🎥 credit: her_finland
As you have just seen, it is common for children in Finland to not wear shoes at schools. They mostly wear woolly socks, regular socks, or indoor slippers, leaving their shoes at the entrance. Not wearing shoes at school has been found to have some positive effects for pupils (Pells, 2016; Dabell, 2017; Page, 2021). In this text, I´d like to focus on feet-brain connection, and explore the possible benefits of not wearing shoes at schools from a neuroscientific perspective.
Dr. Michael Merzenich is a well-known American neuroscientist and did research on brain plasticity. In the book The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science written by Doidge (2007), it is stated that Merzenich does not agree with the view that we remain with the same brain we have at birth. According to Merzenich, the brain is shaped through constant interaction with the environment. In other words, our brains are dynamic and adaptable organs that continue to change in response to the world around us. There is an environmental influence on the brain development. Our senses, such as smell, sight, hearing, taste and touch, are the primary channels through which we perceive and engage with the external environment. They provide the brain with rich sensory input that drives neural activity and facilitates learning and adaptation. From this perspective, the practice of not wearing shoes at schools in Finland offers a captivating case study to explore its potential short-term and long-term effects on the brain.
One of the ways to receive sensory input is through our feet. Merzenich, as written in Doidge´s (2007) book, claims that shoes, worn for decades, limit the sensory feedback from our feet to our brain. This lack of sensory feedback from our feet might be one of the reasons why there is a decline in gross motor control in our lives.
But, how?
Dr. Sam Oltman gives a very understandable and clear answer for this question.
Just like Merzenich, Oltman (2019) also believes that there are environmental influences on brain development. According to Oltman (2019), areas of the brain that lack stimulation will weaken and shrink. On the other hand, the areas of the brain that receive regular stimulation can grow in size and in the number of neural connections. It underpins the notion of brain plasticity.
Oltman (2019) further introduces the ´homunculus´ to explain the benefits of being barefoot on the brain.
As Oltman (2019) states Homunculus is derived from Latin and means “little person”. Homunculus is a visual representation of the body's sensory and motor regions in the brain. The sensory homunculus is a region of the brain that maps the body based on the density of sensory neurons associated with different body parts. The motor homunculus is the area of the brain that maps the body according to motor function. Body regions with a greater density of neurons for sensory or motor functions have more space in the brain.
When we use a specific body part more for feeling or moving, the homunculus in the related brain area is stimulated and becomes more developed (Oltman, 2019).
When we are barefoot, we receive a significant amount of sensory feedback from our feet.
Being barefoot enhances the homunculus of the foot in the brain; moreover, it establishes the basis for better balance and motor control through the increased information intake and subsequent brain growth (Oltman, 2019).
When we wear supportive shoes, the sensory homunculus does not develop well, and the information the brain receives from the foot is not rich, leading to a lack of control. This is especially important as we age as the decline in balance is the primary reason for falls in the elderly.
It means that children without shoes at schools are exposed to more sensory feedback from different surfaces. Based on the information given above, not wearing shoes at schools have a potential to sharpen the homunculus of the foot in the brain and lays the foundation for better balance and improved motor control. Furthermore, the practice of not wearing shoes at schools might likely have positive long-term effects on brain and gross motor control in the elderly ages.
Through ongoing research, we can understand how sensory-rich learning environments influence the developing brain. Being barefoot or shoes- off at schools can improve neural development, balance, and coordination, potentially enhancing motor skills and cognitive benefits, fostering a holistic approach to childhood education, promising both short-term and long-term positive effects on the well-being of a person.
Note: The studies above emphasize the importance of sensory feedback from the feet to the brain, particularly when barefoot. I think that this principle can also be applied to being shoes-off, as the feet still receive more sensory feedback, albeit less than when barefoot.
References
Dabell, J. (2017, February 6). No shoes is good news. TeacherToolkit. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2017/02/06/no-shoes/
Doidge, N. (2007). Redesigning the brain. In The brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science. Penguin.
Oltman, S. (2019 , February 1). How going barefoot affects your brain. Correcttoes. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://correcttoes.com/foot-help/how-going-barefoot-affects-your-brain/
Page, C. (2023, March 16). Could a no-shoe policy help learning in the classroom? TES. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://www.tes.com/magazine/archived/could-no-shoe-policy-help-learning-classroom
Pells, R. (2016, May 24). Children with no shoes on "do better in classroom", major study finds. The Independent. Retrieved June 15, 2024, from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/schools-encouraged-to-adopt-noshoes-policy-to-improve-pupils-learning-and-behaviour-a7044576.html
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