Simon P Walker

Simon and Jo Walker have been developing a Human Ecology Approach to education for the past ten years.

The Human Ecology Approach takes the central elements of Human Ecology Theory and builds teaching, learning and pastoral practice around them to support primary and secondary education.

The Approach is based on cultivating three key elements in the formation of the child: self, social and learning.

Element One: SELF

The Self element is based on the first two dimensions of the theory of Human Ecology: self definition and responsiveness. Together these combine to create a four category model of self-formation: ADAPTING, DEFENDING, DEFINING AND SHAPING patterns of self are observed in the child's behaviour.

The Human Ecology Approach helps teachers, children and parents to recognise how these patterns emerge and to create environments to enable secure, trusting and self aware children which are not limited to any one of these patterns.

Element Two: SOCIAL

The Social element is based on three dimensions of the theory of Human Ecology: Self-definition, self-presentation and self-expansion. Together these combine to create an eight category model of social interaction.

The Human Ecology Approach helps teachers to cultivate learning environments where children learn to take risks, experience themselves in all eight of these 'spaces' and not become typed or limited into any one. By learning this simple, concrete and visual language from a young age children can learn to negotiate social interactions constructively and become more free, responsible and attentive as they grow.

Element Three: LEARNING

The Learning element is based on a further three dimensions of the theory of Human Ecology: Empathy, Logic and Control. Together these combine to create an eight category model of learning.

The Human Ecology Approach helps the teacher to cultivate learning environments where the learning process is explicit and literate of which of these eight cetagories is being deployed. By learning this, children gain skills in metacognition (understanding how they learn not just what they learn) and become responsible for their own learning journey.