Learning in the Wild: Forest School and the Argument for Nature in Education

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Learning in the Wild: Forest School and the Argument for Nature in Education

December 8, 2018 by T.Sievers

Written by: Thomas Sievers

Introduction

Humanity reached a critical point in our brief existence when the population of the urban environment surpassed that of the rural. Never before has our species lived as far away from that which gives us life than we currently do. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2016), 97% of the United States’ land area is rural, but contains only 19.3% of the population. That means roughly 80% of Americans live in cities. Albert Borgmann characterizes this divergence from nature as a problem of our relationship with technology; after all cities are technology, and they are the epicenters of such production. He believes that technology has stripped the essence of life out of daily existence, leaving us with meaningless tasks. Much like Karl Marx theorized, we have become alienated from the everyday goings-on of our own lives. Richard Louv (2011) takes this a step further by claiming it is the lack of contact with nature that is responsible for many of the chronic ailments and developmental disorders we see in children today. If we are to take Louv’s Nature Deficit Disorder hypothesis seriously, children (and adults) need experiences in nature in order to flourish. The aim of this paper, then, is to call for the incorporation of nature with basic education. While this is a progressive idea, it will be seen that a traditional system can work to integrate experiences with nature into common education. Using the ideas of Aristotle, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Howard Gardner I will build a case to elucidate my argument. As a naturalist himself, Aristotle contributes to my argument for nature in education from the perspective of virtue ethics, whereby the value of harmony with nature will be visited. Rousseau will then offer a perspective of natural education through his seminal work Emile. Here it will be found that lessons in nature are value laden, stimulating more than a singular intelligence or interest in dynamic ways. Finally, I will discuss the role of nature in education through Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. It will be seen that nature is universal to all that education requires of a student. Forest School will be included in this discussion as a practical conception of a naturalistic pedagogy that embodies my argument. I will then briefly consider criticisms of my position, primarily through a traditionalists lens of critique. However, it will be seen that the highly adaptable incorporation of nature with education can allow for a multiplicity of appropriate applications.

Argument

The experience of nature needs to be included as a standard component of education. It must be viewed as a complimentary subject that supplements learning in the classroom (O’brien 2009, 54-55). This one subject has the ability to address a spectrum of education that traditional education falls short of. First, a natural education helps one to develop practical skills that would not otherwise be experienced from behind a desk in a classroom. This is possible through both individual and directed learning. Second, nature as curriculum is value laden. There are lessons in all subjects, for all forms of intelligences, and for all age groups. Third, a natural education builds sufficiency of the self through non-structured learning exercises that stress transpersonal discovery. This method allows students to develop character in order to rise to their fullest potential. Lastly, given the ramifications of the previous premise, nature has the ability to expand one’s identity beyond the self. It will be seen that this is ultimately the path to a deeper understanding of reality, and one that constitutes a more complete education.

Conclusion: Experiencing nature is a necessary component of education.

P1. Practical skills – development of one’s practical skills outside of the classroom

P2. Value laden – lessons for all subjects, intelligences, and ages

P3. Sufficiency of Self – cultivation of excellence

P4. Self-transcendence – produces extraordinarily transformative moments

Defense

In this section I will expand on and defend my premises from the perspectives offered by Aristotle, Rousseau, and Gardner. Some will have more to say than others on any given premise, but one thing becomes clear among them all – a naturalistic, experiential based education can maximize student and human potential, the product being a more complete human being, having gained knowledge beyond the offerings of traditional education. While this tripartite pantheon has much to contribute to my argument, Forest School offers one example that is currently putting this philosophy into practice.

