The Importance of Getting Students Outside
By Andy Barnett
27,480 seconds. 458 minutes. 7.63 hours.
Any idea what those times represent? No, it’s not the amount of sleep I got last night (although, I wish). However, what they represent may be something to lose sleep over. Those numbers represent the average time a day an American child is spending indoors, using electronic media (Coyle).
Seven hours and thirty-eight minutes a day. That’s 53 hours a week. And that’s is only the average! That means a large amount of American children are spending longer on these devices.
So the question is: should this be of concern? The answer: yes!
“The basic finding seems to be yes, nature does seem to be really good for kids.” Frances Kuo, PhD
Students who spend more time outside, whether in outdoor instruction or unstructured free play, are more likely to perform better in school and gain long-term benefits.
Some of you are probably wondering why these kids are spending so much time inside. In short, there are numerous factors why. Part of it is because of the geographical locations. A lot more families are living in cities meaning less time outside. Some parents keep their children inside due to fear, particularly of strangers. This is worldwide too. In Britain, 43% of adults think a child should not play outdoors unsupervised until the age of 14 (Henley). It is also obvious that there has been a large increase in technology including TV shows, internet, and video games (Novatney).
So where can a child go to get outside more? Though it is not necessarily the current answer, it should be school.
Mr. Wallace is a 4th grade teacher. Like most young teachers, he entered his job with big ideas and high hopes. His kids were going to shine through their work resulting in refrigerator worthy grades. In addition, he wanted to be fun and allow his students to explore on their own. He also, like 65% percent of pre-service teachers (Blatt), wanted to have his students experience the outdoors. About a few weeks in to school year the pressure for meeting standards, having successful students, and high scores on standardized testing came in to play. He upped his in-class instruction time and started assigning more at-home work.
Well Mr. Wallace,
But don’t just take my word for it. According to the National Wildlife Foundation, outdoor education and play time helps students become high-performance learners. There are many cognitive benefits to taking kids outside and having them play in nature including increase in creativity, problem-solving, and focus (ChildrenAndNature.org). More time outdoors means less time in front of electronic media and research shows that increases student’s grades.
Taken from here
For teachers, it is hard to know how much unstructured outdoor play away from media is taking place at home, so it is important that time is found at school.
Generally speaking, students want to be outside. According to a study done by Karen Barton (here), when over 400 students were asked if they would like to spend more time out in nature, about 70% chose to either “Agree” or “Strongly” with only 11% responding negatively.
Mr. Wallace has now seen the charts and heard the facts. However, he still has standards to worry about. His administrators are coming around weekly wanting to see student assignments. How can his students produce these and still get outside? Here is an idea in literacy instruction.
Lesson Plan
The teacher could have a minilesson on using descriptive terms when talking about a setting. It may add more time to the language arts block, but have students go outside for inspiration. They are given no strict guidelines and can take a pencil if they want to jot down some ideas of what they see. After a good amount of time, take the kids back inside and have them begin writing a setting of a story using the strategies they learn in the minilesson, as well as inspiration from outside. The outdoor time, especially if done often, will increase their creativity, focus, confidence, and self-discipline making it a win-win which will most likely increase performance and quality of work (ChildrenAndNature.org). The students will use energy outdoors and will have less to spend in class time allowing for smoother operations and a better experience for the child.
Mr. Wallace is beginning to agree with the idea of regular outdoor play being effective, and he is not alone. According to a survey of over 1800 educators performed by the National Wildlife Federation, 78% of them agree with the statement that children who spend regular time in unstructured outdoor play are able to concentrate and perform better in the classroom.
Who doesn't like good grades? I would assume no one but unfortunately grades are not where the real pressure comes from. It is those two words that make every teacher shiver: Standardized Tests.
Preparation for standardized testing is arguably to most stressful aspect of teaching. Classroom time is so important and can hardly be wasted. In times like these, it can be easy to forget to take the kids outside regularly but it is for their benefit, right? The truth is, unless outdoor time and programs are not being done effectively, it may be hurting them (Coyle).
“Outdoor education and play time help students perform measurably better on standardized tests.” –NWF.org
The benefits that students gain through outdoor education can be directly translated to success on standardized testing. It is hard to teach to the test because it can be somewhat unpredictable and one should not just teach too specifically due to possible miseducation and failure. As pulled from here earlier, benefits from outdoor education include creativity, problem-solving, focus and self-discipline. Most standardized test grade on reading comprehension, writing, and math. These skills can help in all three of those subjects. In reading comprehension, creativity to infer and predict, as well as focus to stay engaged in the long text often thrown at kids can both result in higher performance.
