It may not solely be about achieving particular academic outcomes, but we're still doing it with some sort of intention. Obviously it still has a purpose. In delivering it, we are seeking to achieve something! So what is that something? Or shall I say somethings?
1. The influence on later environmentalist attitudes and behaviours and
2. The impact on academic achievement.
During the talk, Sobel (2017) referenced a study by Nancy M. Wells and Kristi S. Lekies (2006) in which 2,000 interviews with adults living in urban areas were conducted to determine whether there was a link between a person's childhood nature experiences and their current environmental attitudes and behaviours. The results indicated,
"Childhood participation with wild nature (e.g., hiking, camping, or playing in the woods), had a significant, positive effect on both adult environmental attitudes and behaviors. That is, people who participated in wild nature activities as children were more likely to have pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors as adults. Additionally, Wells and Lekies found that childhood participation with domesticated nature (e.g., picking flowers or planting seeds), while having a significant, positive effect, did not have as great an influence as that of wild nature on environmental attitudes and had only a marginal effect on environmental behaviors" (Children & Nature Network, 2017).
The discourse of Sobel's (2017) talk provided encouragment that programs like Forest School can be a really valuable thing, but his focus on the two outcomes of environmentalism and academic achievement also offered me the opportunity to reflect more deeply on the outcomes I wish to achieve through Forest School and to ask myself in a broader sense,
"What am I doing this for? What is Forest School for?"
I think the answer to what Forest School is for can vary from person to person. We tend to view it through different (and overlapping) lenses.
