Sit Down Sunday With Dr Frances Harris
Today , I got to sit down and chat briefly with academic and fellow Forest School leader , Dr Frances Harris.
Frances is based at the University of Hertfordshire, in England and has a keen research interest into the broad sectors of food and farming, whether it concerns using the countryside for environmental education, rural livelihoods, or nutrient balances in farming systems.
A key theme underpinning all of her research concerns the process of public participation in science, and transdsiciplinary research involving collaboration between academic researchers and practitioners.
The conversation was thought provoking and enjoyable, with many aspects to delve into in future episodes.
During the episode we spoke about how Frances found her way into research, the concept of learning space, how does an outdoor learning space differ from a Forest School learning space and her thoughts why there may be a contradiction between inside learning being seen as serious and outdoor learning being seen as relief or escapism, amongst other key points that are contained within.
I have been incredibly fortunate to follow and gain insight from Frances more recent work, which has filtered into my own Masters study and indeed my Forest School practice.
It was a pleasure to speak with her about aspects of her research that had stood out to me and being given a chance to explore these a little deeper with the person who wrote it.
A few of key points that stood out from this conversation, were that of granting children permission in the outdoors, the power that the outdoor space has on expectations both for children and adults and the importance of meeting them where they are at.
During the chat the notion of granting children permission stuck with me.
At Forest school and indeed learning in the outdoors, children are granted permission in a sense to be children, with external pressures being removed.
Permission being granted to explore, permission being granted to be loud and boisterous if their feelings that day are processing uncertainty, permission being granted to be in control and charge of their learning destinations and of the process they will take to achieve something.
As apposed to a product they need to achieve to get to that next arbitrary learning step, for all intent and purpose they may not, in some cases, be ready for.
Permission being granted to fail, dust themselves off and work through something to their self determined goals without shame or comparison with others. So so powerful.
This links into my next take away in that the outdoor space being separate from that of a typical indoor environment brings with it a separate set of expectations for behaviour, learning, removal from curriculum pressure and rigour but at the very same time creating positive skills and dispositions in learners that can and does filter back into their ability to learn when in the classroom.
Allowing for independence, creativity, social reworkings, appreciation and value of different individuals skill sets by peers.
For children this can be a refreshing break from the hussle and bussle of classroom life, the over-stimulation of their environment or very real struggles they may with a comparing themselves to others.
Therefore perhaps our notions of learning outside being seen somehow as escapism or not serious learning, may need to be flipped and understood not as this or perhaps as an invader to educational ‘performativity’, but a complimentary tool to improving the learning potential of each and every child, so they may find success and be inspired to be the best version of themselves.
The last key point I noted that permeates through both other points is the notion of meeting a person where they’re at which as discussed with Frances includes adults.
In this very example those teachers that will be required to use outdoor spaces a lot more as a positive by product from Covid-19 that in my dreamt hope will become so ingrained in education that there will be little stimulation to return to the once widely held status quo of neglect of the outdoor learning environment.
As noted by Frances a lot of teachers may not feel comfortable or confident with teaching in this medium and that is more than ok.
Actually it is similar experience to that of their class when they are challenged through their learning.
To gain and thrive we all need to be placed outside our comfort zone, but first we need to be met where we are at to be able to become extended.
It is perhaps time for teachers to heed their own advice they give to children.
There is now, as both Frances and I feel, the perfect opportunity for outdoor practitioners, whom are un-allowed to work as widely, due to restrictions as they once were, to offer their immense value to such teaching professionals assisting them to excel in this unique, tricky and challenging teaching environment. As I referred to it in the chat, its like spinning many plates all at once.
But through exposure, assistance, coaching, guidance and being met where they are at, a change in mindset and ability to command such a learning arena can follow and allow for. Both teachers and children to benefit long into the future and perhaps is one good thing to come out of the worldwide mess.
To find out more about Dr Frances Harris and her work please follow the links
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