Aristotle

In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle comes to find that happiness is the supreme good and goal of human beings because it is pursued for no other end than for itself (Jordan & Kristjánsson 2017, 1208). However, his conception of happiness is much different than the current western notion. The term, eudaemonia, is better understood as happiness through human flourishing which is expressed by arete, or excellence through virtuous living (Jordan & Kristjánsson 2017, 1208). Simply put, for humans to flourish we must aspire to the higher appeals of virtues. In his development of virtue ethics, Aristotle “…approaches the morality of human conduct by emphasizing the virtues needed for the development of moral character” (Jordan & Kristjánsson 2017, 1208). Chambliss (1982) says that “Aristotle views education as the way of shaping human beings to take aim at the highest activity of which they are capable, an activity that is the best for men as individuals and for men as social animals” (38). In this sense, education allows one to strive for understanding of the world and mastery of the self. Education with nature, therefore, can move us towards eudaemonia in the exercise of intellectual and moral capacities. It is not hard to expand this understanding of virtue to see the value of experiencing the education of nature as a virtuous act. Jordan & Kristjánsson’s (2017) idea of harmony with nature as virtue takes on new meaning when applied as an educational tool. The products of such a relationship can largely been seen as satisfying P3 and P4, primarily because “…virtue is concerned ‘with emotions and emotional reactions…perceptions, attitudes…and sensibilities…” (Jordan & Kristjánsson 2017, 1209). These characteristics require a transformation of the self – a transformation that nature can enable. Understood from an environmental perspective, such transformative virtues would include benevolence toward non-human animals, humility regarding one’s place in the natural world, respect for nature, and temperance in one’s interrelationship with nature (Svoboda 2016, 49). To sufficiently satisfy P3, a virtue ethics approach to nature directly works to build character of the self. Clayton et al (2017) finds that positive and negative experiences in nature are necessary to develop a sense of oneself in relation to the larger world, fortifying internal notions of humility (648). In satisfying P4, self-transcendence and enlightenment are found through the awe inspiring complexity of nature itself. Through the experience of nature a student is able to learn how to holistically think, allowing for an expanded understanding of both the world and the self. Satisfying both of these premises through environmental virtue ethics begins to address topics that are rarely, if ever, actualized in traditional school settings.

There is evidence from Aristotle for my first premise as well. Chambliss (1982) pointed out that Aristotle realized the importance of play and movement at an early age, and that children should not be subjected to study or it would hinder their growth (40). However, he also realized that this stage should not go unfettered either, saying that “…games should be disciplined…” and that “…development is natural, yet needs to be controlled by a tutor who possesses the virtues for whose sake children are being educated” (Chambliss 1982, 40). As an educational device, nature provides the perfect arena for unhindered growth. Structured play, outside of a classroom, can help to convey lessons in more salient ways to young students rather than learning from behind a desk. Want to learn about water? Go to a river. Want to learn about food? Go to a farm. Aristotle also found it important to prepare children in this way for the uptake of more complex lessons found later in life. Of this, Chambliss (1982) says “Aristotle’s resemblance extends to saying that ‘amusements should prepare the way for their later pursuits; hence, most children’s games should be imitations of the serious occupations of later life” (pg. 40). This is where we find the inherent value of nature-based amusements. The child that went to the river to learn about water – she became a fluvial geomorphologist because of the inspiring discoveries that she found in nature.

Aristotle found that it is ‘proper to follow the division of nature’ (Chambliss 1982, 41), as such, an experience-based education in nature can lead to outcomes greater than those achievable solely in a classroom. He confirms the possibility for the development of practical skills through guided and freeform lessons outside of the classroom, and of those based in nature, these lessons can lead to discovery of the self and self-transcendence.

Rousseau

I think that Aristotle would have appreciated Emile and Rousseau’s ideas about educating children. Jean-Jacques Rousseau offers some insight into my first and second premises through his development of Emile, a metaphorical child that has been provided a natural education. Rousseau, disgusted with the state of social convention at the time, sought to develop an ideal education, one that resulted in a fulfilled ‘natural’ human, rather than a ‘properly’ developed citizen (Cahn 2012, pg. 124). Written like a novel, Rousseau used vivid examples to explore his philosophy of a natural education with Emile. Like Aristotle surmised, Rousseau stood over Emile from the standpoint of a virtuous tutor, helping to guide his freeform efforts. In this respect, he says:

Suppose when I am studying with my pupil the course of the sun and how to find our direction, he suddenly stops me to ask what good purpose all of this serves. What a fine discourse I could give him…about the use of travel, the advantages of commerce, the special products of different regions, the customs of different peoples, the use of the calendar, the reckoning of the seasons for agriculture, the art of navigation. Politics, natural history, astronomy, even ethics and the law of nations, might enter into my explanation… (Cahn 2012, 135).

This imagery shows us a couple things. First, an education in nature is value laden (P2), having multidisciplinary lessons embedded in a singular question about the good of the sun. Second, it shows us the value of semi-guided education in the outdoors with a properly tempered tutor (P1).

But the value of nature in education does not end there for Rousseau, further saying that:

When Emile wants to learn what use it is to know the position of the forest north of Montemorency, I put him off and next morning take him for a walk before breakfast. We get lost and the more we wander the more tired and hungry we become…crying is no use…’Let us see your watch. What time is it?’ ‘It is noon,’ says Emile. At twelve o’clock the day before, he is reminded, we were observing the position of the forest from Montemorency. ‘Did we not say that the forest was…?’ ‘North of Montemorency,’ says Emile. ‘So Montemorency lies…’ ‘South of the forest.’ But we know how to find the north at midday. ‘Yes,’ says Emile, ‘by the direction of the shadows,’ and comes to the conclusion that if we go the opposite way from the shadows we will find the town. (Cahn 2012, 135).

