Creating socially secure environments for learning and teaching

The new understandings stemming from neuroscience are highlighting the importance of the provision of enriching and emotionally warm and supportive environments for children’s learning and development. Children need to feel accepted and secure, to have trusting relationships with adults and a developing sense of confidence in themselves as being capable and competent if they are to learn effectively (Catherwood, 1999; Goleman, 1995; Landy, 2002; Kostelnik et al., 2002; Wolfe and Brandt, 1998). In this chapter we will focus on a number of aspects of pedagogy that can contribute to the development of socially secure environments for young children. These are:

• welcoming and celebrating cultural diversity; • building caring and cooperative relationships; • promoting independence and a sense of responsibility; • engendering a sense of fairness; • fostering problem solving and conflict resolution; • guiding behaviour.