Self‐esteem and successful interaction as part of the forest school project

In this article Nick Swarbrick, Glynnis Eastwoodand Kris Tutton highlight the importance of theoutdoor environment as an educational resource,and explore the relationship between self-esteemand successful learning through the forest schoolproject being run in Oxfordshire. It looks at thehistory and practice of forest school in England,and draws on recent research to suggest ways inwhich alternative or non-traditional educationalprojects might be evaluated.Key words: forest school, early years, self-esteem,outdoors.Self-esteem and successfulinteraction as part of theforest school projectNICK SWARBRICK, GLYNNIS EASTWOOD and KRIS TUTTONIntroductionIt is perhaps in the nat u re of educational ch a n ge thatsomething as useful as outdoors education for yo u n gchildren should be in continual need of reinvention. Thenew edition of Helen Biltons book Outdoor play in theearly years: management and innovation (2002) highlightsthe need for young children to have access to an outdoorse nv i ronment wh e re imagi n at ive play and vigo ro u sexe rcise go together easily and nat u ra l ly : This is notonly because t h e re is more space, and noise is more easilyd i s s i p at e d outside, but also because there is a greater senseof freedom in the outdoors (p. 116). While outdoorseducation receives more attention than ever, and the forests chool movement is gat h e ring pace, little has yet to bepresented in the academic press on the benefits of forestschool.This art i cle introduces the history and practice of fo rest sch o o l ,highlights, through anecdotal evidence, some of the recentsuccesses of the project in the UK, and suggests possibleways fo r wa rd in measuring quality in non-tra d i t i o n a le d u c ational projects. Such projects can have especialsignificance in the area of special needs, by broadening thec u rriculum and offe ring a wider ra n ge of contexts for learn i n g.Use is also made of data from a recent questionnaire, sentout by one of the authors to forest school participants inOxfordshire.OriginsThe forest school movement was initially Scandinavian(Bishops Wood Centre, 2003), although English sourcesdiffer in their descriptions of the origin of the movementand whether the fi rst beginnings are to be found inD e n m a rk or Sweden. It is clear that the Danish gove rn m e n t ,for example, used local woodland to help provide for anexpansion of nursery places. The Bridgwater project, basedat Bridgwater College in Somerset, began following a visitto Denmark in 1994 by nursery nursing students from thecollege.Fo rest School began by taking small groups (68 ch i l d re n )onto the College sports field adjoining the Early YearsCentre, on a frequent and regular basis. Lesson planswe re prep a red bu t , as they grew in confi d e n c e, t h echildren started to prefer to lead their own experiences.Flexibility and responsiveness to the childrens thinkingwas found to be essential in order to make the most ofthe childrens involvement in their learning. It was foundthat the children responded very differently to workingin the outdoor environment than in their familiar nurserysurroundings and the staff leading the forest schoolactivities found that they had to adapt accordingly.(Bridgwater Forest School, 2003)These emphases on outdoor education and on childrensindependent choices have obvious resonance with centralthemes in the education and care of young children sincee a rly in the history of UK education. See Horn (1989)for examples of the Open Air Movement and, for abrief overview of early years pedagogy, see Bruce (1997),chapter 3, Important influences on the development offree-flow play.F O R E S T S C H O O L142 Support for Learning Volume 19 Number 3 2004 NASEN 2004The learning experience in forest schoolP ro blem solving is also viewed as an important facet offorest school and is valued by practitioners. Forest schooll e a d e rs allow ch i l d ren time and opportunity to solveproblems of their own making. An example of this is whenat one session children were involved in erecting a ropeswing with the aid of the fo rest school leader wh op rovided the rope and ex p e rtise for tying knots! Eachs u ggestion offe red by the group of four ch i l d ren fo rchoosing the tre e, fixing the ro p e, selecting a stick for thes e at and measuring the swing to ensure it was the correctheight was discussed and tried out by the ch i l d re n , wh