest. His proposal was supported by a land-use planning committee in Forest County, Wisconsin, and in 1927, a field was purchased for the Laona school forest. The idea for a jungle school is run by Wakelin McNeel who is a 4-H leader in Wisconsin. The first forest schools are located in Laona, Wabeno and Crandon, Wisconsin.

Swedish and Danish

Then in 1950 this idea was introduced in Sweden, Denmark and other European countries. In Denmark it becomes an inherent part of the curriculum for pre-school children (under seven years) derived from smÃƒÆ' Ã‚ Â¥ bÃƒÆ'Ã‚Â¸rnspÃƒÆ'Ã‚|dagogik, or 'early childhood education'. Children attending the kindergarten of Forestry in many cases arrive at schools with strong social skills, the ability to work effectively in groups, high self-esteem, and confidence in their own abilities.

In 1957, a Swedish man, Goesta Frohm, created the concept of "Skogsmulle" to promote learning about nature, water, mountains and pollution. With increased focus on measurable outcomes, forest schools have gained acceptance as a method of education in their own right. In Denmark, natural schools as well as forest kindergartens are very popular among school teachers and children.

The biophilia hypothesis holds that love of nature is instinctive. The term natural deficit disorder, coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 Final Son in the Forest , recognizes this erosion by the urbanization of human society. The theory of attention restoration and associated psychological work has proven beneficial to health in reducing stress, improving concentration and improving medical outcomes of surgery. Scandinavian countries, rich in forests, have maintained closer human relationships. Forest school practice is based on the latest pedagogy and andragogy.

United Kingdom

This ethos was introduced to England during the 1990s. The growth of forest schools is unprecedented in the UK with many practitioners providing quality provisions consistent with the original ethos. Bridgwater College in Somerset was the pioneer of the school forest concept in England in 1994.

Various government agencies and NGOs propose forest use as part of the school education curriculum; such as the Forest Education Initiative and the Forestry Commission. In 2006, there were about 140 forest schools in England.

Government agencies have in some cases set targets for the use of their resources for education or health benefits, or focused on educational outcomes and looking at forestry as a step toward them.

Many businesses and nonprofit organizations facilitate long-term school forest programs. In Wales, the training and strategic oversight is provided by Wale Forest School] and government agencies such as the Forestry Commission that has supported the research and development of practical experience for forest school practitioners. In the UK, support has been provided by the Forest Education Network (which has replaced the Forest Education Initiative) to those who started providing forest schools. Such provision is provided in schools using their own trained staff or by independent independent forest school providers.

Many organizations now offer accredited forest school training courses to enable practitioners to provide forest schools in their own neighborhoods and ensure children and teachers work in rich natural experiences. The OCN Level 3 training course is best known in the UK.

Developed from the Special Interest Group of Schools of Learning Outside School (IOL), in June 2012 the Association of Schools of Forests was established as an independent British body.

Canada

Inspired by international developments, Canada's first forest school was created by Marlene Power in 2007. It is named Carp Ridge Preschool and is located near Ottawa. In 2012, Power was founded and became executive director of Forest School Canada, an educational initiative of the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. Forest School Canada focuses on being a "network for support, education, and accreditation for concepts related to the FS movement in Canada."

This movement has spread to the Canadian provinces and is primarily linked to private schools. However, there is support from public schools such as Natural Kindergarten pilots which is a partnership between the Sooke District School Board and the Victoria University Early Childhood Policy and Research Center, Royal Roads University, and the Early Learning and Care Program of Camosun College.

Kids Gone Wild: Denmark's Forest Kindergartens - YouTube

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Terminology Usage

Attempts have been made for copyrights and trademarked terms commonly associated with forest schools. There is no protection known as "jungle school" or "forest school".

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