A critique of Forest School: something lost in translation

This is a critique of an approach to outdoor education experienced in the United Kingdom (UK) at Forest School. Forest School came to the UK primarily from Scandinavia, where early years education conducted in the outdoors is a widely accepted practice. In its move to the UK, however, three major issues have arisen. The first concerns how Forest School as a form of outdoor education is culturally, socially, and historically situated. This suggests that its adoption in the UK must navigate cultural differences, acknowledging that Forest School is a social construction. Secondly, the pedagogy of Forest School, relevant as it is to early years education, is undertheorised in the outdoor education literature. This especially relates to considerations of play as a central tenet of Forest School pedagogy. Thirdly, the expansion of Forest School in the UK has taken a particularly corporate turn, resulting in a rapid institutionalisation and commodification of Forest School practices. The need to situate claims made for and about Forest School in well-designed and conducted research is crucial for substantiating what can degenerate into market-based promotion. Finally, some of the very positive contributions Forest School is making to the development of contemporary practices of outdoor and environmental education are introduced. This critique is written in the spirit of engaging in robust discussion and debate around Forest School in order to see the difficulties addressed and the positive contributions continue

The substance beneath the labels of experiential learning: The importance of John Dewey for outdoor educators.

This paper recommends a reconceptualisation of “experience learning”. It is premised on a belief that the simplistic learning cycle is problematic and moreover is an oversimplified interpretation of Kolb’s original model of experiential learning. We argue that to understand experiential learning fully a return to the original theoretical conceptualisation by John Dewey is necessary. Importantly Dewey conceives of an experience, and therefore the learning that results from it, as a transaction between the individual and their environment and is therefore a consequence of their ‘trying’ and ‘undergoing’ within that experience. Dewey also emphasises the importance of ‘meaning’ within experiential learning, something not fully accounted for within the simplified model. We argue that with an appreciation of Dewey the full eotential of learning by, and through, the experience of outdoor education can be maximised and the full meaning of that exprience explored

New BERA SIG: Nature, Outdoor Learning and Play

The strategic priority of the Nature, Outdoor Learning and Play (NOLAP) special interest group (SIG) is to encourage educational research into nature, outdoor learning and play across the lifespan, by engaging in critical dialogue about the health, wellbeing and educational benefits available through a broad range of activities, contexts and locations. Extensive outdoor learning research is taking place in the UK that is of special interest to researchers and educational professionals alike – and through the activities of this SIG we aim to bring this together in a cohesive way

Playtime: Developing creativity through outdoor education

In this presentation I argue for a re-conceptualization of “playtime” and the development of playfulness as a useful learning tool to cultivate creativity. “Playful play facilitates creativity 1 – sometimes immediately and sometimes after a considerable delay” (Bateson and Martin, 2012, p.8-9). Teaching at a University the question I address is why we may wish to engage in “playtime” and how might this be achieved. There are two arguments for including “playtime”. Firstly, the neoliberalist discourse about higher education is concerned with employability and “getting a job”. In this sense, creativity is seen as a graduate employability skill by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)2 who consider the skill of creative thinking as a prime outcome of higher education. This CBI report found that a fifth of employers were not satisfied with graduates’ use of creative thinking. Secondly, there are theoretical and empirical accounts about adult playfulness that describe its relation to positive outcomes including: quality of life, creativity and spontaneity, virtuousness, stress coping and academic achievement. Playfulness also has the potential in serving as a lubricant in social situations and for teamwork in workrelated settings. There is a clear relationship between exhibiting playfulness and experiencing positive emotions. In this paper I suggest that outdoor educators engage in “playtime” and I propose a pedagogy of play to do this. However, we need to overcome the Victorian values of our educational past and its cultural association of playtime as childish and frivolous, since, as Proyer and Ruch (2011) argue, playfulness can be seen as an intellectual act, which opposes the view of playfulness in adults as being childish and without any great sense

An Exploratory Case Study of a 'Successful' Pupil Referral Unit (PRU).

