A combination of
both internal and external factors impact on social behaviour of children today
including:
• Biology: this is linked to genetic
make-up inherited from immediate family. Research has been carried out to look
into the brain to begin to understand some of these core roots. It has been
documented that it was noted in the brains of Westerners it indicated that they
“tend to have a stronger sense of independence and personal self while
Easterners tend to view society from a more holistic perspective.” Another
study by Cacioppa stated that, “The genes are like the keyboard on which the
song of life is played, but the pianist is the social environment, it helps
determine which genes are turned on or off.”
This highlights the
requirement for a positive social environment in order for our learners to
achieve to the best of their ability.
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2013/july-august-13/below-the-surface-of-social-behavior.html
• Environment: I know myself that my
social behaviour is affected by the environment I am in. If I am in a crowded
hot shopping centre with no natural light I am going to act completely
differently to being walking through a country lane with my family. It has been
proven that a factor such as light, whether it is natural or artificial, can
improve health outcomes for illnesses including depression and agitation in Alzheimer’s.
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine 04.06.2014 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140604094110.htm
• Age: There are certain expectations
within our society of what is expected of people at certain age. Even into
adulthood there are expectations of career, marriage, owning a home, for
example. Within education there are also a huge amount of age-related
expectations for children’s development, but is this moving children on too
quickly and making them grow up too soon and miss out on developing social
skills through play and being outdoors? Running my pilot sessions with a year 4
class (8-9 year olds) has really opened my teacher eyes as to just how young
they still are. At first during our sessions they were slightly unsure if they
were allowed to, as everything within the traditional classroom is relatively
restrictive, but as the sessions went on their imagination and creativity of
exploring the natural environment was fantastic. Within society, and within
education, we are expecting more from children too early on in their
development, as well as expecting all children to be at the same milestones at
the same age. Giving children, and adults, the environment and permission to
explore allows them to learn at an appropriate pace for them and this is what
Forest School allows. Children are building on their own learning and learning
new skills which they can understand the real life use of. During our initial
Forest School week it was fantastic to see ‘grown-ups’ playing games and
exploring nature through imaginative storytelling – not something society would
see as expected behaviour!
• Gender: Following on from age
expectations society has also certain stereotypes for the different genders:
girls are clean, tidy and exact; whereas boys like getting dirty and fight.
Male and female
brains develop at different rates affecting the kind of activities that they
prefer to do at an early age and the way in which they interact with others.
There is debate over how much of this is biological and how much is taught,
most agree that it is a combination of the two.
Learned gender
stereotyping about how they are taught these stereotypes, known as ‘Gender
Schema Theory’ states that there are three main sources within a child’s
environment which shape their perspective on gender: parents, teachers, and the
media and culture. Therefore when children first come into the Forest School
environment they often, initially, adhere to this learned gender expectation.
• Nutrition: Nutrition can have a
significant impact on the social behaviour of those within a Forest School.
There have been numerous studies including: ‘The Links between Diet and
Behaviour: The influence of nutrition on mental health.’ - Report of an inquiry held by the Associate
Parliamentary Food and Health Forum 2008. This provided evidence that the
impact of eating breakfast in the morning was significant in the function of
the brain for a school child, furthermore eating a low glycaemic breakfast, such
as All Bran – rather than Coco-Pops, created better results in brain behaviour
and subsequently social interactions. The study also stated that a balanced
diet would have a significant impact on both physical and mental health; due to
the brain being the highest consumer of glucose in the body. In relation to
social interaction: low iron intake equated to poorer behaviour, Omega 3 fatty
acid DHA decreased hostility and aggression in a person whilst Omega 6
increased hostility. All in all it is apparent that we need to ensure that
children whilst at Forest School need to be provided for and linked to Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs, physiological needs (including food) are at the foundations
of the pyramid.
• Education: Prior education can have an
impact on social behaviour of Forest School learners as this will influence
their relationship with Forest School. For example, for a child who is a high
academic achiever within a traditional classroom, they could feel unnerved
about being in a new environment where there are different expectations and
they might not perceive themselves as being very good. On the other hand, there
could be a child who is switched off from learning due to previous poor
behaviour or low academic ability or poor relationships with teachers due to
them not enjoying sitting still in the classroom, they could feel empowered in
Forest School and a release.
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