588
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

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

ORCID Icon & ORCID Icon
Received 08 May 2023, Accepted 02 Nov 2023, Published online: 14 Nov 2023

References

  • Abram, D. 2017. The Spell of the Sensuous. New York, NY: Vintage.
  • Adams, D., and G. Beauchamp. 2021. “Other Knowing’s and Experiencing Otherness: Children’s Perspectives of Playing a Hunting Game in a Nature Reserve.” Australian Journal of Environmental Education 37 (3): 224–239. https://doi.org/10.1017/aee.2021.10.
  • Barrable, A. 2020. “Shaping Space and Practice to Support Autonomy: Lessons from Natural Settings in Scotland.” Learning Environments Research 23 (3): 291–305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-019-09305-x.
  • Barrable, A., and D. Booth. 2020. “Increasing Nature Connection in Children: A Mini Review of Interventions.” Frontiers in Psychology 11: 492. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00492.
  • Barrera-Hernández, L., M. Sotelo-Castillo, S. Echeverría-Castro, and C. Tapia-Fonllem. 2020. “Connectedness to Nature: Its Impact on Sustainable Behaviors and Happiness in Children.” Frontiers in Psychology 11: Article 276. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00276.
  • Bartlett, M. 1954. “Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity. A Note on the Multiplying of Factors for Chi Squared Approximations.” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 16: 296–298.
  • Bazeley, P. 2013. Qualitative Data Analysis – Practical Strategies. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
  • Blenkinsop, S., and M. Fettes. 2020. “Land, Language and Listening: The Transformations That Can Flow from Acknowledging Indigenous Land.” Journal of Philosophy of Education 54 (4): 1033–1046. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12470.
  • Blenkinsop, S., J. Telford, and M. Morse. 2016. “A Surprising Discovery: Five Pedagogical Skills Outdoor and Experiential Educators Might Offer More Mainstream Educators in This Time of Change.” Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning 16 (4): 346–358. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2016.1163272.
  • Boileau, E., and Z. Dabaja. 2020. “Forest School Practice in Canada: A Survey Study.” Journal of Outdoor and Adventure Education 23 (3): 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-020-00057-4.
  • Bonnett, M. 2013. “Sustainable Development, Environmental Education, and the Significance of Being in Place.” The Curriculum Journal 24 (2): 250–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2013.792672.
  • Chawla, L. 2015. “Benefits of Nature Contact for Children.” Journal of Planning Literature 30 (4): 433–452. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885412215595441.
  • Chawla, L., K. Keena, I. Pevec, and E. Stanley. 2014. “Green Schoolyards as Havens from Stress and Resources for Resilience in Childhood and Adolescence.” Health & Place 28: 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2014.03.001.
  • Coates, J., and H. Pimlott-Wilson. 2019. “Learning While Playing: Children’s Forest School Experiences in the UK.” British Educational Research Journal 45 (1): 21–40. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3491.
  • Comrey, A., and H. Lee. 1992. A First Course in Factor Analysis. 2nd ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Connolly, P. 2007. Quantitative Data Analysis in Education. London: Routledge.
  • Coolahan, J., S. Drudy, P. Hogan, Á Hyland, and S. McGuinness. 2017. “Towards a Better Future – A Review of the Irish School System.” Irish Primary Principals’ Network and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals. https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/10001/1/TowardsaBetterFuture-AReviewoftheIrishSchoolSystemMarch2017.pdf.
  • Cree, J., and M. Robb. 2021. The Essential Guide to Forest School and Nature Pedagogy. Abingdon: Routledge.
  • Creswell, J. 2009. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Cronbach, L. 1951. “Coefficient Alpha and the Internal Structure of Tests.” Psychometrika 16 (3): 297–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555.
  • Cudworth, D. 2021. “Promoting an Emotional Connection to Nature and Other Animals via Forest School: Disrupting the Spaces of Neoliberal Performativity.” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 41 (3/4): 506–521. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-09-2019-0188.
  • Cumming, F., and M. Nash. 2015. “An Australian Perspective of a Forest School: Shaping a Sense of Place to Support Learning.” Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning 15 (4): 296–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2015.1010071.
  • Dabaja, Z. 2021. “The Forest School Impact on Children: Reviewing Two Decades of Research.” Education 3-13 50 (5): 640–653. DOI:10.1080/03004279.2021.1889013.
