研究發現 戶外學習對幼兒發展起到促進作用

Childhoods were dramatically changing, with fewer opportunities to spend time outdoors, researchers observed. The loss of exposure to the natural environment would have negative long-term consequences, they warned.

研究人員發現，隨着在室外的機會的減少，兒童的童年正在發生巨大改變。研究人員警告稱，戶外時間減少將對兒童的長遠發展產生負面影響。

Establishing an "outdoor learning hub" would help teachers, and help shape policies and strategy, they suggested.

他們建議建立“戶外學習中心”，這將有助於老師教學，有助於確定相關的政策和策略。

The report highlighted previous studies that showed that busier family lives, combined with an increased sense of fear in society, children were having fewer opportunities to explore their surrounding natural environment.

該報告強調了之前的研究結果，即隨着家庭生活變得繁忙，家長對外界不安全因素的日益擔憂，孩子們在戶外自然環境中曝光的機會在減少。

This was hampering children's social skills as well as risking stifling their long-term physical, emotional development and wellbeing. Therefore, it was important that schools did not overlook the opportunities that outdoor learning provided to bridge this gap.

戶外時間的減少既不利於兒童社交能力的發展，也不利於他們長期、全面的身心發展。因此，學校重視戶外學習的機會對彌補這種差距起到的作用就顯得非常重要了。

At the moment, if outdoor learning is part of a school's curriculum in England, it is largely because the teachers recognise the value of it, said report co-author, Sue Waite, a reader in outdoor learning at Plymouth University, UK. With so much focus on academic attainment, there can be pressure on teachers to stay in the classroom which means children are missing out on so many experiences that will benefit them through their lives.

蘇·威特是該報告的聯合作者之一，也是英國普利茅斯大學戶外教育的高級講師。她表示：“目前在英國，如果有學校將戶外學習納入教學課程，很大程度上是因爲老師意識到了戶外學習的價值。過度關注學習成績，會對老師造成教學壓力，迫使老師待在教室教學，這就剝奪了很多能使學生終生受益的戶外學習經歷。”

The report made a number of recommendations, including the establishment of a "strategic policy/research hub" to "collate existing research, prioritise future research needs and help improve the alignment between research and policy".

該報告列出了一些建議,包括通過建立“策略性政策/研究中心”、“梳理現有研究，確定未來研究需要的優先級並優化理論研究和政策之間的對接。”

Ms Waite's fellow co-author Prof Karen Malone, from Western Sydney University, added: "This report maps the evidence to encourage researchers and policymakers to meet at the interface of research and policy in order to shape a positive future for our children."

威特的同伴、報告的聯合作者、西悉尼大學的教授卡倫·馬龍說道：“爲了給我們的孩子創造一個更加積極的未來，我們在研究中詳細的描述了鼓勵研究者的研究和決策者的政策相結合的證據。”