More chewing in class!
NHS says pupils should be allowed to enjoy sweets - to help them learn!
FOR generations of schoolchildren, chewing gum or sneaking a sweet in class earned a sharp reprimand from the teacher.
Now it seems the once-forbidden treats are considered an aid to learning. The NHS has issued new advice saying they can help youngsters concentrate in class.
Experts at one Scottish health board say chewing on gum or a sweet, or even drinking a milkshake, can help pupils focus.
If that doesn’t work, they might try a fidget toy, retreating to a ‘safe space’ or ‘lying in a ball pool’.
Those behind the advice say it helps children learn – but one campaigner compared it to ‘educational Prozac’.
Retired head teacher Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘Educationally, this is killing children with kindness. Effectively we’re offering them a sort of drug, almost – it’s feeding an addiction to comfort which is not, in the long-term, helpful.
‘We need children to be resilient, to stand on their own two feet, to toughen up. Rather than being on a cushion or in a ball pit, they need to be taken out of the classroom and given physical challenges. They couldn’t get it more wrong.’
The advice is in a new online resource published by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Kids Independently Developing Skills, aimed at children, parents and professionals. One section, Staying Alert in the Classroom, says research shows that the more senses are used during learning, the better the child will recall information.
It says: ‘The overall goal is to make all learning experiences full of sensory information so that there are maximum opportunities to notice and respond to the cues in the environment, as well as teach a child to pay attention.’
Some suggestions are traditional, such as arranging desks so students can focus on the teacher and seating those who find it harder to concenstimuli
‘It’s feeding an addiction to comfort ’
trate at the front. However, parents may be surprised by other tips for teachers including to ‘provide opportunities for movement and change to alert the senses’, such as the child swapping chairs, or ‘lying on tummy on floor’.
It goes on: ‘Chewing gum or chewy sweet will provide strong proprioceptive input that can compete with external noises and calm the nervous system. Fidget toys may help for the same reason e.g. balloon toy, koosh ball, rubber band. Be mindful of distracting noises such as overhead lighting, clocks ticking, fans, and corridor or hall noises.’
Proprioceptive means relating to which signal the relative positions of parts of the body.
Other suggestions to keep a child alert include listening to Vivaldi on headphones or being ‘tickled’. Examples of ‘self-regulating techniques’ to help concentration include air filled cushions, sitting on a therapy ball, rocking chair, or bean bag, and ‘chewing or sucking on food items’.
Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservatives health spokesman, said: ‘Many parents and teachers would be surprised to find the NHS advocating sweets in class.
‘The NHS should focus on helping children make healthy choices.’
A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: ‘This resource was developed by experts in child development and therapeutic interventions. Many children find it a challenge to stay focused.’