  • Darmody, M., E. Smyth, and C. Doherty. 2010. Designing Primary Schools for the Future. Dublin: The Economic and Social Research Institute.
  • Department of Education. 1971. Primary School Curriculum. Dublin: The Stationery Office.
  • Department of Education. 2023. “Primary Curriculum Framework.” https://www.curriculumonline.ie/getmedia/84747851-0581-431b-b4d7-dc6ee850883e/2023-Primary-Framework-ENG-screen.pdf.
  • Department of Education and Skills. 2021. “Curriculum Guidance for Primary Schools 2021–22. Teaching, Learning and Assessment 2021–2022. August.” Department of Education and Skills. https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f9037-curriculum-guidance-teaching-learning-and-assessment-2021-2022/.
  • Dunlap, R., K. Van Liere, A. Mertig, and R. Emmet Jones. 2000. “New Trends in Measuring Environmental Attitudes: Measuring Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A Revised NEP Scale.” Journal of Social Issues 56 (3): 425–442. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00176.
  • Fallon, J. 2015. “Teachers Beliefs About Play in Infant Classes in Primary Schools in the Republic of Ireland.” (Unpublished PhD Thesis). University of Dublin, Trinity College.
  • Fanning, M. 2010. “Wild Child Poll.” The Heritage Council https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/content/files/Wild_Child_Poll_quantitative_survey.pdf.
  • Field, A. 2009. Discovering Statistics Using SPSS. 3rd ed. London: Sage.
  • Freire, P. 2017. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. UK: Penguin Books.
  • Government of Ireland. 1999. Primary School Curriculum. Dublin: The Stationery Office. https://curriculumonline.ie/Primary/Curriculum/.
  • Government of Ireland. 2019. “Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice 2018–2023.” Government of Ireland. https://assets.gov.ie/24725/07cc07626f6a426eb6eab4c523fb2ee2.pdf.
  • Government of Ireland. 2022. “ESD to 2030: Second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development.” Government of Ireland. https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/8c8bb-esd-to-2030-second-national-strategy-on-education-for-sustainable-development/.
  • Guest, G. 2013. “Describing Mixed Methods Research: An Alternative to Typologies.” Journal of Mixed Methods Research 7 (2): 141–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689812461179.
  • Harding, N.2021. Growing a Forest School. Carlisle: Forest School Association.
  • Harris, F. 2018. “Outdoor Learning Spaces: The Case of Forest School.” Area 50 (2): 222–231. https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12360.
  • Harris, F. 2021. “Developing a Relationship with Nature and Place: The Potential Role of Forest School.” Environmental Education Research, 1214–1228. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2021.1896679.
  • Harwood, D., and D. Collier. 2017. “The Matter of the Stick: Storying/(re)storying Children’s Literacies in the Forest.” Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 336–352. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798417712340.
  • Holm Jørring, A., M. Bølling, G. Nielsen, M. Stevenson, and P. Bentsen. 2020. “Swings and Roundabouts? Pupils’ Experiences of Social and Academic Wellbeing in Education Outside the Classroom.” Education 3-13 48 (4): 413–428. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2019.1614643.
  • Kahriman-Pamuk, D., and B. Ahi. 2019. “A Phenomenological Study on the School Concept of the Children Attending the Forest School.” Journal of Qualitative Research in Education 7 (4): 1–22. https://doi.org/10.14689/issn.2148-624.1.7c.4s.4m.
  • Kaiser, H. 1974. “An Index of Factorial Simplicity.” Psychometrika 39 (1): 31–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02291575.
  • Kemp, N. 2020. “Views from the Staffroom: Forest School in English Primary Schools.” Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning 20 (4): 369–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2019.1697712.
  • Kemp, N., and A. Pagden. 2019. “The Place of Forest School Within English Primary Schools: Senior Leader Perspectives.” Education 3-13 47 (4): 490–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2018.1499791
  • Kernan, M. 2015. “Learning Environments that Work: Softening the Boundaries.” A Paper Prepared for the Symposium Early Educational Alignment: Reflecting on Content, Curriculum and Pedagogy, October, Trinity College Dublin. http://www.ecalignment.ie/RECEC-Learning%20environments%20that%20work_Kernan_FINAL%20NH[2].pdf.