od eveloped and extended ideas until the problem wassolved and each child was given the opportunity to have ago at sw i n ging on the rope. This kind of practical activitywith real relevance to children and adults generates highquality interactions, ge nuine open questioning, leading toa ri ch and dive rse curriculum.The present foundation stage curriculum (QCA, 2000) canthus be well rep resented within the fo rest sch o o lproject, not necessarily through an obvious adult-led andstructured system but in a way that engages children fullyin the process. Continuing the theme over a number ofsessions can ensure progression and a sense of achievementfor ch i l d ren and adults alike. This is in line with the ethoshighlighted by Dahlberg, Moss and Pence (1999, pp. 48 ff. ) ,wh e rein the young child is seen, not as in need ofeducation or care, nor yet as a being fo l l owing biologi c a l lyd e t e rm i n e d s t ages of development and learn i n g, but as a C o - c o n s t ru c t o r of know l e d ge, identity and culture .E ven from a more traditional point of view, Wilson (1995,p. 4) points out, E x p e riences in the out-of-doors tendto be ri ch in opportunities for nurturing growth in all ofthe deve l o p m e n t a l d o m a i n s . It also echoes the philosophyof the Reggio Emilia move m e n t , wh e re the quality ofthe interaction b e t ween adults and ch i l d re n , and amongthe ch i l d ren themselve s , is seen as of the highestimportance:Children demonstrate sudden flares of ideas, explicit orsilent exchanges, and dialogues into which the adult isalso drawn. Unanticipated port-holes of observationopen for the adult. The adult discovers different ways inwhich children participate, choose, and proceed.(Malaguzzi, 1993, p. 11)Self-esteemAn equally crucial strand to encouraging ch i l d re n sindependence through exploring an unfamiliar environmentis the development of self-esteem. This is a theme to befound in the DfES C u rriculum Guidance for theFoundation Stage (QCA, 2000, p. 28), and in work on theteaching of young adults (Harkin, Turner and Dawn, 2001).It is interesting to note that Harkin et al. point out thefutility of setting aside specific curriculum time to artificialself-esteem lessons:They dont need a class in raising self-esteem. Similarlyd e c o n t extualised lessons in p ro blem solving o rcommunication are likely to have little benefit, whereastaking a problem solving or communicative approach tolearning, in which learning is based on real situationsand genuine personal engagement, is more likely to bebeneficial.(p. 16)It is the realityof the work undertaken by the teenagers inthe project that helps to anchor their learning and ra i s eself-esteem. Anecdotal evidence suggests that those whop a rt i c i p ate in Oxfo rd s h i re this is ach i eved in part n e rsecondary schools mostly through the Bronze Youth Award gain in self-esteem and bring their enthusiasm back intoschool.For the younger participants in forest school, independentex p l o ration needs careful nu rt u ri n g. Sep a ration from as i g n i ficant adult in an unfamiliar env i ronment can bedifficult for children, and simple separation games areoften used to give ch i l d ren opportunity to cre ate andmaintain a degree of distance if they feel comfortable withit. The best example, played at many forest school sessions,is a variant of a hide-and-seek game in which children hidefrom a seeker, who calls out One, Two Three, Where AreYou? All the children and adults hiding respond; beingfound is the goal of the ga m e, and ch i l d ren deve l o pincreasing independence from their carers, safe in thek n ow l e d ge that they are not ab a n d o n e d, and that theactivity is fun and safe.Challenge of the unfamiliarE n gagement in the Oxfo rd s h i re fo rest school project isable to provide these real situations for both pre-school andolder children. For younger children, the exploration of theenvironment is in itself a challenge. Moving beyond theschool and the (frequently urban) home environment is ach a l l e n ge in many way s : m i n i b e a s t s , u n familiar plantsand animals, the route to the forest school site and, forsome, even the physical challenge of walking on an unevensurface. During the course of the year, as they become moreaccustomed to the routines of the we e k ly or fo rt n i g h t lyouting, other challenges may be introduced, although riskis managed by pace and by the amount of adult input tothe activity. Using