1st June 2020
Now my school reports are done I can dedicate some time to this course. We are still in isolation until 31st June as my son suffers from asthma. So if there was a time, it is now, to get immersed in a new learning journey.
I am very excited about finally doing this course. I have wanted this professional qualification for such a long time. I have worked in Switzerland and Norway in early years setting and have always practised forest classroom teaching methods. I completed my level 1 in 2012 and the following year returned to teach back in England. I found moving back really difficult as it was such a big jump and the curriculum, pressure and expectations of the children felt extreme. I have acclimatised now and am the Outdoor learning lead at the infant school I work at and I run a gardening club. I promote and push outdoor learning as much as possible but I would love to take in further and do more. So the corona-virus pandemic has given me the chance to research the right course and my son starts school in September so I really feel the timing is perfect.
I am very nervous about starting as so many hopes and dreams are pinned on this course but I just need to now get started.
2nd June 2020
I have read all of the introduction and overview and Ethos sections of the course and feel very excited. I find myself nodding and agreeing with each one. I like the format of the course and feel I can work it into my life. I have emailed my Head Teacher today to double check she is happy for me to undertake this project at school and I am really happy that she is fully supportive. I am apprehensive about making and sharing my mind map but know I need to dive in.
I spent ages making my mind map and explored mind mapping computer programs on the internet. I found one that was very graphical that I liked and was a bit different. I filled in the all the sections but it took me a long time to word it right. I then downloaded it on the Forest School Leadership course Facebook page but when I looked at all the others I felt mine did not give any personal information about how this will apply to my own setting. So I did it again (late at night-the house was asleep) and felt happier that I had taken out the graphical element and changed the focus so it will be more helpful in my own setting. My next challenge is to write my Ethos which I plan to do tomorrow.
3rd June 2020
Today I put together my Ethos statement. It took me a while to get into it and tried not to look at anyone else’s work as this was making me nervous. My first attempt was very wordy and I had so many ideas that I wanted to put into it. I then decided to make it very simple and wanted to convey my passion and excitement about outdoor learning in the end my ethos was condensed into 3 sentences. I have added one of my own illustrations to it making it feel more personal and I have shared it on-line. I have not been brave enough to save it yet in my online portfolio because I am still not sure it is good enough.
5th June 2020
Today I have read about writing my personal journal which as you can see I have already started and the main features I need to also consider are other ways of presenting this-maybe videos to go alongside it too. I need to ensure that I review, reflect and do metacognition- being aware of my own patterns of behaviour, assumptions, perceptions and mind-set. This reflective log will be submitted at the end of this course and uploaded onto my personal portfolio.
7th June 2020
Today I have started my first assignment which is to summarise the history of Forest Schools in the UK. Looking at all the influences and this will help me to understand the Archimedes Forest School model and the events that shaped its development. As part of the assignment I need to look at the pre-existing examples of Forest Schools in my local area which will be very interesting. I do know of a few forest schools in the area but it will be good to google and find out more and what age groups they cater for. It will also be good to identify potential interests and partnerships that I could tap into and use in the future especially in the area near to where I live and by the school I work at. This is what is stated that I need to include in this assignment:
Evidence
Recognise the important events and contributions towards creating Forest Schools as it exists today. -Overview
Identify how the Forest Schools idea was developed and adopted throughout the UK.-Overview
Identify how those ideas have been refined into what we now recognise as the Archimedes Forest Schools Model –what is Archimedes Forest School and how does it differ?
Identify the local level of awareness/use of Forest Schools.
Please either;
Provide your evidence in the text box in the online portfolio, or
Produce video/audio/leaflet/webpage/blog post or other promotional/informative material and either upload i through the online portfolio or provide a link.
Film or record your evidence to camera and provide a link.
So I have a lot of scope about how I present and provide this evidence and it may be interesting and helpful to experiment with new ways of promoting Forest Schools as this will only aid me in the future as I dream of setting up my own Forest School.
8th June 2020
I have started writing my assignment and researching and it is really interesting finding out about where it all began. The idea of our human fight against urbanisation really caught me and the theme of the wild-mentally helping our well-being also was strong. It reminded me of my A-level history course studying the Industrial Revolution and the fight against urbanisation which was felt then. It also made me think about my 1st degree that I studied on Literature and I especially always enjoyed learning about the Transcendentalist movement in America and Walt Whitman and ideas came flooding back to me about this. My dissertation for my 1st degree was on finding Wild and was called “The American Hero in Space” I looked at American pioneer fiction as well as fiction written about the voyage to the moon. It feels really nice that lots of themes and ideas are coming together from lots of aspects of my life and “Forest School” almost holds them altogether. I feel this is a sign I am on the right path.
9th/10 June 2020
I am still writing and researching my first assignment. I feel that I am taking a long time over it but I am really enjoying finding out about all of the steps that brought us to where we are today. I do already know quite a bit about Scandinavian Forest Schools as I worked in Norway for 4 four years in early years and loved it and tried to apply as much as possible the Forest School philosophy. I know that there thinking is just naturally linked to being outside and it is a cultural difference as much as anything else. Health and safety and our fear of allowing children to take risks is definitely something I found hard to readjust to when I came back to teaching in the UK. I also was interested about finding out more about Baden Powell and Scouting movement as this is based near to me in Dorset “Brownsea Island” and my husband was very much involved in Scouts. I also was interested in outward Bound and Duke of Edinburgh movement as I was involved with these as a child and I know how much of a difference they made to my life.
