숲 활동에서 교사와 유아의 관계 맺기 경험과 교사의 역할

Relationships Building Experience Between Teachers and Children in Forest Activities

본 연구는 일반 어린이집의 한 학급 유아들과 담임교사의 숲 활동 시 나타나는 관계 형성에 대한 경험을 탐색하고 교사의 역할을 알아보는 질적 연구이다. 숲 활동에서 나타나는 교사와 유아의 관계맺기 경험은 거친 환경을 통한 도움의 공유, 계획되지 않은 자연물에 대한 발견과 탐구의 공유, 비구조적 환경에서의 도전을 공유, 자연에 의한 위로와 돌봄의 공유로 상호 관계성을 갖고 성장하며 발전하고 있었다. 또한 숲은 실내와 다르게 계획에 의한 환경이 아니므로 숲 활동을 통해 나타나는 교사의 역할은 숲 활동의 보호와 안전의 주체이자 대상, 숲 활동 결과물보다 과정과 본성 존중, 숲 활동 확장을 위한 허용과 지원, 자연을 숲 활동의 교육매개로 활용하는 특성으로 나타났다. 숲에서 교사와 유아는 동등한 공동체의 일원으로서 관계성을 갖고 서로 협력하며 발전을 이루므로 숲 활동에서 교사와 유아의 관계 맺기 경험에 대한 반성적 성찰과 숲 활동을 실천하는 교사의 역할에 대한 재개념화를 통해 숲 교육의 활성화에 기여하는데 의의가 있으리라 기대한다.

The study is a qualitative study that explores the relationship building experience experienced by children and their homeroom teacher in a typical daycare center at a time when the importance of forest education has increased and become active. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the revitalization of forest education by reconsidering the experiences of making relationships between teacher and children in forest activities and reconsidering the role of teachers in carrying out forest activities. This study involved 16 children aged 4 to 5 years with their homeroom teacher and was directly observed in the sites of the forest activities. For the data collection, videos were filmed and recorded as well as field notes, and non-style interviews, reflective journals, and education plans were collected from the teacher. The research material was classified, organized and categorized. The results of this study are summarized as follows. The experience of forming a relationship between the teacher and young children through forest activities can be characterized into sharing help in harsh environments, the discovery and sharing of unplanned natural objects, the sharing of challenges in an unstructured environment, and the sharing of comfort and caring through nature. These grew and developed through interrelationships. In addition, since forests are not a planned environment, the teacher’s role in forest activities has been shown to be the following: protection and safety through forest activities, respecting the process and nature over the results of the forest activities, acceptance and support for expanding forest activities, and the use of nature as an educational medium for forest activities.