In this passage Rousseau accomplishes two more very important steps in Emile’s education. First, Emile independently demonstrates a practical skill, afforded by the natural aspect of the suns rays (P1). Through using astronomy and observance of a natural phenomenon, Emile is able to navigate back to town in order to find food. Second, and most importantly, this experience allows Emile to express critical reasoning in order to come to a beneficial solution to a problem (P3). It is here that Emile begins to express a higher quality of character through his experience in nature. As with his reference to Robinson Crusoe, Rousseau wants his pupil to live up to his fullest potential in the development of his true self. (Cahn 2009, 135). Indeed, I think it can be agreed that developing critical reasoning skills is the first step in finding excellence later in life.

Gardner

Exploration in nature can easily invoke discussion on an array of topics involving many different disciplines and engaging many different intelligences (P2). Joining nicely with this concept, Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences can be supported through an experiential education in nature. In his acclaimed theory, Gardner determined that “…human intelligence could be described, not by a single kind of intelligence or IQ score, but rather by a variety of kinds of intelligence” (Hayes 2009, 1076). Gardner argues that these intelligences are universally innate to us and that all humans contain some core components of each intelligence (Gardner 1993, 27-28). Furthermore, Gardner “…clearly states that intelligence can be seen as a potential – not as something that is fixed – and this potential is either stimulated or diminished by the cultural, environmental, and social setting a person experiences” (Hayes 2009, 1077). Gardner (1993) developed seven original intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal (8-9). I find that an education involving nature can offer a universal program to increase the potentiality of all intelligences and may provide inspiration and self-discovery along the way. As a component of education, nature is a value laden domain with a multiplicity of lessons for all intelligences to experience. This notion can be effectively applied as a holistic pedagogy for the original seven intelligences. It also supports Gardner’s expanded theory that includes three new intelligences: spiritual, existential, and naturalistic (Hayes 2009, 1076). In this sense, nature can be seen as a deconstructed university with all of the subjects inherent to it. After all, universities were created to collect people inside to discuss what was observed outside. Nature can provide inspiration for writing and lead to one becoming a better writer through attention to detail. The transcendentalist authors formed an entire genre around nature. It can stimulate mathematical interests (physics, anyone?) that can be explored through interesting activities as opposed to worksheets. It is the source of chemistry, it isthe spatial environment, music and beauty emanate from it, and it provides a rigorously rich foundation for athletic pursuits having provided the basis for the original conception of the Olympics. It also induces introspection and recognition of the ‘other’.

While nature has its place every intelligence, it is best applied in conjunction with Gardner’s proposed development trajectory (1993, 28). The trajectory follows closely to Aristotle’s idea that education is something to be successively built upon. For instance, in the beginning of life during the raw patterning phase, exposure to nature might work to endogenously increase inherent potentials. Nature is most rich at the next stage of symbol systems. Here, stories, sounds and music, exploring spatial relationships (like Emile did), looking at bugs and other natural objects, and play in nature help a child to understand concepts and the natural qualities of things. Next, the notational phase allows one to substantiate, connect dots, and more fully understand the systems of symbols. Writing music, making maps, determining optimal exercise agendas, taxonomy, and understanding the interrelationships of things becomes possible. Lastly, vocational and avocational pursuits actualize this nested hierarchy by putting cultivated knowledge to practical work. Based on this discussion I find that nature is inherently multiform and is universally inclusive of education, therefore satisfying P2 of my argument.

