Establishing a Safe Learning Space
Inspired from activities described by Vivian Chiona and Galya Baeva in 2011.
It’s a new story, all over again. You are starting on a learning journey with your students, trainees,and co-workers. As you prepare to interact with a group for the first time in a course that lasts a number of days, weeks or months, it is well worth taking some time to establish a safe learning space with all members.
The devil will always lurk in the details and the realisation.
It seems simple… but the devil will always lurk in the details and the realisation. For example, handing students a pre-made set of rules is not conducive to the creation of a safe learning space and democratic ethos. You have to work on and negotiate those rules together Another example could be that accepting and acknowledging individuals’ ideas and contributions is as necessary as learning to respectfully reject any irrelevant or unhelpful contributions without rejecting the person. Depersonalising conflicts is of the essence.
There are many ways to engage in this journey towards the creation of a safe space. This article’s focus is on establishing ‘a contract’ in a class/team/group. An important part of this is to explore and identify common rules of living and learning together. We suggest activities that might help you reach these goals.
Maintaining a Safe Space
You might wish to go over the contract/rules more than once, for example after a long break, and when a new member joins the class/group. At any time, items of the list can be modified, removed or added as long as the group consents to it.
Punishment or exclusion are not logical consequences for not following rules. Punishment and exclusion do not help us learn anything new. You might prefer to guide the discussion in a more positive direction. For example, creating a pleasant space (perhaps near the trees created in the session?) for a ‘time out’, when disruptions occur, provides the possibility for the person who doesn’t follow the rules to reflect on their behavior without being excluded. Pairing students for peer support in case of issues with rules is also a more positive approach.
Why Bother?
Carving out time for the creation of a safe learning space is worth the effort . The learners will be engaged with the rules they want, not the ones imposed on them. Then, teachers/facilitators avoid difficulties in class/group management and the ‘dark sarcasm’* that often goes with it.
Everyone will save time in the end because there will be much less need for discipline management in the long run. More attention and energy will be saved for learning.
Resources abound on the internet. Here are some links that you may find useful and inspiring.
- Pestalozzi Programme of the Council of Europe. Training Units on the Prevention of Violence in Schools
- Talking about Feelings
- A Prevention Curriculum
- Ten Activities for Establishing Classroom Rules
- Synergetic Discipline
- The Effect of Emotions and Hormones on and Learning
We have just selected a few that are tried and tested. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable with the activities you choose – they should be interesting and equally appealing to you and your group.
*Quote from Pink Floyd – “We Don’t Need No Education”
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