Social and Emotional Space
A positive emotional space has been created when people feel welcomed and valued, when they feel able to be themselves, when they feel up to and up for dealing with challenges .
A positive social space has been created when individuals within groups feel able to support each other and learn with and from each other and take risks.
These two types of space are closely linked and can help individuals and groups of people begin to recognise their potential and to experience deep learning in the context of warmth and challenge.
To create a positive social and emotional environment is essential if people are to learn well. Human beings need to feel that they will be safe, respected and understood for whom they are, if this is present the opportunities to learn and contribute in any learning situation increase hugely.
It is sometimes assumed that positive climate establishes itself almost like magic, or that it works with some groups and not others according to group composition. We believe that to establish a positive social and emotional space takes deliberate action and constant attention. Whilst it is sometimes easier to achieve with some groups than others we firmly believe that with hard work this positive space can be achieved with all groups.
To create social and emotional learning space we look to the work of Carl Rogers.
Rogers made a huge contribution to the facilitation of learning when he described the core conditions that he felt to be fundamental to any learning –positive regard, genuineness and empathy:
- Positive regard: the personal relationship between the learner and facilitator is a key to setting the scene for learning to take place. Warmth and acceptance are vital in the creation of social and emotional space. If people feel themselves to be invited warmly into a space their comfort levels will probably increase. Conversely, if people feel themselves to be threatened then they will probably become more rigid and resistant. The learning environment needs to be non-threatening and accepting of the learner, and as s/he experiences this s/he becomes more relaxed, flexible and open – in these conditions significant learning is possible. We must take responsibility to build an affirming learning space by paying deep attention to creating a warm climate within a group from the moment we meet each individual. If we do this carefully and deliberately the chances of making our groups places where real learning takes place will increase significantly. Social and emotional space is present
- Genuineness: facilitators and educators need to act in a way that is both genuine and honest, which helps to create a trusting climate – no games will be played and no harm will be done. By adopting this behaviour they are likely to be far more effective in facilitating learning. To create positive learning space we as facilitators act in a clear transparent and direct manner – there are no hidden agendas. Acting in this way improves the quality of relationships as well as the quality of communications possible within the group.
- Empathy: to create social and emotional space we also need to show empathy and understanding. To understand what the learning process means to the learner and how it might affect her/him helps the learner to feel both accepted and understood .This also helps to develop confidence and risk taking in the learner which increases the likelihood of significant learning.
The creation of social and emotion space is fundamental to individuals and groups learning well. We need to carefully and consciously build the climate that will facilitate learning and we need to avoid making assumptions that it is always present in our groups. To create social and emotional space where people thrive demands rigor, energy and feedback. With attention this climate can be achieved in any group.