Authentic Learning Environment

Developing Social Literacy

21/1/2021

Written by Clare Caro

Learning Social Literacy

We are not born with social skills, they develop. Learning social skills is an important part of childhood.

Learning to read people, get along with others, what is (and what is not) socially acceptable behaviour in different contexts, and adapt our behaviour is a skill called Social Literacy.

Social Literacy develops with time to learn with others, while the brain and emotional system are in development.

Tools and time
The first social skills we learn as children are from the big people in our lives, through our experiences of how they relate to us and others around them. It is part of our 'survival-learning package' that says we adopt these social patterns to 'speak the same language' as those around us.

These adopted patterns need time and space to practice with others in order to master. Through play and working together, we grow communication skills and social skills, both essential aspects of socialisation.

It is through learning with others that we widen our learning, for example, learning that what is 'normal' in one family might not be the same in another family or appropriate in public groups.

We have isolated three tools to help learners with social literacy: 1/ We choose a relationship dynamic for working together; we have chosen the partnership model where we work 'in agreement'. 2/ Understand behaviour and how there are two areas of the brain that affect behaviour. 3/ We learn a vocabulary of safe language, use gentle feedback and raise problems to achieve agreement and cooperation.

Working In Agreement
An agreement ensures that everyone has a voice in making the decisions that govern us and works toward a shared vision of safety. The agreement helps us to understand what is expected of ourselves and others in the group.

The In-Agreement model differs from the traditional Top-Down model, where we are told what to do without an opportunity to agree. Working 'in agreement' is key to resolving conflict, learning to work with others and developing healthy leadership skills.

Anatomy of Behaviour
There are two important areas of the brain that affect behaviour; they are the amygdala and pre-frontal cortex.

Amygdala
The amygdala is responsible for emotions, moods and is our "emotional alarm system". Our 'alarm system' can get activated not only when there is something dangerous or harmful, but also when we perceive or feel something as being dangerous or harmful. It is the feeling of unsafety that can send us into survival mode, our amygdala becomes active, and changes happen in our body and in our behaviour.

In the body; our breathing quickens, digestion slows or stops, our heart rate increases, eyes dilate and stress hormones increase so that we are physically ready to fight, take flight or freeze.
In behaviour; we can become defensive, attacking and forceful, which can be dangerous and harmful to others (fight), we run or cling to safety (flight), or simply be nonresponsive and shut down (freeze).

Pre-frontal Cortex
The pre-frontal cortex is responsible for integrating all parts of the brain to work together, affecting our body and social world. When the pre-frontal cortex stops perceiving threats where there are none, we can observe with logic instead of fear.

In the body; we can regulate our impulsive reactions, recognise when we are becoming over-stressed, why, and know what to do about it.
In behaviour; we can function in times of stress, assess situations rationally, are open to new information, and hold two opposing views in mind at the same time.

Developing a stable amygdala and pre-frontal cortex connections are important when learning and developing social literacy.

Safe Language
Safe language is a way of communicating with another person whose "emotional alarm system" has gone off, or someone who is in the habit of communicating with amygdala-led behaviour.

This language speaks in a way that invites cooperation, partnership, and maintains a safe environment. When humans feel safe, there is no need to be on alert, no need to protect ourselves with fighting, fleeing or nonresponsive behaviour.

How to Safely Respond
Gentle feedback is how we respond, rather than our own 'emotional alarm system' going off. With the emotional alarm system turned off, it is possible to hear new information, ideas and different points of view, empathise, work towards a shared view for a team "win-win" outcome, self-regulate and more.

How to Raise a Problem
Safe language helps us raise problems face-to-face, in a way that is easy for the person we are talking to to hear us - and that is easy for us to communicate our needs, opinions and agreed boundaries. We can develop that ability to hear the needs of others and use descriptive language, along with learning how to own a problem and seek solutions that work for everyone involved.

Being Response-able
The goal is to be able to respond instead of reacting. Being responsible for our own behaviour grows our ability to express ourselves and relate to others from all walks of life, in a way that feels safe for everyone.

