12/18/2017
Former teacher Shonstrom (Wild Curiosity) goes on a wilderness-enshrining, anti-technology rant against the American educational system, blaming it for the rise of mental health disorders and behavioral issues in children. He minces no words as he calls for a “radical rejection of the very tools that screwed us up in the first place.” Shonstrom’s message that “learning occurs most readily, authentically, and deeply when we’re moving our bodies” is straightforward, and he begins by sharing biological research about exercise and brain boosting and the health hazards of a sedentary lifestyle, though he also includes discredited claims such as time in the woods being a cure for clinical depression. As he continues, his proofs lean mostly toward admiration of mid-20th-century environmental romanticism, stories about his own parenting, and vehement dismissals of 21st-century social media culture. Shonstrom’s plan is basically to provide unstructured time to kids outdoors while taking away their electronic devices, though he brings in none of the tools or philosophy of the unschooling community, which could have helped support his message. Shonstrom’s overreaching call for a revolutionary change in childcare, though heartfelt, is ineffective, as he provides little guidance beyond asking people to realize how terrible the current system is and just walk out the door. (Nov.)
Inactivity is killing Americans. Humans weren't designed to sit at desks all day, and most of us started sitting at a desk in kindergarten. Shonstrom tackles not only the health consequences of our "Indoor Epidemic," but also its effects on our intellectual ability and spiritual wellbeing. He uses science, literature, and personal experience to argue it all begins with an institutionalized educational system in need of change. I didn't agree with every opinion in the book, but the Indoor Epidemic definitely challenged my ideas of traditional education and made me rethink my beliefs.
In an era of standards based education within a technology-obsessed culture, Erik Shonstrom reminds us of the educational value that lies just beyond our classroom cages in our own backyards and beyond. This rich research-based text will inspire any thoughtful educator or parent to empower young people to move and engage with the natural world around them.
Illuminating, wide-ranging, and inquisitive, The Indoor Epidemic reads like a long, lively conversation with an engaging friend. Shonstrom combines research with personal anecdotes to illuminate fundamental truths we all sense, but rarely act on—that we feel better outdoors, and that spending our days staring at screens is doing us no favors. For a generation drifting ever further from nature, The Indoor Epidemic is both an important work, and a hopeful one, for the route to a brighter future undoubtedly waits outdoors.
It was the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, Erik Shonstrom writes in The Indoor Epidemic, who observed “I have walked myself into my best thoughts.” Many of us have noticed we think better when standing up or walking around—I myself am a compulsive walk-thinker—but Shonstrom takes this notion farther, especially in two directions that apply to contemporary education: not only do we think better on the move, but we also learn better on the move; and that thinking and learning work even better if we are outdoors. The Indoor Epidemic is a well-researched book that argues convincingly that in traditional education we ask our students (and ourselves) to operate under the most unnatural and unpromising conditions and then wonder why our students seem less than engaged. This is vital reading for anyone interested in education—or, indeed, in the human spirit.
In the Indoor Epidemic, Shonstrom has reminded us of a basic truth that every traveler knows: learning occurs through experience, and the best experiences are those that happen when we venture out into the wide world.
Educator Shonstrom (Wild Curiosity: How to Unleash Creativity and Encourage Lifelong Wonderings, 2015) draws on his own outdoor learning experiences in this look at how our indoor-based education system lessens children’s capacity for abstract thought and damages their physical and mental health, selfworth, and emotional maturity. By ‘going outside’ Shonstrom means heading off into nature to explore in order to help elevate students’ inquisitiveness, mindfulness, and playfulness. He is intrigued by the egalitarian spirit of outdoor learning and how it levels barriers such as gender, race, and economics. There’s a change in the relationship between student and teacher when the class is outside, which can be empowering to the child. A school without walls is also an excellent place for environmental studies, making the lessons more concrete. A former Outward Bound instructor, Shonstrom is inspired by his youthful readings of adventure stories, Walt Whitman, nature writers, and environmental philosophers, and he also cites leading researchers in cognitive development. For all who care about and are involved with children and their education.
In The Indoor Epidemic, Professor Erik Shonstrom offers a cogent and provocative argument for learning that emerges from the freedom and adventure of natural outdoor experiences. Throughout the book, he advances the view that unstructured freedom of engaging with the challenge of nature furnishes the foundation for the development of personal growth. As supporting evidence for his thesis of the importance of experiential education in natural environments, Erik integrates his personal background and perceptions of education with those from disciplines such as history, philosophy, psychology, and literature. The book provides an alternative and stimulating view of education.
In The Indoor Epidemic, Professor Erik Shonstrom offers a cogent and provocative argument for learning that emerges from the freedom and adventure of natural outdoor experiences. Throughout the book, he advances the view that unstructured freedom of engaging with the challenge of nature furnishes the foundation for the development of personal growth. As supporting evidence for his thesis of the importance of experiential education in natural environments, Erik integrates his personal background and perceptions of education with those from disciplines such as history, philosophy, psychology, and literature. The book provides an alternative and stimulating view of education.
Educator Shonstrom (Wild Curiosity: How to Unleash Creativity and Encourage Lifelong Wonderings, 2015) draws on his own outdoor learning experiences in this look at how our indoor-based education system lessens children’s capacity for abstract thought and damages their physical and mental health, selfworth, and emotional maturity. By ‘going outside’ Shonstrom means heading off into nature to explore in order to help elevate students’ inquisitiveness, mindfulness, and playfulness. He is intrigued by the egalitarian spirit of outdoor learning and how it levels barriers such as gender, race, and economics. There’s a change in the relationship between student and teacher when the class is outside, which can be empowering to the child. A school without walls is also an excellent place for environmental studies, making the lessons more concrete. A former Outward Bound instructor, Shonstrom is inspired by his youthful readings of adventure stories, Walt Whitman, nature writers, and environmental philosophers, and he also cites leading researchers in cognitive development. For all who care about and are involved with children and their education.
After reading the sample chapter, I believe that the author’s goal for Indoor Epidemic’s to be accessible and readable is attained. Sometimes titles like this are written in a manner which does not reach the average public library reader, but I found the chapter to be easy to read and understandable. I especially enjoyed the sections where the author talks about his experience with his son. Having examples such as this will prompt the reader—especially those with children—to recall a similar instance.
The book’s emphasis on the negatives our children suffer by not having more exposure to nature ring true. From personal experience, I know my own children did not have the same exposure I had from growing up running the hills of my grandmother’s farm. My children, like many other children of their generation, don’t have grandparents on farms anymore. This fact alone has limited exposure to the outdoors. The author’s chapter explanations also take into effect that today’s parents are afraid for their children. Many would not even consider letting them ride their bikes around the block, let alone running free in the hills.
Education in today’s schools as the author describes is contrary to the nature of growing limbs and bodies. Cutting recess time and less PE are all combining to the indoor epidemic. This title brings all of these issues together in one title, allowing educators, parents and others to evaluate and hopefully advocate for change.
