WHAT
THE APPROACH
SENSITIVE ECOEDUCATIONAL ?
An ecosystem and eco-cosmic educational model avant-garde who wishes to reconcile the forgotten links that unite us with nature in all its forms, from micro to macro, including all the kingdoms of the living but also of the non-living (are we not composed of carbon and calcium , for example!). The model thus aims at a healthy rehabilitation of humans in the world and on Earth, in harmony with the different communities (social, plant and animal) and therefore, with nature, which also means rehabilitation of the child. (and its basic needs) in the ecosystem. Everything is achieved by developing a deep connection to oneself, to the other, to the Earth and to all its inhabitants * through something that may seem very simple: SENSITIVITY *.
Sensitive Eco-education is a visionary and off-piste pedagogy which first of all brings together the child and nature which is his environment or primary habitat (meaning of "eco") to develop precisely an education which is committed and interrelated towards this habitat (hence the term eco-education) and therefore, with NATURE.
But why this current craze for "play and learn outdoors" pedagogies which have found in these difficult times a perfect nest to experiment and develop? Because here we must be impressed by the speed with which the approach is multiplying in Quebec and elsewhere in the world. The main thing is that children are not simply "better" when they play outside. It is true that we observe the benefits of nature in several obvious ways: after a day in nature, children are obviously calmer, more attentive, sleep and eat better, are more creative, more empathetic and even their learning improves. But the positive effects go far beyond these observations.
We live in an era with unprecedented climatic, political, economic and social challenges, where we notice a worrying and similar increase in the difficulties of our children (stress, anxiety, learning difficulties, attention, behavior, etc. emotional, lack of willpower, autism, etc.). What if it was connected?
Secondly, we find all kinds of more or less holistic approaches that aim to treat the child or adult struggling with these difficulties of all kinds: chiropractic, occupational therapy, remedial education, osteopathy, physiotherapy, physiotherapy, neurosensory integration or integration of reflexes. primitive, to name just a few. They all look in different ways to the way the brain and the body develop together and provide answers and solutions that can be often, but not always, very effective in the short to medium term. Sometimes long term.
Despite everything, I felt that something was still missing to help both children in difficulty and nature in danger. I felt that some pieces of these puzzles were missing. That something escaped us and that is the reason why I sought it, for almost 30 years to accompany children grappling with difficulties, on all the untrammeled paths that it was possible for me to find. A missing link. I was looking for the missing link.
The answer slowly became apparent to me as I studied neuroscience: indeed, brain sciences and the most recent discoveries show quite clearly that human development requires the development of ancestral primitive reflexes and a development known as "neurosensory", which means "which concerns the nervous system and the organs of the senses" (Larousse). In other words, the nervous system and neural connections in our brain develop through stimulation of the senses. Ok. This is the basis of most of the treatment approaches named above, which will work by stimulating the senses and the nervous system through a variety of exercises, manipulations and techniques most often performed in the treatment room. .
Let’s go even further.
Let us now admit that nature and humans are not two distinct entities. That humans are not superior to nature, and that nature is not a resource created for human needs but an ecosystem filled with living and non-living beings that interact with each other. That the human IS an element of nature just like the bee, the earthworm, the rock or the water of the sea. Let us also admit the proper value and the direction of ecology: "Science having for object the relations of living beings (animals, plants, micro-organisms) with their environment, as well as with other living beings. " (Larousse). Let us admit that in any living system or in any ecosystem, each of the actors plays a role and participates in the synergy of interrelationships. How is it possible?
Thanks to the SENSITIVITY which allows all the actors of nature to "adapt according to the modifications (and interactions) of the environment" (Petit Robert).
What if the answer to the growing ills of our time, to the difficulties of our children, of society and of the climate, were to be found in this very simple little word: sensitivity? This same sensitivity which is at the primary source of our development and the functioning of nature. Here is, I believe, the answer and the missing link in our family, educational, school, social and even economic, political and of course climatic ecosystems! We cannot dissociate humans from nature! If humans depend on the sensitivity of their senses to develop their neuronal connections and their nervous system, they also depend on sensitivity to interact through the different natural ecosystems in which they evolve.
Without sensitivity, humans stop adapting to changes in their environment. He stops creating, interacting, doing his part so that the balance of the whole is maintained. Without sensitivity, neural connections do not develop, and ecosystems collapse. Sensitivity is the missing link that connects both neuronal and social development, and it is truly only possible in a deep and radical connection with nature and our senses.
We are in an extremely critical time in history when, for the first time, a species alone is responsible for triggering a mass extinction that threatens it itself and decimates over 200 species per day. We definitely lacked sensitivity, love, and awareness somewhere.
The new Sensitive Eco-educational Approach aims to improve the understanding of children's needs and the development of educational programs, support and care throughout the world while taking concrete action for the crying needs of the Earth and all of its inhabitants. Nothing less.
Julie filiatrault
