Personal profile
Research interests
My overarching research interests are forest school, outdoor education, PSHE education and child language development in the context of early years education. My doctorate researched the impact of regular outdoor sessions (specifically, forest school) upon young children.
A book based on my doctoral research entitled 'Theorising the Quiet Power of Forest School' was published by Routledge, Jan 2026.
Biography
I have a first degree in Language and Linguistic Science. Following graduation I completed a PGCE and entered into the primary teaching profession. During my career in mainstream primary schools in the North-East of England I specialised in early years teaching, with a particular interest in forest school and outdoor learning. I completed a Masters in Education in 2011 and, following that, began teaching on the North Tyneside School Centered Initial Teacher Training programme. I joined Northumbria University as a Senior Lecturer in 2016, I have led the BA (Hons) Primary Education programme, and currently lead PGCE School Direct. I was awarded a PhD in the field of education in 2024, which explored the ethos and practice of forest school from a posthuman perspective.
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT FOREST SCHOOL? A POSTHUMAN EXPLORATION OF REGULAR, REPEATED, UNSTRUCTURED PRACTICE IN A WOODLAND SPACE, Northumbria University
Award Date: 23 May 2024
Education, MEd
30 May 2007 → 31 Dec 2011
Award Date: 30 May 2011
Linguistics, BA (Hons), Language and Linguistic Science, University of York
Award Date: 31 Jul 1991
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 4 Quality Education
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Meeting in the Forest: Education in a Posthuman Era
Hume, J., 17 Dec 2022, In: Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry. 14, 1, p. 118-127 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile68 Downloads (Pure) -
Hearing Children’s Voices in the Forest
Hume, J., 9 Jun 2023, Establishing Child Centred Practice in a Changing World: Part B. Frankel, S. (ed.). 1st ed. Bingley: Emerald Publishing, p. 73-90 13 p. (Emerald Studies in Child Centred Practice).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)103 Downloads (Pure) -
Generating new meanings within a known landscape: Subjective map-making in an urban forest school
Hume, J., 1 Aug 2024, Maplines, Summer 2024, p. 22-23 2 p.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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The ‘more-than-digital’ scrapmap: exploring the generative possibilities of digital data (from nature entanglement via digital abstraction to material artefact)
Hume, J., 18 May 2023, 6th European Congress of Qualitative Inquiry Qualitative Inquiry in the Anthropocene: Affirmative and generative possibilities for (Post)Anthropocentric futures : Congress Proceedings Book 2023. Fairchild, N. (ed.). Portsmouth: University of Portsmouth, p. 51-59 9 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review
Open AccessFile35 Downloads (Pure) -
Theorising the Quiet Power of Forest School: A Posthuman Framing of Regular, Repeated, Unstructured Practice in Nature
Hume, J., 22 Jan 2026, 1st ed. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. 168 p. (Routledge Research in Early Childhood Education)Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
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Post Humanism in the Woods: With Dr Jo Hume
Hume, J. (Speaker)
18 Jul 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Humanist and Post-Humanist Perspectives within Forest School Education.
Hume, J. (Speaker)
26 Mar 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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What’s so special about Forest School? Exploring practice within a new materialist/posthuman paradigm
Hume, J. (Speaker)
12 Feb 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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The secret diary of laptops: tethers that bind us to the precariousness of academia or ubiquitous epistemic objects in a posthuman story of hope and playfulness?
Ardron, K. (Speaker), Hume, J. (Speaker) & Barker, L. (Speaker)
10 Jan 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
Prizes
Thesis
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What’s so special about forest school? A posthuman exploration of regular, repeated, unstructured practice in a woodland space
Hume, J. (Author), Davies, J. (Supervisor), 23 May 2024Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis
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