Teach Secondary 13.7

Illusory images Drawing on the work of French sociologist Émile Durkheim, Haidt reaches what I’d suggest is the nub of the problem– the tendency for young people to withdraw inwards, restricting their ability to engage socially and form a sense of rootedness within human communities. A key concept for Durkheimwas ‘anomie’; the absence of stable and widely shared norms, which tends to occur when individuals are deprived of social orders based on objective foundations. As long ago as 1897, Durkheim observed how “All that remains is an artificial combination of illusory images, a phantasmagoria vanishing at the least reflection; that is, nothing which can be goal for our action.” A description that could just as easily apply to smartphone scrolling in the 2020s. To back up his claims, Haidt points to further data showing an increase (from 2010) in American girls and boys reporting that ‘ Life often feels meaningless ’ – though we could add the caveat that such sentiments are hardly uncommon during adolescence. “ They are less able than any generation in history to put down roots in real-world communities populated by known individuals who will still be there a year later ,” suggests Haidt. “ It is very difficult to construct a meaningful life on one’s own, drifting through multiple disembodied networks. ” Instead, he ventures, young people need community, structure and purpose to thrive: “ People don’t get depressed when they face threats collectively; they get depressed when they feel isolated, lonely or useless. ’ Haidt reasons. (See also the lockdown experiences of young people during the COVID-19 pandemic – likely a contributing factor to current behaviour patterns of withdrawal and isolation). The profane and the sacred Émile Durkheim’s work is perhaps most helpful in the distinctions he made between the profane (everyday) and sacred realms. He showed that nearly all societies had rituals and practices for pulling people up, into a realmwhere collective interests are asserted and self-interest recedes. Here, I believe, is where schools can contribute to socialisation and help to prevent young people from withdrawing. As communities of learning, schools serve the dual purpose of both socialising and intellectually developing their students. For most children, schools provide themwith a social life and foundational experiences for their development as individuals – in lessons, but also through extra-curricular clubs, participation in organised sports and the arts, school trips and more general experiences of growing up together. Haidt wants to see schools that are phone-free, and which offer more opportunities for independence and growth, including free play. Yet while these are helpful suggestions, my own emphasis would be on the academic curriculum, as this is the sacred realmwhich defines a school. Abetter antitode Through the curriculum, teachers induct children into the knowledge, values, skills, dispositions and culture associated with scholarship. By introducing them to realms of knowledge in science, the arts, languages, philosophy and humanities, teachers ‘pull’ students up into an objective (sacred) world of knowledge where they’re forced to consider significant questions about time, space, culture, humanity, beauty, morality, justice, belief, belonging, nation, migration and truth. We shouldn’t counterpose this objective world as being in opposition to the self, but rather as transformative of individuals; it opens up possibilities for young people to develop themselves, lead flourishing lives and make positive contributions to society. I would argue that this is a far better antidote to what ails the Anxious Generation than a therapeutic curriculum focused on wellbeing and mental health. That’s not to downplay the growing number of young people with serious mental health conditions, for which schools and parents require better access to mental health professionals, rather than imagining that teachers are qualified to address them. The reset I’d like to see is for greater intellectual challenge, and raised expectations of what all students are capable of, beyond the passing of exams (though qualifications do, of course, matter). ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr Alex Standish is Associate Professor of Geography Education, UCL Institute of Education, Knowledge and Curriculum book series editor at UCL Press and co-editor of What Should Schools Teach? Disciplines, Subjects and the Pursuit of Truth . IN BRIEF What’s the issue? Researchers and experts have identified advances in technology and changing parental attitudes as the key drivers for a widely perceived growth in rates of anxiety among teenagers. What’s being said? Social media, online pornography and video games have been blamed for pulling young people out of shared physical spaces that previous generations used for socialising, risk-taking and building resilience. What’s really happening? These concerns are valid, but do little to promote the importance of the collective good, and the necessity of keeping our self-interest in check – both of which would go some way towards tackling youth anxieties. The takeaway Schools have a key role to play in helping students navigate the challenges of their modern cultural environment and fully realise what they’re capable of. JOINTHE CONVERSATION The Academy of Ideas Education Forum gathers monthly to discuss trends in educational policy, theory and practice. Find out more at academyofideas.org.uk/ education-forum 13 teachwire.net/secondary H O T TO P I C