Once children have developed social literacy skills, they are then able to resolve most conflicts quickly with minimal input from adults and any disruptive, unwanted and bullying behaviours are prevented from developing or escalating. This leaves more time for learning, playing and enjoying time together.

If a child can do advanced math, speak three languages, or receive top grades, but can't manage their emotions, practice conflict resolution, or handle stress, none of that other stuff is really going to matter."
- Mohamad Safa

We bring people together, build and connect communities. We embrace diversity and equality by recognising that every person is unique and offer inclusive environments that cross divisions of age, culture, gender, ability and class. We do this practicing respectful group dynamics and relationship skills. #socialliteracy

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Supporting Reading & Writing Naturally

7/12/2020

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Authentic Learning Environments follow naturally paced developmental stages

Following naturally paced development in reading and writing means no rushing or forced left-brain development. Instead, we facilitate right-brain development at its peak and wait until the left-brain comes online on time. It also means no directorial teaching until the child has reached seven years of age - instead, we support experiential learning at its peak.

From about the age of two years, the right-brain grows more quickly, peaking at around four years of age. The brain's right-hand side is home to social-emotional development and specialises in regulating stress and our automatic functions (breathing, heartbeat etc.) in conjunction with our developing emotions – through the central nervous system.

The focus for this window of development and learning is an immersive experience. Young children soak in information from their surroundings at an incredible speed, everything at 40 million bits per second! In the early years of life, the brain operates in the frequency ranges used in hypnosis - delta and theta. These are pure download states.

What is learned experientially will largely contribute to our default unconscious behaviours and be the foundations for the left-brain development soon to follow.

After the right-brain developmental peak comes the left-brain developmental peak. It uses all the knowledge gained through experience (experiential learning) when the right brain was in its development window.

"There are some that argue that if you start kids reading too young you shut down, or you circumvent the normal development of that right-brain, which is so important for having intuitions about how to get along in the world with people. …It needs to be immersion in real-life experience, and if you pull kids away and put them in front of a book, it takes away that building of knowledge. …The left-brain accesses all that knowledge that you developed from experience because it can't feel experience, it's more of the right-brain focus." - Darcia Narváez

The shift into left-brain development happens around the age of seven years. It coincides with the Neocortex development, home to Executive Function and our ability to think before acting. And the head-brains newfound access to Alpha 8Hz – 12Hz frequencies associated with conscious processing (filtering incoming experiential information) and insights or inspiration that come from bursts of Alpha electrical activity. The left-hand side of the brain is home to language, patterns (codes), conscious behaviour, rational thinking.

At around seven years, the social-emotional cognitive work is almost done for that cognitive growth window, and the unconscious defaults are set. Soon, the developing child will naturally shift into the conscious state and a deep interest in numbers, letters, infographic symbols, and getting symbols the correct way around. This is when, at around age seven, for most children who have been supported in natural development, reading and writing will take centre stage.

The very experience of being taught something that our brains are not ready for can leave a lasting mark on our default unconscious behaviours, our social-emotional well-being. I have spoken to many people in their later years who can recount emotional tales of how they felt "stupid" or "dumb" as young children at school, and many carry these beliefs with them through life.

By holding back on directorial teaching and allowing curiosity, awe and wonder to drive learning around numeracy and literacy, we save young developing children from the experience of being taught left-brain material before the left-brain is ready. We also save them from the experience of being taught something they are not developmentally ready for, the experience of being measured, judged, persuaded, and the experience of learning relationship dynamics based on those same qualities. All within the window where experience is their greatest teacher.

Top tips

Read and write around children. Through total immersion, children who see (experience and download) the adults in their world normalise reading and writing with purpose will naturally be drawn to do the same when developmentally ready.
Read to your child. The story, vocabulary, and act of reading are important, and so is the connection time between child and adults when being read to.
Hold back from correcting those under eight years old. These early years usually involve some play with pretending to read, write and making marks - play is a place of freedom to explore and no place for getting a 'teaching moment' in, not even when we see an 'S' scrolled the other way around.
Answer questions openly. Ideally, the child should feel safe enough to ask the adults in their world any question. Asking questions is a huge developmental step toward 'learning from others' at their own pace. Remember to remain open to every question, the way we respond (or react) will impact this developmental step. Make answers simple with no frills, never roll your eyes or complain about how much children ask-ask-ask.
Make available drawing and art materials that are blank and invite mark making. Too many activities and colouring books can leave little room for the child to make their own marks.