Forest School

Forest school is the mode by which the ideas I discussed of Aristotle, Rousseau, and Gardner can be thematically explored in nature. It has become popular in Europe and is defined as an “…inspirational process that offers children, young people, and adults regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self esteem through hands on learning experiences in a woodland environment” (O’Brien 2009, 45). ‘Forest school’ is differentiated here from a pluralistic ‘forest schools’ term. The former emphasizes nature education as a component of curriculum and not a standalone system of schools – although it would be a magnificent thing to see Forest Schools become a common institution. O’Brien (2009) adds that “forest school embraces a broad concept: it takes place in school hours, on a regular basis, and it is not only focused on learning about nature but is linked to the national curriculum and foundation stage objectives such as English, Maths and Science” (46). In this sense, the experience of nature becomes a class within a set of classes that is more structured and meaningful, than say, recess. Forest school encourages positive outdoor experiences that have cognitive, affective, interpersonal, physical, and behavioral impacts that foster a long-term relationship with nature and which develop the self in varying ways (Smith et al 2017, 1; O’Brien 2009, pg. 46). Students develop a holistic knowledge from qualified practitioners in a semi-directed natural setting, applying theory to practical applications in nature. In such a setting, students are able to take supported risks that help to develop self-esteem and self-confidence, improved language skills – it even increases physical activity (Smith et al 2017, 2). It becomes clear that forest school, at the very least, presents value in replacing recess as a students favorite class. Play can be structured, and it can still be something students look forward to. Recognized as a valuable curriculum, instead of free play after lunch, traditional schools in America might be able to gain funding for Forest school and nature education, the benefits of which would resonate beyond mere test scores. In this capacity, forest school exemplifies my argument by providing a holistic education that runs the spectrum of my four states of intelligence.

Criticism

There is, amongst traditionalists, the problem of measurements and standards in natural education. This is largely because the experiences are empirically non-quantifiable. How does one test or self-confidence or the experience of an enlightened mind? I argue that, while many things learned in nature can be tested on the scale of the ‘big three’ – English, math, science –many other things are manifested through strengthened character and a fuller knowledge of the self. So, how might self-confidence be measured? Through long-term positive test scores, the likes of which were achieved because the student was not anxious about test taking and was able to confidently complete it on time the day of the examination. Experiential lessons can come to show value in themselves in more important ways than what is merely quantifiable.

Conclusion

While traditional schools churn out ‘adequate’ test takers, standardized testing is not a sufficient education for a complete human being. Like Rousseau, I most directly believe that an education in nature can allow a student to learn things that society will not teach him, or better off yet, to avoid certain teachings of society altogether. While my original argument was based in philosophical theories that defend the inclusion of nature in education, I would like to conclude by presenting nature from the perspective of an educational device. Similar to Gardner’s trajectory, I developed my argument based on what I see as a hierarchy of emanations of states of intelligence, each filled with value at every level in the development of a complete mind. First, by physical skills, I am referring to the basic and advanced actions that are discovered in nature in early and later childhood. This means exploring the material world and learning about its things (much like the symbol system). Once the child has developed these skills, they are able to apply them to subjects and to their own preferred combinations of prevailing intelligences. As was seen, nature is rife in content with lessons in every subject. This is how the student comes to know oneself. Through close study of varying subjects and the self among those subjects, the student will come to learn excellence when practiced through an environmental virtue perspective. Mastery of the subject and a deeper mastery of the self follows from this intelligence. Finally, the pursuit of these virtues can lead to harmony and transcendent states of non-dual awareness that reveal the trueself in nature. Children can transition into adulthood through a revelatory existential evolution using nature as an educational tool. This is my formulation for developing a complete education through nature. Understood this way:

A natural education leads to the expansion of consciousness, creating a complete education.

P1. Intelligence of skill

P2. Intelligence of subjects

P3. Intelligence of the self

P4. Intelligence of nature

Self-actualization follows, with the goal being eudaemonia.

References:

Cahn, S.M. (2012). Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In Classic and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of Education. 2nd edition (Oxford University Press). 122-152.

Chambliss, J.J. (1982). Aristotle’s conception of childhood and the poliscraft. Educational Studies, 13(1), 33-43.

Hayes, M.A. (2009). Into the field: Naturalistic education and the future of conservation. Conservation Biology, 23(5), 1075-1079.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences:The Theory in Practice. New York, NY: Basic Books, c1993.

Jordan, K. & Kristjánsson, K. (2017). Sustainability, virtue ethics, and the virtue of harmony with nature. Environmental Education Research, 23(9), 1205-1229.

Louv, R. (2011). Reconnecting to nature in the age of technology. Futurist, 45(3), 41-45.

O’Brien, L. (2009). Learning outdoors: the Forest School approach. Education 3-13, 37(1), 45-60.

Smith, M.A., Dunhill, A., & Graham, S.W. (2017). Fostering children’s relationship with nature: Exploring the potential for Forest School. Education 3-13, 1-10.

Svoboda, T. (2016). Environmental philosophy as a way of life. Ethics & the Environment, 21(1), 39-60.

U.S. Census Bureau (2016). New census data show differences tween urban and rural populations. Retrieved from: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2016/cb16-210.html