  • Kernan, M., and D. Devine. 2010. “Being Confined Within? Constructions of the Good Childhood and Outdoor Play in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings in Ireland.” Children & Society 24 (5): 371–385. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2009.00249.x.
  • Kerr, K. 2013. “New Approaches to Key Stage 2/3: Teaching Science in the Outdoor Classroom.” Queens University Belfast. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karen-Kerr4/publication/267574809_New_Approaches_to_Key_Stage_23_Science_Teaching_in_the_Outdoor_Classroom_NASTOC/links/5453675b0cf2bccc4909d388/New-Approaches-to-Key-Stage-2-3-Science-Teaching-in-the-Outdoor-Classroom-NASTOC.pdf.
  • Kilkelly, U., H. Lynch, A. Moore, A. O'Connell, and S. Field. 2016. Children and the Outdoors: Contact with the Outdoors and Natural Heritage among Children Aged 5 to 12: Current Trends, Benefits, Barriers and Research Requirements. Kilkenny: The Heritage Council.
  • Knight, S. 2013. International Perspectives on Forest School. London: Sage.
  • Knight, S. 2018. “Translating Forest School: A Response to Leather.” Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 21 (1): 19–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-017-0010-5.
  • Kuo, M., M. Barnes, and C. Jordan. 2019. “Do Experiences with Nature Promote Learning? Converging Evidence of a Cause-and-Effect Relationship.” Frontiers in Psychology 10 (305): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00305.
  • Leather, M. 2018. “A Critique of “Forest School” or Something Lost in Translation.” Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 21 (1): 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-017-0006-1.
  • Lloyd, A., S. Troung, and T. Gray. 2018. “Place-based Outdoor Learning: More Than a Drag and Drop Approach.” Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 21 (1): 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-017-0002-5.
  • Louv, R. 2005. Last Child in the Woods. New York, NY: Atlantic Books.
  • Madden, P. 2019. “An Exploration of the State and Status of Nature Awareness, Appreciation and Education in the Irish Primary School System.” (Unpublished D.Ed. thesis). University of Dublin, Trinity College.
  • Mannion, G., and J. Lynch. 2016. “The Primacy of Place in Education in Outdoor Settings.” In International Handbook of Outdoor Studies, edited by B. Humberstone, H. Prince, and K. Henderson, 85–94. London: Routledge.
  • Mayer, F., and C. McPherson Franz. 2004. “The Connectedness to Nature Scale: A Measure of Individuals’ Feeling in Community with Nature.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 24 (4): 503–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2004.10.001.
  • McCree, M. 2019. “When Forest School Isn’t Forest School.” In Critical Issues in Forest School, edited by M. Sackville-Ford, and H. Davenport, 3–20. London: Sage.
  • McCree, M., and J. Cree. 2017. “Forest School: Core Principles in Changing Times.” In Children Learning Outside the Classroom, edited by S. Waite. 2nd ed., 222–232. London: Sage.
  • McCree, M., R. Cutting, and D. Sherwin. 2018. “The Hare and the Tortoise go to Forest School: Taking the Scenic Route to Academic Attainment via Emotional Wellbeing Outdoors.” Early Child Development and Care 188 (7): 980–996. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2018.1446430.
  • Miles, M., A. Huberman, and J. Saldana. 2014. Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. 3rd ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications Inc.
  • Morgan, D. 2007. “Paradigms Lost and Pragmatism Regained.” Journal of Mixed Methods Research 1 (1): 48–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/2345678906292462.
  • Morgan, D. 2014. “Pragmatism as a Paradigm for Social Research.” Qualitative Inquiry 20 (8): 1045–1053. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800413513733.
  • Murphy, C. 2018. “Exploring the ‘Construction’ Strand in the Irish Primary School Visual Arts Curriculum Through the Forest School Approach’.” Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning 18 (3): 257–274. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2018.1443481.
  • Mycock, K. 2020. “Forest Schools: Moving Towards an Alternative Pedagogical Response to the Anthropocene?” Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education 41 (3): 427–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2019.1670446.
  • National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. 2005. “Primary Curriculum Review, Phase 1 Final Report with Recommendations.” NCCA. https://ncca.ie/media/1497/primary_curriculum_review_phase_1_final_report_with_recommendations_8.pdf.
