Hannah Myers, Loughborough University
“I’ve only waited twenty years for this” Sara Knight began as she welcomed practitioners and researchers to the first International Forest School Research Symposium. It was a poignant moment, and a long time coming, in recognising the steps taken to bring over 70 delegates together from three different continents to share their perspectives, research findings and insights of Forest School and associated practices. In the foyer there was a sense of excitement about the next few days, attendees introducing themselves, seeking out virtual colleagues and discussing their expectations for the upcoming event. We were right to be excited. Over the next 48 hours attendees were treated to two workshops, two keynote speakers and 32 presentations. These were run by researchers, practitioners, representatives of organisations and participants who shared thought-provoking content designed to enhance our current understanding of Forest School and inform its future direction.
Looking at the event program, names from my own reference list jumped out at me: Frances Harris, Ange Garden and Alice Goodenough among many others, and it was inspiring to hear these established academics speak about their work alongside doctoral students beginning their research career. Since sessions ran in parallel it was not possible to hear every speaker, but I listened to presentations about the context and big picture of Forest School, about underpinning theories, logistics of land access and the value of interdisciplinary perspectives. There were introductions to how a practice similar to UK ‘Forest School’ is delivered in around the world (Ireland, Israel, Italy), and arguments made about learning from the rise of novel pedagogies throughout history. There were discussions both about how we can enable more diverse groups of people to experience Forest School and how powerful it can be when that happens.
I left the symposium feeling as though my head was now so full of knowledge that it was spilling out, I barely resisted giving the bus driver a full debrief. I think that was the whole point, to inspire. It might have taken twenty years, but from a flickering ember, a community, network and pedagogy has grown. In her introduction Sara Knight handed over the metaphorical reins to the delegates at the conference, giving the practitioners and researchers in attendance the task of reinforcing the strong foundations of Forest School that are already in place with robust, evidenced academic research. I think we are ready for it.