As you can see, there is a lot at stake when choosing an education model for our children. In this case, the social-emotional development window and mindset development that comes from being developmentally ready or not.

Imagine an education setting that held the space for children to unfold developmentally in line with their biology and not our current cultural values that rush into reading and writing too-much-too-soon.

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The Active Learner / Part 1

12/6/2020

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Written by Clare Caro

The Active Learner

There are certain skills and qualities that develop in young learners as they spend more time in Authentic Learning Environments. These skills are skills for life and bring us closer to our 'authentic self'.

These skills are also what make it possible to run a self-directed learning environment efficiently. The learner is active instead of passive and dependent, and they can follow their own interests at their own pace, directing themselves and working alongside others. In providing the Active Learner environment, we support the transition to independence at the learners' pace.

What is an Active Learner?
Motivated
Active Learners are self-motivated and display the kind of motivation which comes from within, often referred to as internal or intrinsic motivation. Self-motivated people know what they would like to do and so they do it. They are not dependent on being given content or on activities being provided. The ability for self-motivation eliminates the uncomfortable state of ‘not knowing what to do’ - also known as boredom which many content-provided learners find themselves in. Inspiration comes from their own creative ideas or is inspired by the world around them.

To develop this skill, learners need environments that promote choice, decision-making and creativity. Learners choose to do what they are interested in and their interests push their progress at the correct pace for them. Self-direction and creativity develop when we stop having ideas for them, such as when setting up activities and directing them.

Confident
Active Learners are confident to try new things - sharing and expressing ideas, plans, problems - without the fear of being ‘wrong’. We live in a culture riddled with self-doubt and fear that confidence can make us arrogant, yet we all know that healthy self-confidence is an extremely important skill to have. We want our children to be confident in the world. True confidence shrinks self-doubt and avoids arrogance.

Confidence gives us the foundations to not only follow our interests and tackle the unknown; healthy confidence allows us to be ourselves.

To develop this skill, learners need environments, which are accepting and free from judgment, yet also provide the tools to work within a judgmental environment. Self-confidence and self-motivation cannot develop when we prompt learners into being ready.

Resourceful
Active Learners find what they need to facilitate their learning and development, projects and play.
Learners become resourceful when ‘learning’ is not laid out for them, instead they seek out knowledge and materials. Fostering resourcefulness develops research skills, problem solving and the ability to think outside the box.

To develop this skill, we make resources accessible. The resources we provide are important: raw materials and equipment (such as paper and pens, nails and wood, material and sewing machines) are all open-ended loose parts and the learner can find what they need to facilitate their projects and play.

How we supply the raw material also offers learning; laying it out for them or storing it in an access-all-areas environment can develop either dependency or independency.

Problem Solvers
Active Learners find solutions - with their ability to assess risk, overcome challenges and ultimately solve problems – without it being a ‘problem’. Active Learners can develop the skills to approach and solve any challenges they may face. While this is an internal skill, something we do ourselves, it also includes knowing when and how to ask for help.

Whether we are problem solving alone, in a group, or facilitating someone in their problem solving, we require the same tool kit of lenses, vocabulary and the ability to unpack situations from all angles.
To develop this skill, we offer the level of help which allows the learner to do it themselves. When we solve and fix everything for a learner, we rob them of the time and opportunity to develop themselves. We are aware that ‘help’ is about choices, dependency and power dynamics, and promote an environment where all Learners are empowered to accept or decline help without judgment.

Leaders
Active Learners have skills of leadership, and, just as importantly, know how to be part of a team. These are social skills or ‘soft skills’, central to how well we get along with others and are part of a community. Leadership is founded on our ability to lead ourselves; developing our own motivation, confidence, and problem solving.