tools, including knives and saws, haspurpose as well as risk (Haesaerts, 2001). For young adults,the ch a l l e n ge of the unfamiliar is coupled with the re a lsituation of setting up and maintaining the woodland forthe younger children to use as a learning resource. Thismay involve using tools, communication and planningskills to fence the area, to build a semi-permanent shelter orto improve access.Again, self-esteem is at the heart of the enterprise. Thisappears to have its roots in the personal belief of one of themost active founder members of the project nationally,G o rdon Wo o d a l l , whose wo rk in Bri d g water College NASEN 2004 Support for Learning Volume 19 Number 3 2004 143centred for some time around working with disaffectedyoung adults and taking into account the different learningstyles of each student. Those who remain predominantlykinaesthetic learn e rs into their adolescence often ex p e ri e n c edifficulties in a classroom situation, where more visual andauditory styles are expected and prevalent. As the youngpeople begin to perceive themselves as poor learners, andare perceived as such by their peers, self-esteem plummetsand can manifest itself as bad behaviour, poor attendanceand low attainment. Roberts (1995) identifies this as beingrooted in early experiences (pp. 114 ff.) and points out theimportance of intrinsic motivation for learning (p. 96).In a forest school environment there are more opportunitiesto learn in practical ways, and to demonstrate new andexisting skills wh i ch are unlike ly to be obvious in acl a s s ro o m . In this context the young people rediscover theirc o n fidence in themselves as learn e rs , e n j oy incre a s e drespect from their peers and begin to rebuild their self-esteem.This in turn helps them to better manage their own behav i o u r,and to make more proactive life choices. Kolbs theory ofexperiential learning aiding the development of a morem at u re person has resonance here (see Ko l b, 1 9 8 4 , e s p e c i a l lychapter 6).It is well documented that boys are dispro p o rt i o n at e lym o re like ly to ex p e rience a ra n ge of difficulties atschool, relative to girls. There is national concern about theperceived under-achievement of boys (see Smith, 2003;M a rtino and Berri l l , 2003). It may be that frequent andregular opportunities to experience a broad and balancedc u rri c u l u m , in an outdoor context and in ways wh i chnurture the growth of self-esteem, will enable all children,but boys in particular, to reach their potential.Practice in OxfordshireThe Oxfordshire forest school project suggests that anywoodland facility should be no more that a 15-minute walkor bus journey away from the early years setting. As thechildren go to the forest school site weekly or fortnightly, itis important that they spend the majority of their timeengaged in woodland activities, not on long journeys.The area chosen is usually in a private location fre efrom public access. This ensures that children are safe toexplore within the confines of the area and any work theycommence will be secure until the next visit. Since the aimof the project is not specifically environmental education,the pure ly scientific interest of the site is not the pri m econsideration. Areas of woodland need to be assessed andchosen for their suitability to the forest school ethos andnot because they provide a ve ry diffe rent outdoorex p e rience for ch i l d ren although unfa m i l i a rity anddifference are important factors in providing the challengeto meet the untried and novel that in turn help bolsterparticipants self-esteem (Northmoor Trust, 2003). At itsmost ex t reme this might mean that an area set aside fo rforest school actually has very few trees, but has amples p a c e, va rying kinds of locations and opportunities fo rrisk-taking activ i t i e s , is secure and could have a semi-perm a n e n tshelter erected on it. Local fa rm e rs are in ge n e ral ex t re m e lys u p p o rt ive of the wo rk , seeing it as a chance to usetraditional small woods productively. Sites in Oxfordshirevary from woodland set aside at a local nature reserve,where woodland covers half the 100 hectares of the naturere s e rve and the fo rest school site is tucked discre e t lyinto one corner (Northmoor Trust, 2003), to a corner ofwoodland on part-used allotments in Oxford City. Bothhave strengths.Evaluation of the projectResearch on the project is in its infancy. While anecdotalevidence from the