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

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.