Last Child In The Woods Summary

1.) I do agree with Louv’s thesis that his generation was outdoors much more than generations after him and that today’s generation is suffering from nature deficit disorder. “Nature-deficit disorder describes the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses” (pg. 36). It is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of nature deficit order but Louv explores the many causes of nature deficit disorder like parental restrictions, restricted access to natural areas, and technology. These problems did not impact his generation like it has on the latter generations.

Parents play an active role in an adolescent’s development. Parents serve

Louv states, “environmental education focuses on how to live correctly in the world” (p. 203) but not nature. One of the solutions that he offers is the reinstatement of natural sciences in order to “insure that students experience nature first-hand and are instructed in the fundamentals of the natural sciences” (p. 144). This best relates to Tbilisi’s definition of EE. Tbilisi believed that the goal of environmental education is to “succeed in making individuals and communities understand the complex nature of the natural and the built environments…and acquire the knowledge, values, and attitudes and practical skills” to anticipate and solve environmental problems and manage the environment (UNESCO),1977). The keywords of this definition are “making” and “natural” which is different than other EE definitions. This definition takes in the “built environment” and “the natural” Instead of just educating individuals and communities about environmental problems, we have to develop a connection with nature in order to work towards solutions. Tbilisi’s EE definition is also localized and takes all the aspects of different communities and individuals in account. Many EE objectives focus on environmental issues but individuals are not able to understand the extent of these problems unless they have a relationship with nature which

It does not allow students to develop a connection with nature. Students learn from activities and computers which add to the alienation between individuals and nature. Outdoor education programs have impacted children positively. A study conducted by American Institutes for Research in 2005 involving 255 at-risk sixth grade students compared the impact between outdoor and indoor education programs resulted in “a 27 percent increase in measured mastery of science concepts; enhanced cooperation and conflict resolution skills; gains in self-esteem, problem-solving, motivation to learn, and classroom behavior” (p. 208). Problem-solving and motivation to learn is crucial in Stapp’s and Belgrade’s definition of EE. “Finland also encourages environment-based education and has moved a substantial amount of classroom experience into natural settings or the surrounding community” (p. 205). America should follow Finland’s naturalist approach to education. It is clear that students benefit tremendously from outdoor education programs and improves skills that are crucial to achieving EE’s goals of working towards environmental