longest-running projects, in Somerset,points to ch i l d ren going into the pri m a ry phase of sch o o l i n gwith increased confidence, and to older pupils learningskills they can use in other situat i o n s , whether back atcollege or in the workplace (already mirrored in the morerecent Oxfordshire initiative and elsewhere), there is a needfor longe r- t e rm wo rk carried out at a re m ove from theparticipant forest school leaders.Such research could well take the approach adopted by theEffective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) team(EPPE Project, 2003) in looking at quality of provision andoutcome. Some exploration of academic attainment andp rogress might go some way to explaining the effect offorest school on young people. Aubrey (2002, p. 82) statesthat, There is no doubt that these children are at the nexusof power relations, policy concerns and value investmentsof home and school.A secure justification for forest schoolwould need to include some measurement of progress andattainment in order to place the project firmly in the arenaof measuring quality in ways that would justify investmenton a national scale.Similarly, the longitudinal work by Ferre Laevers (1993)and, in the UK, a similar approach under the title EffectiveE a rly Learn i n g (EEL) (Effe c t ive Early Learn i n gProgramme, 2003) suggest alternative models for appraisalof quality early ye a rs education that t a ke into accountthe changes that really matter (Laevers, 1993, p. 67).Assessment of ch i l d re n s invo l vement is seen as anexcellent measure of the quality of the experience in earlyyears settings, and EEL material (exemplified in Pascal andBertram, 2001) might be used to evaluate the quality ofchildrens involvement and adult interaction with childrenon forest school visits. Our initial exploration of thismethod suggests that it could transfer well to long-termevaluation of non-traditional experiences such as forests ch o o l , as it has tra n s fe rred its focus within the EEL pro j e c titself to beyond the immediate pre-school environment. Foran example see E ffe c t ive Early Learning Progra m m e(2003). Since Laevers research interests in brief, thequality of the childs experience seen through interactionswith adults and with the learning environment and takinginto account the childs self-esteem are close to the ideals144 Support for Learning Volume 19 Number 3 2004 NASEN 2004of fo rest sch o o l , and to some extent info rm it, t h ere s e a rch would need to ensure that it went beyond theconfirmatory.A recent questionnaire sent to Oxfordshire schools, earlyyears settings and individual workers using the forestschool approach revealed that the project was viewed veryfavourably by participant adults. Of the 100 questionnairessent to part i c i p ating schools and prov i d e rs 51 we rere t u rned and, of these, 29 we re corre c t ly completed.Although the other 22 were incomplete they did containsome re l at ive dat a , wh i ch has been incl u d e d. In re s p o n s eto the question, Has the fo rest school ch a n ged yo u rex p e c t ations of particular ch i l d re n ? , adults wo rking withinthe foundation stage mentioned increased ability of quietchildren to express themselves, an increase in confidence,and positive participation from disruptive children. Therewas some evidence for an increase over the year of forests chool in speaking and listening skills. One response isparticularly noteworthy:A child who had severe language difficulties (i.e. neededto attend a speech unit for four sessions a week) wasextremely quiet in the nursery environment and seldominitiated conversations with other children or adults.However in the Forest environment her speech wascl e a rer and mu ch louder! She also displayed moreself-confidence and interacted with a wider circle ofp e e rs. In the nu rs e ry env i ronment her intera c t i o n stended to be on a one-to-one basis.Similar positive responses from adults wo rking withstudents at Key Stages 3 and 4 were received, with onerespondent noting that students who stru ggle in a cl a s s ro o msetting often prove to be inve n t ive and organised in dire c t i n gtheir own learning whilst at Forest School.Anecdotes testify to elective mute ch i l d ren with a fi rs tl a n g u age other than English speaking cl e a rly and confi d e n t lyon forest school outings but not at nursery school, andb o re d, w i t h d rawn teenage rs finding the confidence tolead whole-year presentatio