Create a safe and supportive learning environment
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Every student has the right to a safe and supportive learning environment.
Every student has the right to a safe and supportive learning environment.
What does that mean?
What does that mean?
What might that look like for different students?
What might that look like for different students?
- What does a safe environment mean?
A safe environment is one where:
the risk of harm is minimised
students feel secure.
Harm relates to:
dangers in the built environment, involving such matters as buildings, lighting, space, facilities and equipment, and
violence, physical threats, verbal abuse, threatening gestures, sexual harassment and racial vilification.
2. What does a supportive environment mean?
2. What does a supportive environment mean?
A supportive environment facilitates and enhances the social, academic, physical and emotional development of students. A supportive environment strives to be one in which:
students are treated with respect and fairness by teachers, other staff and other students
members of the school community feel valued
effective teaching and learning takes place
positive support and encouragement are provided by members of staff and students
non-discriminatory language and behavioural practices are defined, modelled and reinforced by members of the school community
consultation takes place on matters relating to students' education and welfare.
Reference | http://rego.nesa.nsw.edu.au/safe-env
3. This is an inspiring Ted talk about the importance of positive relationships with children. As SLSOs you will build positive interactions and relationships with children to support them and facilitate learning.
After viewing please reflect on what you can do to have positive relationships and interactions with students.
Record your ideas and feelings.
4. 6 Traits of Life-changing educators
4. 6 Traits of Life-changing educators
5. Why is a safe and supportive environment important for mental health and wellbeing?
5. Why is a safe and supportive environment important for mental health and wellbeing?
And what does this have to do with behaviour?
And what does this have to do with behaviour?
Supporting a child’s best possible physical, cognitive, social and emotional development in early childhood lays a good foundation for their wellbeing and success in later life, including their mental health and wellbeing.
Mental health relates to our:
thoughts
feelings
behaviours and
relationships with other people.
It is an important part of human health and happiness and it can also affect our quality of life, physical health and our personal or professional achievements.
Students learn about the world through their relationships and experiences. Over time, they develop a self-concept, which is a sense of who they are and their place within the family and school community. A safe and supportive environment will help them to develop a positive and secure self-concept, by fostering in them a sense of inclusion and belonging.
Students also need the opportunity to develop key social and emotional skills in the early years, as these form the basis of their ongoing social and emotional development and will affect their mental health later in life. If children experience environments in which they do not feel safe, secure and included, they may develop patterns of behaviour and negative coping strategies that increase the risk of mental health difficulties in adolescence or adulthood.
The behaviours developed as a result of these inappropriate environments include:
challenging behaviours
disruptive behaviours
strategies that help them cope
high risk behaviours that might include drugs and alcohol.
You will learn more about these later.
6. What should I look for in a safe and supportive environment?
6. What should I look for in a safe and supportive environment?
A safe and supportive environment is planned and set up in a way that supports positive relationships and good communication. These schools and classrooms often have a warm and relaxed atmosphere in which relationships are built on trust and mutual respect. This will be seen in the relationships between teachers and support staff, as well as their relationships with children and families. The communication style will generally be sensitive, patient and respectful, even when things are busy or when teachers are dealing with difficult situations.
What should I do to as an SLSO?
What should I do to as an SLSO?
The principles of a safe and supportive environment apply to all aspects of the school and to all people who work within it.
A safe and supportive environment can be set up by paying attention to:
the quality of relationships
the approach taken to planning for individuals and groups
decisions about the physical layout of space, aesthetics and structure of the day
willingness to advocate for children.
Adapted from | http://www.responseability.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/4872/Safe-and-Supportive-Environments.pdf
7. This Edutopia video outlines how creating a positive learning environment increases student’s ability to learn: Creating a Positive Learning Environment (Youtube, 4:10 min).
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