School kids who take off their shoes in class are likely to have better grades and behave well than the children who keep their shoes on. These findings were reflected in a major study conducted in 25 countries for the last 10 years.
Experts from the University of Bournemouth launched the Learnometer project that looked into different classroom conditions around the world and surveyed the performance of its students against their learning environment. From among these schools, it's the children in Scandinavia and Northern Europe who have better overall performance and a key factor to this is because the children leave their shoes out the door before they enter the classroom.
Scandinavian kids are used to this practice because they are trained early on not to bring snow and dirt indoors. When asked by the researchers, 95 percent of the students said that they are also much more comfortable, relaxed and calm when doing their tasks this way, especially since they do the same thing at home, per The Guardian. To test the theory, the experts asked some students in Spain, who wear shoes indoors customarily, to take off their shoes in class and the researchers saw marked improvements in their school work and behavior, per Independent.
The secret to calm classrooms? Lose the shoes https://t.co/OCHTbI3h0H
— The Guardian (@guardian) May 25, 2016
Being in a shoeless classroom offers added benefits to the school as well, as there is less time spent on cleaning and upkeep and there's no need to invest in furniture. The children can simply squat on the floor or have bean bags to sit on since the environment is clean. Experts also found out that bullying incidence is lower in schools where the children are shoeless in the classroom. "It's just hard to be naughty with your shoes off," one student said, per Huffington Post. There's also no problem with smelly feet and ridicule because it is actually the shoes that make feet smelly.
The experts are proposing that schools should consider switching to a shoeless classroom to aid in children's learning and behavior. However, one teacher told The Guardian that while the idea is good, it might be seen as a quick fix and that's a dangerous perception. "Focusing on one thing - such as shoes, which is cute - sometimes shifts the focus away from things that are more important," said Tom Starkey.
Do you think that the research has valid claims? What's your take on shoeless classrooms? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