This thesis is an exploratory case study that investigates a ‘successful’ pupil referral unit (PRU) for key stage 3 secondary school pupils located in the semi-rural southwest of England. The achievement of the PRU was externally acknowledged by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) with a recently reported overall grade of 1 or ‘Outstanding’. This exploratory study took a social constructionist approach and was informed by the methodology of illuminative evaluation. This study explored the stories and experiences of pupils and staff using interviews, a focus group and video diaries for the pupils. The analysis of these data was from a socio-cultural theoretical perspective. The research data suggested that success was in a state of flux for all in the PRU. For pupils there were personal transformations in their attitudes, behaviours and values. Pupils’ social and emotional capital was increased by the ‘deep relationships’ that developed between pupils and staff. The innovative approach to the curriculum allowed pupils to engage positively with education and featured lessons that were routinely based upon experiential learning. This included weekly outdoor learning lessons which provided a rich context for informal learning to take place alongside the formal objectives. Leadership and management appeared to be the keystone of the PRU success. There was a clear well founded educational philosophy that was successfully articulated through the operational systems of the PRU. All of these parts contributed to the holistic success of the PRU. Findings from this case study are not generalisable due to its specificity to one particular setting and small number of participants. However, ‘naturalistic generalisations’ may be arrived at by the reader. For example, the reader may be able to apply some aspects of good practice, such as developing deep relationships, to their own context when working with those pupils who are, or have the potential to be, disaffected

More than activities: using a ‘sense of place’ to enrich student experience in adventure sport

There has been increasing interest in recent years in the significance of a sense of place in the literature of outdoor adventure education. In the UK relationships between outdoor education and the environment still appear largely focused on the science of the natural environment and the activity in question. In this paper we present empirical evidence from an action research project to demonstrate how a combination of formal and informal pedagogy in a higher education context can lead to a socio-cultural and historical understanding of place and enrich the learning experience of students when teaching the classical outdoor adventurous activity of sailing. The sport of dinghy sailing is a module within a Bachelor’s undergraduate degree in outdoor education and was taught from a small fishing town in Devon, England. We adopted an integrated and experiential critical pedagogy of place that allowed theory and practice, thought and action to be a holistic experience and this approach provided opportunities for informal as well as formal learning. This action research project used methods including: photo-elicitation, focus group interviews and evidence from the analysis of written student assignments. Our findings show that students discover a significance of the meaningful relationship between the socio-cultural history of where that activity takes place and the activity itself and that as a result their engagement in the learning and research process was enriched

A Pedagogy of Play: Reasons to be Playful in Postsecondary Education

Background: Teaching experientially in postsecondary education has challenges; institutional constraints, neoliberal management, and a colonized learning environment. We discuss playing as a form of experiential education. Purpose: We challenge conventional teaching and offer an alternative to enrich and broaden conventional pedagogies. We argue for the benefits of playfulness and how this leads to creativity, wellness, and improved graduate employability. Methodology/Approach: As provocation to the consequences of neoliberalism in education, we examine the literature from a biased position as advocates of play and experiential education. We argue for faculty to adopt an ontology and pedagogy of play. Findings/Conclusions: Play is well represented in the literature; contributing positively to a range of health and educational outcomes. As play manifests in numerous forms in postsecondary education, faculty would benefit from a clear educational rationale for an ontology and pedagogy of play. We share examples from our practice which highlight spontaneous and planned play and playful attitudes/behaviors and suggest how play may be integrated as planned curriculum. Implications: Ideally, these concepts resonate with faculty allowing them to challenge conventional pedagogies and confirm play in practice with the underpinning of experiential education research

Case Study: The Conservative Management of a Complex Mid Foot Injury in an Elite Professional Footballer

Lisfranc injuries, often accompanied with tarsometatarsal joint (TMTJ) disruption are not well documented in football despite becoming increasingly more prevalent within other athletic populations. Currently there is a paucity of evidence documenting prognosis, rehabilitation strategy and outcome. The presented case summarises the conservative rehabilitation and return to play of a 26-year-old elite professional footballer who presented with a Lisfranc injury alongside a 3rd TMTJ coalition stress response. Injury was sustained when landing awkwardly from a jump causing the midfoot to be forced into a hyper-plantarflexed position. Palpation identified tenderness over the 2nd and 3rd MT, with a positive piano key test. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), stork view x-ray and review from a leading foot and ankle specialist confirmed diagnosis, post contradictory MRI results. Presented is a summary of the assessment process, conservative management of the injury and the resultant rehabilitation process followed, which led to the successful return to play of the athlete