樂高的一名高管日前警告說:“如果孩子沒有充足的時間玩耍,他們將缺乏未來所需的工作技能。”
John Goodwin, head of Lego's charitable arm the Lego Foundation, says less time in the classroom and more time playing is the solution.
樂高旗下的慈善機構樂高基金會主席約翰•古德溫說,應對方法是少在教室里上課,多花時間玩耍。
The foundation has a 25% stake in the Danish toy maker, giving it a vested interest in encouraging play.
該基金會擁有丹麥樂高公司25%的股權,因此該基金會鼓勵玩??梢员WC它的既得利益。
Mr Goodwin is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, the annual gathering of top business and political leaders, in a bid to persuade them of the importance of play.
古德溫正在達沃斯參加世界經濟論壇,在這個商界和政界大佬云集的年度大會上,古德溫試圖說服他們相信玩耍的重要性。
He took over running the foundation last year after a spell as Lego's chief financial officer.
在去年接手基金會之前,古德溫曾做過樂高的財務總監(jiān)。
He hopes the Davos elite will put pressure on governments to make education more play-based.
他希望達沃斯論壇的精英們能向政府施加壓力,讓教育更多地以游戲為本。
If not, he believes companies will find it increasingly difficult to hire the type of staff they need: "Critical thinking and problem solving starts in early childhood development. It's where the foundations are laid."
如果不這么做,他相信未來各公司將發(fā)現(xiàn)越來越難招到他們需要的人才:“批判性思維和解決問題的能力的培養(yǎng)始于幼兒期。這是打基礎的階段。”
Mr Goodwin said technological advances, particularly the growth of the internet, meant that knowledge itself had become obsolete.
古德溫說,技術的進步,尤其是網(wǎng)絡的發(fā)展,意味著知識本身已經過時。
Instead he said it was now more important to teach children how to learn, and work things out for themselves, with play being one way to achieve this goal.
他說,現(xiàn)在更重要的是教孩子如何學習,如何自己解決問題,而玩耍則是達到這一目標的一個途徑。
Yet in a warning that will be familiar to many parents, the Lego Foundation chief says the "increasingly overscheduled world" of children has resulted in less time for them to do so.
但是,古德溫警告說,孩子們“排得越來越滿的日程”讓他們玩耍的時間變少了。這一警告也是許多家長所熟知的事實。
This could have "serious long term consequences" for companies, he said.
古德溫說,這將給企業(yè)帶來“嚴重的長遠后果”。
Mr Goodwin is not the first to warn about the issue: several studies have linked a drop in play with negative consequences.
古德溫不是第一個就該問題提出警告的人,許多研究都曾指出玩耍時間減少引發(fā)的負面影響。
Dr Peter Gray, a US psychologist and professor at Boston College, has argued that the fact children play less has led to an increase in childhood mental disorders including anxiety and depression, as well as a decline in empathy.
美國心理學家、波士頓學院教授皮特•格雷博士指出,孩子玩耍時間減少會導致兒童期精神障礙的情況增加,包括焦慮、抑郁和同理心減弱。
"In play, children themselves must decide what to do and how, and they must solve their own problems… and thereby develop competence and confidence," he wrote recently.
格雷博士最近寫道:“在玩耍過程中,孩子們自己必須決定做什么、怎么做,他們必須解決自己的問題……從而讓能力和自信心得到增強。”
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright and artist Paul Klee were also strong advocates of "block play" for children, to help develop spacial awareness and imagination.
建筑師弗蘭克•勞埃德•賴特和藝術家保羅•克利也都非常支持讓孩子玩積木游戲,他們認為玩積木游戲可以培養(yǎng)空間意識和想象力。
其實在很久以前,就有一句諺語一針見血地說出了不讓孩子玩的后果: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 只工作不玩耍,聰明杰克也變傻。