Over the last three academic years, a group of elementary teachers have been engaged in a Professional Book Club. We head off campus every few months to discuss a professional book selected by the group. Sharyn Skrtic, the present Grade 3 teacher, as one of her professional goals, started this initiative. This book club proved to be a catalyst for diving into stimulating conversations about various topics and issues related to teaching and education. I’ve been grateful to be a part of these discussions.
Our last book choice was, Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. We all connected personally and professionally to many of the ideas in this book. One of my own areas of interest and research is on the environment and learning. According to Louv’s hypothesis, children are suffering from a disconnect with the natural world which can have a profound impact on children’s social, emotional and cognitive development. He calls it ‘nature deficit disorder’. Other key ideas coming out of the book:
· We are all increasingly reliant and engaged in the use of technology, cutting ourselves off from nature
· The lack of time that children spend outdoors increases the impact of ‘nature deficit disorder’
· We can balance the impact of technology and the time children spend indoors by making sure they have the important nature play for healthy development
Certainly, some of the ideas coming out of the book can be debated. I’ve put Louv’s book summary on my blog, so have a look. It’s food for thought and might be worth reading as a parent.
Our last book choice was, Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. We all connected personally and professionally to many of the ideas in this book. One of my own areas of interest and research is on the environment and learning. According to Louv’s hypothesis, children are suffering from a disconnect with the natural world which can have a profound impact on children’s social, emotional and cognitive development. He calls it ‘nature deficit disorder’. Other key ideas coming out of the book:
· We are all increasingly reliant and engaged in the use of technology, cutting ourselves off from nature
· The lack of time that children spend outdoors increases the impact of ‘nature deficit disorder’
· We can balance the impact of technology and the time children spend indoors by making sure they have the important nature play for healthy development
Certainly, some of the ideas coming out of the book can be debated. I’ve put Louv’s book summary on my blog, so have a look. It’s food for thought and might be worth reading as a parent.
last_child_in_the_woods.pdf |