Unit 3 1.1 Summarise 2 recognised learning theories and explain their relevance to a Forest School programme.

• Schema (Piaget Chris Athey Cathy Nutbrown)
• Zone of Proximal Development/Scaffolding (Vygotsky)

 Learning Theory - Schema (Piaget Chris Athey Cathy Nutbrown)

 What are schemas?

Nutbrown’s definition of a schema is a “pattern of behaviour, which has a consistent thread running through it”. The theory of schemas allows a practitioner to recognise underlying systems of learning through play. These schemas are divided into various different areas of a child’s discovery. They may be discovering how things move up and down or they may be designing and testing how boundaries work.

There are different patterns of behaviour or schemas that have been identified and they are; dynamic vertical, dynamic back and forth, dynamic circular, going over and under, going round a boundary, going through a boundary and containing and enveloping space.

Use in a Forest Schools approach

When we observe children at play we must observe closely their patterns of behaviour rather than the game they play. For example, a child following the ‘containing and enveloping space’ schema or ‘boundary’ schema may make a circle of sticks and bring other items into that enclosed space. They then may move to another activity and favour the construction of a stick house. They may then take things into and out of the house. They may add things inside the structure and take things away. They may see what fits through the boundary and what does not.

Once the practitioner is aware of these schemas and how they are expressed throughout play, they can acknowledge this and provide activities which support that child-led investigation. They are also able to plan activities which support this schema in future forest school activities.

 

Learning Theory Zone of Proximal Development/Scaffolding (Vygotsky)

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Top of Form

Bottom The ‘zone of proximal development’ is a theory of learning made popular by Lev Vygotsky.  It proposes that a learner will find themselves in a zone of proximal development when learning something new. However, when they are in this ‘zone’ they are in a state of understanding throughout but are unable to complete the task independently. These skills are called "proximal" because the person, who exhibits them, is close to mastering the skill but still needs a level of guidance in order to reach the level of mastery. The individual who offers guidance is someone who is more knowledgeable in that area.

Vygotsky believed that people learn by being guided by those who are more knowledgeable and skilled. The more knowledgeable leader helps the student by modelling and guiding them through the activity. The leader provides activities that enable the student to practise what they have been observing, through the social interactions they have.

When children are in the zone of proximal development the leader needs to provide them with the help and the tools they need to accomplish the task in hand. The items supplied could be tools or instructions. When the child or participant has reached a level of competence, the help (or scaffolding) can be gradually removed until the student can complete the task without any support. As children or students move on in their learning, so does the scaffolding provided by the leader. The learning is continually moving forward and therefore, so must the scaffolding.

Use in a Forest Schools approach

When we lead others in a Forest School setting we must provide activities that engage the learner but also provide scaffolding to assist learning in all possible ways.  Scaffolding (Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976) is a way of providing hints to the learner, whilst they are in the zone of proximal development. These come in the shape of social interactions that leaders have with the Forest School participants, in their development towards mastery.

For example, we were near a frozen pond and the children were really excited by the ice and wanted to test it with various sticks and stones. One child wanted to know how deep the pond was and we had a discussion about its depth and how we could work out how deep it was. The children were unsure how to work it out. By finding a large stick and asking leading questions that helped the children arrive at a conclusion themselves, they worked out that they could use the stick to measure depth. We did not simplify the task but simply ‘scaffolded’ the thought process, so that the conclusion was arrived at by the learner.

Planning should involve activities that children can achieve independently but can also be learnt with the help of others. Therefore, we went onto develop the concept of measure when the children needed to find large sticks for a den building activity. How could we make sure we had the correct length of stick before we carried it all the way to the den area? We were able to pair older children with younger children, so that their social interactions would scaffold the younger children’s learning.

By maintaining awareness and understanding of the theories of learning, we ensure that the whole Forest School experience is a positive learning experience for everyone involved. The theories ensure that children remain engaged in their learning experience and are empowered to move their own learning forward. They also ensure that leaders have exactly the right amount of input and teaching is not just a one-way experience for the learner.