Inclusive Education through Forest School

Creating Equitable Learning Environments for All
Erscheinungsjahr 2027
ISBN: 978-3-032-42362-7
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 106 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: International Explorations in Outdoor and Environmental Education

This volume examines how Forest School can contribute to more inclusive educational environments by reshaping the conditions under which children participate, learn, and are recognised. Rather than treating outdoor learning as inherently inclusive, it explores how pedagogy, relationships, environmental design, institutional structures, and opportunities interact to shape a learner agency to foster—or inhibit—participation.

Drawing on research in inclusive education, outdoor and environmental education, disability studies, experiential learning, and critical realism, the book combines conceptual analysis with an empirical case study of an English primary school. It examines how practical and collaborative activity, responsive facilitation, sustained engagement with a place, and flexible learning structures may support the participation of diverse learners, including pupils identified with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), while also considering the broader questions of social justice, accessibility, culture, language, socio-economic inequality, and environmental justice.

The book also addresses the practical and institutional conditions required for inclusive Forest School provision, including programme design, risk-benefit assessment, professional learning, curriculum integration, family engagement, and leadership support. It concludes by identifying the priorities for future research and policy, offering a theoretically grounded and practically relevant resource for researchers, educators, school leaders, teacher educators, and policymakers interested in inclusive, experiential, and environmentally responsive education.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Stavrianos, Alexandros

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Pädagogik Bildungssystem Bildungspolitik, Bildungsreform
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Lehrerausbildung, Unterricht & Didaktik Lehrerausbildung
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Schulen, Schulleitung Privatschulen, alternative Schulformen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1. Rethinking Mainstream Education: Child, Curriculum, and Context.- Chapter 2. Historical Roots, Global Adaptations, and the Evolution of Forest School.- Chapter 3. Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and Social Justice in Education.- Chapter 4. The Pedagogical Architecture of Forest School.- Chapter 5. Designing and Implementing an Inclusive Forest School Programme.- Chapter 6. Inclusive Practices in Forest School.- Chapter 7. The Forest School Case Study: Evidence, Participation, and Educational Visibility.- Chapter 8. Interpreting the Case: Mechanisms, Constraints, and Transferability.- Chapter 9. Implications for Policy, Curriculum, and Practice.- Chapter 10. Explaining Inclusive Participation: A Critical Realist Synthesis.- Chapter 11. From Evidence to Design: Implementation and Future Research.- Chapter 12.  Rethinking Inclusion through Forest School: Conclusions and Future Directions.

Über Autor(innen)

Alexandros Stavrianos is a primary school teacher and researcher with experience in mainstream and inclusive education in Greece and the United Kingdom. He is an associate member of the Centre for Critical Realism. He holds a BA in Educational Sciences and an MSc in Environmental Education from the University of the Aegean, Greece and has completed postgraduate studies in Psychology, Special Education, and Educational Leadership. He earned his PhD in Education from Anglia Ruskin University, UK, where his research examined Forest School, inclusive practices, and the participation of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). His research interests include inclusive education, outdoor and environmental education, Forest School, experiential learning, and critical realism.