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Space for Reflection Pupils need space for reflection - opportunities to stand back from the competitive hurly - burly of school life and to reveal their own fears and yearnings to each other, so that they can learn how to listen, how to communicate at a meaningful level, and how to collaborate as well as compete. |
Part of the Curriculum The curriculum needs to be redesigned with a focus on enabling young people to understand what they are feeling, and how emotions influence their thinking as well as their values. This is the way to ensure all young people feel motivated to learn. |
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Involving Children and Young People Children and young people can only be expected to feel a sense of commitment to their schools, and to the learning process that takes place within them, if they feel that their voices are heard, that they are being consulted about what they learn, how they learn, and how the school is run. Responsibility has to be given in order for it to be experienced. |
Promoting Teachers' Insights into
Emotional Factors in Learning There needs to be wider recognition of the fact that high-quality teaching can only happen within the context of good relationships between teachers and their pupils. Teachers need opportunities to develop their capacity to understand why children and young people behave as they do particularly how fear, anxiety and distresss come to be reflected in withdrawn or difficult behaviour and what may be the most appropriate and constructive ways to respond. |
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Links to the Community Schools should not be isolated islands in the midst of our villages, town and cities. They need to be encouraged to open their doors to parents and others in the wider community, breaking down barriers so that everyone can make use of the resources they have available for learning and connecting to each other. |
Supporting Teachers Teachers need to have their own needs recognised and met, so that they can respond appropriately to those of their pupils. Teachers can only do this if they feel valued and supported by society at large, and if they are given opportunities to share their feelings and experiences with fellow members of the school team in ways that will enable them to develop greater self-understanding. Systems of collaborative support need strong backing, and should be extended to everyone involved in education. |
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