Forest School practice in Canada: a survey study
- PDF / 518,922 Bytes
- 16 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 68 Downloads / 233 Views
Forest School practice in Canada: a survey study Elizabeth Y. S. Boileau 1
& Ziad
F. Dabaja 2
# Outdoor Education Australia 2020
Abstract Over the last decade, interest in nature-based educational programs has been growing in Canada, yet there has been little research on the nature of these programs and how they are being implemented. This small-scale study provides baseline information on the characteristics of Canadian Forest Schools, the challenges that educators face in starting up these outdoor programs, and the potential benefits for enrolled children. An online survey study was conducted in the fall of 2017, to which 25 Forest School educators from across Canada responded. Results suggest that Canadian Forest School programs vary in terms of size, age of the children, type of outdoor setting, funding source, and schedule. Participants reported facing challenges such as finding an appropriate outdoor site, safety concerns related to outdoor activities, and the lack of support from different stakeholders. Many of these barriers were surmounted by developing relationships with local partners, adapting programs to comply with local regulations, and educating the community on Forest School pedagogy. In line with the growing international body of research on the benefits of Forest School (e.g., Elliott & Chancellor, 2014; Müller et al., 2017; Murray & O’Brien, 2005; Slade, Lowery & Bland, 2013), Canadian Forest School educators have observed benefits for the children, including the development of their social and physical skills and self-confidence, increased appreciation for nature, and enhanced creativity. Further research is needed to fully capture and examine this growing practice in the Canadian context. Keywords Forest School . Outdoor education . Environmental education . Nature-based
early learning . Early childhood education . Canada
* Elizabeth Y. S. Boileau [email protected] Ziad F. Dabaja [email protected]
1
Faculty of Education, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E7, Canada
2
Faculty of Education, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education
Background In the last few years and across Canada there seems to be a growing interest in “Forest School,” a nature-based pedagogy that emphasizes outdoor learning through a childcentered, play-based approach. The origin of contemporary Forest School1 pedagogy is mainly attributed to Denmark (Dean, 2019; Williams-Siegfredsen, 2017), and the Scandinavian context in general, where there is a long tradition of being close to nature and the land (Knight, 2009). The pedagogy named Forest School was first implemented in the UK in the 1990s, and has since spread to other countries around the world. Today, there are thousands of these programs operating under various names (e.g., “nature preschools,” “forest kindergartens,” “bush kindies,” “udeskole”) in the Scandinavian countries, Germany, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and many Asian countries (Sobel,
Data Loading...
