Ep 68 - Exploring CPD with Staś Pstrokonski

In this lively, time-warped episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Gemma link up with Stas, creator of Education Bookcast, who joins them from Taiwan (hence the three-second audio delay!). Together they unpack why reading deeply can sharpen outdoor practice, how discovery learning tripped them all up, and where Forest School sits on the traditional-progressive-unschooling spectrum. The conversation roams from cognitive science and confirmation bias to CPD economics, signalling theory, and the eternal tug-of-war between freedom and direction. Expect honest reflections, a few myth-busts, and plenty of ideas for keeping your practice evidence-informed without losing the mud under your boots. ⏱ Chapter Timings 00:00 – Wind, time-lag and housekeeping 00:50 – Introducing Stas & Education Bookcast across 7,000 miles 02:00 – Stas’s journey: years of reading, defining “learning”, and changing his mind 04:30 – Forest School’s “physical skills” bias vs academic reading for CPD 08:15 – Conferences, badges and signalling: do they really change practice? 13:20 – Traditional ↔ Progressive ↔ Unschooling: a one-dimensional problem 18:10 – Discovery learning research: when evidence overturns belief 22:45 – Measuring learning outdoors: autonomy, authenticity and hidden gains 27:10 – Take-aways, future chats and an open invite to Devon woods 🌲 Keywords: Forest School CPD, Education Bookcast, discovery learning, professional reading, signalling vs human capital, traditional vs progressive education, unschooling, cognitive science, authentic assessment, outdoor autonomy 🔖 Hashtags: #ForestSchool #EducationBookcast #OutdoorLearning #TeacherCPD #DiscoveryLearning #Unschooling #ProgressiveEducation #ReadingTeachers #CognitiveScience #AuthenticLearning 🌐 More Episodes & Support: Listen to more and access resources at ⁠www.theforestschoolpodcast.com⁠ Support the show and join our community at ⁠www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast⁠ For questions, feedback, or collaboration: ⁠[email protected]⁠