There are many ways leadership can present itself in our world; authoritarian, passive and partnership, are the three key styles we see most often. We promote first-hand experiences of partnership group dynamics, where everyone has a voice, can hear others and work to a shared vision which the Learner will be able to transfer into group settings.

These skills, along with influences from leadership and group dynamics we have experienced first-hand are where leaders pick up leadership skills. Leadership skills cannot develop when we get too involved in their work and are constantly looking for ‘teaching moments’.

Attentive
Active Learners develop lengthy attention spans which serve them in many ways. We need to ‘pay attention’ when we are learning, and lengthening attention spans grow our abilities in resilience and patience, flow and enjoyment.

Attentiveness paves the way for our ability to plan and manage time and projects – all without overstretching ourselves, or falling into avoidance traps.

To develop this skill, we need to hold the environment for the learner.

We do this by providing time, a safe space and place, and reducing adults’ direct involvement. The simple way to see it: if everything is done for us, we can miss developing those skills ourselves.

Lengthy attention spans cannot develop when we interrupt with our questions, praise, frequent warnings and entertainment.

Creative and Imaginative
Active Learners are creative; they can come up with their own ideas and make them into something.
There is a third element we cater for in the creative process, and that is to develop the skills to view ideas in different contexts to examine how they impact each other, where they support or inhibit a system, but also evaluate how to affect change. Running creative ideas though bigger-picture thinking helps to birth safe and fully considered ideas into the world.

Creativity is a skill that is sensitive to its environment and can be reduced or suppressed if now fostered carefully and compassionately.

To develop this skill we provide environments which support the initial image-building ability (imagination) along with the space for ideas and the transition from idea to making; the creation with our own hands.

Capable
Every child is capable of being the Active Learner. The journey of childhood starts with fully dependent babies, finishing as fully independent adults. As the child grows, their capability grows. The support we provide on this road directly affects well-being in childhood and in life as an adult.

Active Learners work within their capabilities, they assess risk and self-manage. The more they develop this skill, the more capable they become in recognizing their limitations, in managing their own physical and mental health, the more competent they become in relationships with others, their community and environment.

The skill of being capable can evolve into responding (instead of reacting), functioning even when on adrenaline, and remaining ‘on-line’ (considered and productive) in the face of emergencies and crisis. Working within one’s own capabilities is impossible when there are ‘helping hands’ managing learners beyond their own capabilities.

Self-Regulating
Active Learners master the combination of being active and self-care; knowing when to rest, reflect and charge their batteries. This combination is the framework for self-regulation and the foundation for our ability to plan and manage time and projects without overstretching ourselves (hyper) or falling into avoidance traps (hypo).

It would be an easy mistake to think an Active Learner is always ‘active’ and it is important to distinguish between hyperactivity, i.e. running on stressor behaviour and connection seeking, and growing and maintaining the skills to function in the face of stress – not because of it.

Self-regulation allows a person to check-in with themselves, be attuned to others and their wider environment and to function with opposing ideas in mind at the same time, to recognise when they are stressed and know what to do with that stress.

To develop self-regulation, the authentic learning environment is designed to support the developing nervous system, the social-emotional brain, and executive brain function in the developing child.

This requires practitioners that are highly skilled at co-regulation, which is the ability to regulate themselves as well as facilitating the development of self-regulation in the learner. The environment we create also holds the rhythm that mimics the rhythm of the self-regulation. Self-regulation cannot develop when the adults surrounding a learner are not able to self-regulate, or the environment has no rhythm-like structure.

How do we teach learners these skills?
We can’t. These are skills that the learners acquire themselves.

Our role is not to 'teach', instead it is to set up the environment that allows the child/learner the time, and the space and a place, held by nurturing adults and a regulated rhythm. An environment where learners have enough freedom and availability, access all areas and furnished with raw materials. It is the environment where they develop and acquire these skills.

COMING SOON THE ACTIVE LEARNER / PART 2

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Developing Social Literacy

Supporting Reading & Writing Naturally

The Active Learner / Part 1

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