Why we gossip!
Well hello there, and welcome to update #126!
There are two prevalent theories about how human language might have become socially more complex.
The writer Yuval Noah Harari refers to these as ‘the gossip theory’ and the ‘there-is-a-lion-near-the-river theory’.
Storytelling is at the heart of both theories.
The first theory refers to the complexity of relationships in human societies and gossip as a way of building connections and trust.
The second theory is that stories developed as part of warning the community about imminent danger.
I’m grateful to Andy Tharby for signposting these in his great book — How to Explain Absolutely Anything to Absolutely Anyone: The art and science of teacher explanation’
So here we have another insight into why our brains ‘privilege’ story.
We’re hard wired to love them!
We can use these insights to ramp up what we offer our pupils.
They can cope with demanding work, if the ideas are framed in a great story.
Too often we can be tempted to think that pupils with additional needs aren’t able to access a rich, demanding curriculum.
I show what’s possible when we’re thinking about how to introduce important ideas and concepts to all pupils, including those with low starting points.
I’ve started with geography, history and religious education. Available with a group or annual subscription on Myatt & Co
Until next time
Mary
That picture is glorious. I laughed just seeing that and the title.
Thanks, Mary. I assume by 'how language might have developed' you intended 'how it became socially more complex' (that is, how it became societal) rather than 'how it first emerged' (how it became social). For the social emergence of language, I love the work of Tomasello on shared intentionality.