A Charlotte Mason Education for 21st Century Children
Are our homeschool programmes still relevant for the tech-savvy children of the 21st Century?
The Footprints On Our Land programmes are literature rich, experiential unit studies with hands on activities. They rely on a high dose of parental input, as well as books and outdoor experiences.
Are programmes like these still relevant for the techno-generation?
We believe that they are not only relevant, but actually essential...here’s why…
Technology is here to stay. As much as most of us have a love-hate relationship with the various forms of it, when used correctly, technology (computers, smart phones, tablets and the like) can be great tools in a mature person’s hands.
However, with the new trend in schooling, where each child will be given a tablet (some schools in Cape Town are phasing this in), with cyber schools where all work is done via an electronic medium and with almost every child having a fully functional computer in their pocket all day, one needs to stop and assess whether this is the wise thing to do.
There are a few concerns. Firstly a school in the USA recently used tax payers’ money to purchase $1 million dollars worth of iPads for their students. Within weeks they were taken away from the students as the children ‘jail broke’ them and downloaded porn and online games, instead of using them for the correct purpose. A similar thing happened at a renowned boys’ high school in Cape Town.
Secondly, if you consider that the makers of this technology do not even send their own children to techie schools but rather to Waldorf type establishments where there is no screen-based activity for the first 12 years and thereafter very limited access, a wise parent will stop and ask why.
Thirdly, Dr Andrew Doan, from www.realbattle.org, shares how the human brain develops or is hampered from developing by the use of screens. The last part of the brain to mature, at around 22 years of age, is the frontal lobe. All screens, irrespective of which brand name, how long, how close, how bright and including e-readers using electronic ink, all stimulate the pre-frontal cortex. This stimulation can cause it to lose the ability to develop the correct neural paths for later maturity in areas of executive function, sympathy, empathy, organizational thoughts, goal setting and reaching targets.
Consider this statement by Dr Dunkley from her book, Reset Your Child’s Brain, where she discusses a diagnosis called Electronic Screen Syndrome:
“Although there has been considerable media hype about the ways technology is rewiring our brains, the bigger concern is that excessive video game and internet usage is causing actual brain damage… Research has demonstrated brain shrinkage in processing areas, including the frontal lobe; loss of integrity in connection pathways; reduced cortical thickness and more impulsive but less accurate cognitive processing.”
Citing research, she continues that excess use of screens “is associated with structural and functional changes in brain regions involving emotional processing, executive attention, decision making and cognitive control.”
Many parents reading this article will find ways to continue to justify screen usage in the home. However, many of those who homeschool their children will also admit that one of the reasons they chose to homeschool is so that they can raise whole, healthy, mature, focused adults who can make their way in the world.
So bringing it back to Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education, using whole books, relationships and real life experience, let’s look at home relationships and how we can make sure we are helping our children to develop to their full potential.
Relationship via homeschooling:
If your children are sitting in front of a computer to do their schooling, besides the harmful effect of the light on the brain via the eyes, besides the sitting position for long periods of time and besides the exposure to electronic emissions, your children are missing out on one of the fundamental needs of all people – interacting with other people and living ideas.
Footprints and other literature rich programmes require the parent to sit and read and discuss what is being learnt. There is no toggling back and forth on Facebook, websites and online school, there is 100% attention given to the reading matter and discussion. Relationships are built.
Ideas via homeschooling:
Homeschooling, particularly using living books and real life experience, is one way to develop deep, lasting relationships with the ideas presented in the books or via the experiences you will be offering your child. The brain thrives on ideas and the ideas help your children to form relationships with subject matter and more ideas. They also promote the building of more or new relationships as you seek out other people or more experiences to enhance your children’s learning.
Experience via homeschooling:
In a world that is leaning more and more towards experiencing things virtually, it is imperative that your children are given a taste of a wide variety of real life experiences.
Going for daily nature walks in wild places, meeting with homeschoolers for picnics (where no smart phones are brought along), going on outings to places of interest, learning to build outdoor ovens, bake bread, make amazing science experiments, having group hikes, working as volunteers for organisations – all these are experiences our children need in a world where they are being reduced to who is doing what on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Whatsapp.
Children’s world are shrinking to a screen the size of a smart phone or tablet, instead of being stretched and opened up to show them the real world so that their brains can develop correctly and where they can learn to accurately interact with the people and spaces which make up this world.
Using the programmes from Footprints on our Land is only one way to do this, but let us all, as homeschooling parents of 21st century kids, endeavour to make sure there are unequal amounts of time applied to our own and our children’s lives, with the most time being devoted to real life relationships, the great outdoors, living ideas and very little time spent in front of screens.