Head of Class, Forest Classrooms, and Principles of Different Educators

During this week, we did a number of different things and discussed very important topics dealing with our current classroom and classrooms in other parts of the world. To begin the week, we all took part in choosing the head of our class. After hearing what the two candidates had to say, each person placed their vote. The winner was Maria Caro, she will represent our class.  

After making an important decision about our own classroom, we watched a video entitled "Kids Gone Wild" about a completely different type of classroom. The video took place in Denmark and followed a preschool class that held their classroom entirely outside in the forest. No matter the weather, the students spent their school day exploring and discovering the natural world. 

The video described the positive effects of an outdoor classroom. For example, the students are very independent because they are given a lot of trust to explore and play in the forest. The trust the students are given the students with a clear understanding of what is expected of them. 

It was completely different than any other type of preschool because the students had the freedom to climb very tall trees (as shown in the picture above), roll around on the ground, and whack sticks against a tree trunk. Although that sounds troubling, it showed that these children found great joy in going to school everyday and held the responsibility of playing safe. The biggest positive outcome of a forest school is that the children begin the education system enjoying learning. They are given the freedom to explore natural things that excite and interest them. This is very important because it paves the way for students to enjoy school and learning. 

After watching the video, we then read about nine different educators and their principles. It was interesting because the forest school followed many of the principles of the different educators. For example, Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that educators should provide developmentally appropriate activities that ensure a sense of worth and morality. He advocated for a natural educational environment that does not restrict a child's growth. The forest school is an excellent example of this because it fosters trust, thus providing the children with a sense of worth.

We ended the week by summarizing our past classes. In doing so, each group created up to ten questions from Unit One. This allowed each group to review all the unit material.