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Location : Wasted Space Job/hobbies : Cayman Islands Actuary
| Subject: A generation of outdoor-illiterate adults unless OZschwitz children engage with nature as part of schooling Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:40 pm | |
| AUSTRALIA risks producing ''a generation of outdoor-illiterate adults'' unless children engage with nature as part of their schooling, an outdoor education expert says.
Associate Professor Tonia Gray, from the school of education at the University of Western Sydney, said that for ''screen-agers tethered to their computers or TV screens'', school-based outdoor education programs might offer their only opportunities for outdoor exploration.
''School-age children today are using social media, computer games and television for their entertainment,'' she said. ''What this will create is a generation of outdoor-illiterate adults.
''Outdoor educators are already noticing that Australian children cannot walk confidently and skilfully in outdoor environs. They are unfamiliar with uneven ground, crossing rivers or negotiating steep hilly terrain. They've got absolutely no motor co-ordination or skills to deal with it.'' Advertisement
Outdoor education was needed now more than ever, said Scott Polley, a University of South Australia lecturer and representative of Outdoor Education Australia.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/outdoor-treks-no-cakewalk-for-screenagers-20120824-24rx6.html#ixzz24WPvZJMt
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