11th/12th June
I have been researching and finding out more about the Archimedes Forest School movement over the past two days and it has been great to read and follow the Ethos and philosophy of the course I am on. I love the fact that it is all about the process-as an art specialist I am always trying to encourage my colleagues that the final product is not what it is about it is the skills and the self-awareness that happens on the journey that turns you into the artist and I feel the same rings true with the process of Forest School training and also the journey that the children go on too. It is exciting to feel like I have “come home” as everything I believe and try to put into practise myself, is being said and written by others and it is nice to hear others believing in the same ethos too. I very much feel a connection to the course already and am making time each day to work-this has to be in the evenings because I either doing child care or working during the day.
13th June
Today I am writing the final section of my first assignment and this will really help me to understand the lie of the land in this area. I have researched what other Forest Schools exist in my immediate area and who they are created for. There are a lot of Forest Schools that have been developed into Nurseries and others that are activity centres that are council run and for a wider age range. As a whole I feel that Hampshire has a lot of Forest School type companies and clubs available and because we are situated near the New Forest this is of course a great resource. It has also got me thinking about a name for my own forest school and I have been playing with a few ideas recently. I would like the name to reflect my ethos and something about me-and knowing the names of other local companies has helped narrow it down but finding the right name is hard.
14th-17th June
I have been working hard to complete and finish my first assignment and I have finally done it. Re-learning how to do references and the very new system of recording any web sites I have used took time. Last time I wrote an essay I did not rely of the internet as much as I have done this time. Firstly, because the internet was not as big, and I used more books and journals and secondly the pandemic has meant that I couldn’t get out to libraries and needed to rely on the internet more. I submitted my work on my on-line Portfolio and this was a bit daunting pressing send and hoping I had gone along the right lines.
I have also started a blog this week as I thought this would be a great way of recording my learning experience and it has been suggested in the course content. I also would like to add videos and pod casts later on. I have started to use ICT much more as I work from home and this is helping me and will only be another asset when I eventually may think about running my own business too. The reaction to my blog was very positive and I really appreciate my friends’ encouragement. Hopefully this will also develop some following which again will only aid me as I think of setting up a business.
17th-21st June
I have begun to look at my second assignment and have learnt that I also need to look at the format that is expected on the online portfolio as this differs a bit to that in the assignment explanation. This assignment is about looking at two pieces of research that have been conducted on Forest Schools. I enjoyed looking at all of the research available and I have chosen a few that are possible ones to include in my comparison study. I would especially like to look at the social and emotional impact of Forest Schools so I have printed off a few that focuses on this. I now need to decide which two I will use. I am enjoying getting my head back into research and essay writing as it was 9 years ago that I did my Masters on children with Social and emotional difficulties.Time goes by so quickly.
22nd-25th June
This week I have been busy reading and typing up my comparative study. I found this task really interesting and it was good to remind myself of work I had done during my Masters on research methods. The research studies I chose to compare complimented each other which was great but they were also very different in style and form. I used two relatively recent studies one was: Bringing children closer to nature, Report of a survey on Forest School and outdoor learning in England (Hemery, G, Hurst J, Perokofsky, 2019, England) and the other was Impacts of long Term Forest School Programmes on Children’s Resilience, Confidence and Wellbeing (Blackwell, 2015, England). This task was interesting not only as the research gave me a deeper understanding of the social and emotional support that Forest School provides and the reasons behind this but also because the survey reassured me that similar barriers and opportunities that I personally come across are also felt by many other teachers across England. Both studies gave me things to think about and ensure that I include in my own Forest School-one of these is the upmost importance of a long term program not short snippets which is all I have been able to deliver in the past. Also the need for Forest Schools in more deprived areas and I feel this is especially important given the social and emotional impact of the program. So it would be amazing to set up a Forest School in more deprived areas of Hampshire for this very reason. Also Secondary schools and the lack of Forest Schools for this age range of young people. Lots to think about but all very interesting and thought provoking.
26th-28th June 2020
I have finally completed my comparative study and just getting it proof read and checked now. I have got a bit confused by the course content and I think the nature of things being on-line makes it more frustrating as there is no-one to really talk to and discuss issues with. Although I have received some help on the group Facebook page. Anyway the layout and topics have changed so the unit I thought was unit 1 is now unit 3 which means I have not even started unit 1 yet. It really does not matter in the long term as all the learning is part of the same journey and I am always expanding my understanding but it is a bit frustrating that it can all change just like that…..So my next assignment is Unit 1:1-----It looks interesting as this unit is about woodlands so getting right into the nature side of things not just the theory which will be a nice change and light relief. I am looking forward to reading and learning more about the levels and layers of woodland and then looking at my own site and assessing what is there. I will keep you posted.
29th-30th June 2020
I have really got into this assignment and it has been great to get outside and into the woods. It has really made me look at the different layers and placement of trees as well as the fauna and flora that grows in each woodland. I am going to look at 4 sites to get me into looking and assessing the structure of woodlands. The sites are all very different and owned by different groups or organisations for different purposes. Stanley and the dog have enjoyed coming along and I am improving as I go looking and recording. I have decided to present this assignment as a PowerPoint/presentation as I felt the format fitted more than an essay and I can display photos and tables better this way. It is nice to learn and try out different recording methods and presentation mediums. I have really enjoyed my first month on this course and have completed 3 assignments with one on the go. So it will probably be an assignment a week for the next year. Hey ho, lets see what July has in store......
Mid Summers Day-21st June 2020