The Social/Emotional Environment

​Learning is serious, but that doesn't mean it has to be grim!

A new school year is about to begin (in many countries). Despite the ongoing problems which plague education, educators are preparing, anticipating that this will be the best year yet in their classroom, on their campus or in their school district.  

While most agree that the purpose of schooling is for students to acquire academic content, we contend that schools have a greater purpose, which includes the academic.  We agree with John Dewey, who said that school is .  .
​ 

​“a place to gain content knowledge, but also a place to learn how to live. In his eyes, the purpose of education should not revolve around the acquisition of a pre-determined set of skills, but rather the realization of one's full potential and the ability to use those skills for the greater good.”[i] 

​Before we jump straight to focusing on the academics, we must prepare the learning environment.  This includes the physical environment - from facilities, to how we arrange classrooms, to schoolyards. Next, we must intentionally design the social/emotional environment.  Then, we are ready to prepare the academic environment - and that starts with high expectations.

This post will provide you with many tips on how to create the optimum social/emotional environment - starting with what to do on the first day of school!  Enjoy, and please add your ideas below!
​
Another excellent resource for the new year is this post, How daily meditation improves behavior - and increases creativity.

Click here to find your tips on creating the optimal social/emotional environment!

[1] John Dewey, Wikipedia