The nature of learning at forest school: : practitioners' perspectives

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Education 3-13 on 11 September 2015, available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2015.1078833This 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.Peer reviewe