  • National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. 2008. “Primary Curriculum Review, Phase 2 Final Report with Recommendations.” NCCA. https://ncca.ie/media/4437/primary-curriculum-review-phase-2-final-report-with-recommendations.pdf.
  • National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. 2009. “AISTEAR: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. “NCCA. https://ncca.ie/media/4151/aistear_theearlychildhoodcurriculumframework.pdf.
  • National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. 2022. “Report on the Consultation on the Draft Primary Curriculum Framework.” NCCA. https://ncca.ie/media/5902/consultation-on-the-draft-primary-curriculum-framework_december-2022.pdf.
  • Ogilvie, K. 2013. Roots and Wings: A History of Outdoor Education and Outdoor Learning in the UK. Lyme Regis: Russell House Publishing.
  • O’Keeffe, B., and A. O’ Beirne. 2014. Children’s Independent Mobility on the Island of Ireland. Limerick: Mary Immaculate College.
  • Quay, J., and A. Jensen. 2018. “Wild Pedagogies and Wilding Pedagogies: Teacher-Student-Nature Centredness and the Challenges for Teaching.” Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 21 (3): 293–305. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-018-0022-9.
  • Rios, C., and I. Menezes. 2017. “‘I saw a Magical Garden with Flowers That People Could not Damage!’: Children’s Visions of Nature and of Learning About Nature in and out of School.” Environmental Education Research 23 (10): 1402–1413. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1325450.
  • Robson, C., and K. McCartan. 2016. Real World Research. 4th ed. Chichester: Wiley.
  • Saldana, J. 2016. The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. London: Sage.
  • Sammons, P., A. Kington, A. Lindorff, and L. Ortega. 2018. “‘It Ain't (Only) What you do, It's the way That you do it’: A Mixed Method Approach to the Study of Inspiring Teachers.” Review of Education 6 (3): 303–356. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3141.
  • Savery, A., T. Cain, J. Garner, T. Jones, E. Kynaston, K. Mould, L. Nicholson, et al. 2017. “Does Engagement in Forest School Influence Perceptions of Risk, Held by Children, Their Parents, and Their School Staff?” Education 3-13 45 (5): 519–531. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2016.1140799
  • Silvernail, D. 1992. “The Educational Philosophies of Secondary School Teachers.” The High School Journal 75 (3): 162–167.
  • Sobel, D. 2014. “Learning to Walk Between the Raindrops: The Value of Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens.” Children, Youth and Environments 24 (2): 228–238. https://doi.org/10.1353/cye.2014.0035.
  • Tabachnick, B., and L. Fidell. 2001. Using Multivariate Statistics. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
  • Tiplady, L., and H. Menter. 2021. “Forest School for Wellbeing: An Environment in Which Young People Can ‘Take What They Need’.” Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning 21 (2): 99–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2020.1730206.
  • Turtle, C., I. Convery, and K. Convery. 2015. “Forest Schools and Environmental Attitudes: A Case Study of Children Aged 8–11 Years.” Cogent Education 2 (1), https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2015.1100103.
  • Urban, M. 2016. “At Sea: What Direction for Critical Early Childhood Research?” Journal of Pedagogy 7 (1): 107–121. https://doi.org/10.1515/jped-2016-0007.
  • Usher, J. 2022. “How is Geography Taught in Irish Primary Schools? A Large Scale Nationwide Study.” International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education 31 (4): 337–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2021.1978210.
  • Waite, S., and A. Goodenough. 2018. “What is Different About Forest School? Creating a Space for an Alternative Pedagogy in England.” Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 21 (1): 25–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-017-0005-2.
  • Whelan, J. 2022. “An Ethnographic Study of Forest School: Relational Caring Pedagogy in an Irish Primary School.” (Unpublished Doctor of Philosophy thesis). Dublin City University.
  • Whelan, J. 2023. “The History of the Forest School Movement in Ireland.” Lasmuigh 3: 8–10. https://lasmuigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Issue-3-Lasmuigh-April-2023.pdf.
  • Williams – Siegfredsen, J. 2012. Understanding the Danish Forest School Approach. Abingdon: David Fulton.
  • World Health Organisation. 2016. “Urban Green Spaces and Health. A Review of Evidence.” World Health Organisation Europe. https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/321971/Urban-green-spaces-and-health-review-evidence.pdf.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.