Mr. Wallace’s world is spinning. He is now questioning everything about teaching he thought he knew. Hold on Mr. Wallace, it does not stop here. Before we continue, I need some fresh air. In the meantime, check out this video highlighting the importance of outdoor education and play (warning: spoilers).
Now that I am more focused, let’s continue.
In addition to performing higher in school, outdoor instruction and unstructured free play can also equip students with long term benefits. Today’s children who spend most time indoors are less physically fit, less able to concentrate and are less able to relate to peers and adults than any previous generation of children (Coyle).
PhD Martha Erickson, a developmental psychologist and professor in both Child Psychology and Family Social Science, credits outdoor activity to her children’s evolution to well-rounded adults here.
“Now, as young adults, they are fit, creative, adventurous and striving to protect the environment.” — PhD Martha Erickson
Studies show that about 1/3 of the youth are overweight or at risk of being overweight. This statistic can be related to TV, video games, and other indoor media intake (Novotney). Looking at it from a school’s standpoint: familiarizing students with the outdoors will spark more curiosity which will hopefully be taken back home where they will continue their time with nature. This decreases amount of time on electronic media which statistically speaking decrease chances of obesity and supports a healthier lifestyle. Also, the exposure to nature at a young age will result in more interest throughout life. An interest satisfied leads to a more adventurous, healthier lifestyle adding to the long term benefits.
Another huge long term benefit that impacts not only the specific student but the community is students who spend regular time outside gain an understanding and passion for nature resulting in knowledge to protect it. When students play outside, they gain an understanding of empathy and take in to consideration the feelings of those around them (Loscalzo).
“It’s a principle of human nature that you care for what you know and what you love,” says Erickson
Students, or anyone for that matter, can only truly gain an understanding and love for something if they are experiencing it firsthand. Nature is of no exception. Remember in school learning about political issues overseas? While, yes, it was a concern, it was hard to be passionate about it. Students can read about pollution or deforestation online or in books all they want but it is not until they experience nature can they know what is best for it. This results in knowledgeable citizens of a democratic government voting to protect what is so important to some people.
Takeaways
The importance of getting students and children outside cannot be overlooked. Educator’s main purpose is to set their students up for success and one way of doing that is to have them experience the outdoors and unstructured free play. There are many factors that contribute to students not being outside enough that the school cannot control. However, the schools and teachers must still do their part to make sure these students get a breath of fresh air. The short term benefits including creativity, problem-solving, focus and self-discipline will help them be successful in not only terms of grades but also in standardized tests. These skills can be used in variety of contexts. Also, teachers dream of being able to supply their students with long term benefits and exposure to nature can give these to them.
Let’s hope for a tomorrow in which more students are outside for our tomorrow depends on it.
Oh, and if you’re wondering where Mr. Wallace is, I think he just took his students outside. But he did leave us this email:
Sources:
Barton, K. (2012). Colorado’s Millennial Generation: Youth Perceptions and Experiences of Nature. Journal of Geography, (111), 213–223.
Blatt, E., & Patrick, P. (2014). An Exploration of Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences in Outdoor ‘Places’ and Intentions for Teaching in the Outdoors. International Journal of Science Education, 36(13), 2243–2264. M
Burdette, Hillary L., M.D., M.S.; and Robert C. Whitaker, M.D, M.P.H. (2005). “Resurrecting Free Play in Young Children: Looking Beyond Fitness and Fatness to Attention, Affiliation and Affect.” American Medical Association.
Coyle, K. (2010, September 1). Back To School: Back Outside. Retrieved November 9, 2014, from http://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/BeOutThere/BacktoSchool_full_report.ashx
Novotney, A. (2008). Getting back to the great outdoors. Monitor,39(3), 52–52. Retrieved November 7, 2014, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/03/outdoors.aspx
Loscalzo, S. (2013, April 2). Why Playing Outdoors Makes Children Smarter. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
Henley, J. (2010, August 16). Why our children need to get outside and engage with nature. Retrieved November 8, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/16/childre-nature-outside-play-health
