Experiential, relational, playful pedagogy in Irish primary schools – possibilities offered by Forest School

ABSTRACT

Forest School, an experiential, nature-based pedagogy is attracting considerable interest in Ireland presently. This paper presents findings from the first national survey of Forest School pedagogy in Ireland, conducted in 2019–2020 as part of a larger study. The aim of the survey was to find out how Forest School pedagogy is understood by adults in Ireland who are interested in Forest School. Potential survey respondents were identified through the networks of the Irish Forest School Association. The survey included 5 open-ended questions to explore respondents’ understanding of Forest School and 63 five-point Likert items to explore attitudes to environmental and pedagogical issues. A purposive sampling strategy yielded 232 responses. Data analysis comprised thematic analysis of the qualitative dataset and exploratory factor analysis of the Likert items. The respondents describe Forest School pedagogy as experiential, relational, playful learning with(in) nature, where the adult acts as facilitator or mentor. Respondents trained as Forest School Leaders held more progressive pedagogical views and a more pro-environmental worldview than other respondents. The findings suggest that Forest School pedagogy offers possibilities towards delivering progressive pedagogy and supporting wellbeing and flourishing for all through widening our definition of school to include nature as a pedagogical partner.

KEYWORDS:

• Forest School
• nature-based pedagogy
• experiential learning
• primary school
• relational pedagogy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The fifth question asked respondents how they heard about Forest School. The analysis is not included in this paper for space reasons.

2 Various (2%) comprised five responses that did not fit elsewhere: learning without borders; respectful; self-esteem; dialogue and length of programme.

3 This comment was included in a final question ‘Any Other Comments’

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joan Whelan

Joan Whelan currently holds a post-doctoral research position on the Erasmus + APOLE (Adventurous Play and Outdoor Learning) project in the School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. She competed her PhD in Dublin City University in 2022. Her thesis explored the possibilities offered by Forest School as caring pedagogy in the primary school. Previously she worked as a primary school principal in Dublin city until her retirement in 2016. She was a founder member of the Irish Forest School Association in 2016 and is currently chairperson. Her research interests are focussed on the possibilities offered by nature-based pedagogies and outdoor education more generally towards making schools more embedded in, and responsive to, the communities they serve.

Orla Kelly

Orla Kelly is an Associate Professor in Social, Environmental and Scientific Education in the School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University, which she joined in 2016. She has worked in initial teacher education for over 15 years in both Ireland and the UK. She leads and teaches across a number of modules at undergraduate and postgraduate level in a diverse range of areas including Science Education, Sustainability, Outdoor Learning and Local Studies. She is a highly experienced researcher and has successfully led and collaborated on a number of national and international projects. She is currently a partner on the Erasmus + APOLE (Adventurous Play and Outdoor Learning) project. She has a growing publication record in the area of outdoor learning, which is her main focus for research. She has a national reputation as a leader in outdoor learning and regularly supports the work of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in Ireland in this area for both Early Years and Primary.