Nature Deficit Disorder
While I am a supporter of increasing the use of technology in education, I have concerns about the potentially negative aspects of this trend. This post I will discuss the lack of exposure to the natural world that is currently correlating with the increasing use of video games, the internet, and other technologies.
Technology is often seen as a panacea by educators, and the current move towards 21st Century Learning seems to have solidified this in policy, at least in B.C. However, there are a few areas where technology in education may be having detrimental effects.
The engagement and understanding of nature and our place in the world is for me the most serious of these areas. The general theory behind using technology in education, particularly immersive, gaming technology, is that the students have skills in these areas already and by including them in the learning process they are able to engage students, personalize their learning and teach them valuable skills for the future of work. I do not disagree with these theories, but I am concerned at what gets left out when we favour technology.
Richard Louv coined the term “Nature Deficit Disorder” . It is not an official clinical condition, but has gained support from many in the health and education worlds. Louv claims that while technology may develop certain skills in children, it is not capable of producing fully rounded humans. He is also afraid that we, as a society, are telling kids that the future is technology and nature is in the past. Despite being mostly anecdotal, Louv’s work is an important message for B.C. as we consider what direction we should move education. We must include significant time and opportunity for young people to explore nature both in a structured and unstructured way. If not, there is a serious risk that humans may lose their connection to their environment, and thus never truly understand its value.
A big concern of allowing children to experience nature is borne out of fear. Fear of what evil people may be lurking in the woods, ready to steal our young. However, Professor Stephen Pinker would argue differently. He states that life now is less violent than at any time in history. Most statistics support his theory, in B.C. Crime Rates recently reached a 30-year low. Despite this, the media would have us believe that this is not the case. In fact, Canadian children are 3 times more likely to suffer assault by a member of their own family than by a stranger.
There are solutions to this problem. Many organizations exist to encourage young people to engage with nature. The Duke of Edinburgh Award program includes an ‘Adventurous Journey’ section which normally involves experiences in the outdoors. They claim that 75% of award participants have developed a greater appreciation of the environment. The Environmental Youth Alliance works to encourage young people to engage in the sustainability of their communities. Many community centres also offer programs and trips for young people to get outside.
We need to be aware of the potential risks of our policies as well as the benefits. For every decision which turns our students’ attention towards technology, turns it away from nature. Whether or not the future of education lies in greater technology I do not know. What I do know is that we will always need an appreciation of nature, and that we cannot develop an appreciation without frequent, direct experience.
