A Study of Conflict, Negotiation, and Emotion in a School for Young Children

• In Event: Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: Reframing the Emotional Life of Children and Adults in Early Childhood Spaces

Abstract

Objective/Framework: Adults who spend their days with young children in group care settings have long sought an approach to “managing their classrooms” that has the corollary effect of fostering positive social and emotional development for each individual in the group. Approaches vary in their scope, as well as their evidence base, and options often take the form of “stand-alone” programs for social development that may or may not be consistent with the pedagogy and curriculum of the classroom. The field continues to search for coherent, innovative approaches that reframe how we view children’s emotions and how we support their social learning.

Method/Data Source: In this paper, two educator/researchers present an articulated approach we call “Supportive Social Learning”, an approach that aligns with our overall pedagogy for our school, a pedagogy that has been deeply influenced by the educators in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Supportive Social Learning is a way of thinking about social-emotional learning that starts with the co-construction of caring school communities. These caring communities are characterized by a focus on empathy in daily interactions, collaboration among children and adults, and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. The defining and underlying tenets of Supportive Social Learning are: 1) community members value and seek to include everyone in creating a sense of community; 2) the nurturing of relationships among community members takes precedence over other agendas; 3) children are seen as capable of overcoming problems and succeeding socially as individuals and as a group, and 4) the teacher enters all classroom interactions with a questioning posture and commitment to conversation (Hall and Rudkin, 2003). We will share examples of how this approach works in the classroom that have been gathered through documentation and teacher research.

Significance: Boulder Journey School educators have developed this approach to social-emotional learning. Our approach resonates strongly with the views of educators in Reggio Emilia, who consider the school a system of relationships (Edwards, 1995) and of David Hawkins, who wrote of the importance of both love and respect in our relationships with children (Hawkins, 1997). Building upon Boulder Journey School’s foundational image of children, adults communicate to children that what they say and feel are important, and that every individual must be respected for his or her unique contributions to the learning of the group. Children have the right to initiate and maintain relationships with other children and adults. Adults support children’s inherent rights by listening to their thoughts, feelings and opinions, by offering words and gestures to facilitate their expression, and by encouraging them to make decisions that include rectifying mistakes. By exhibiting sensitivity to and respect for children’s emotions and unique perspectives, adults model and promote children’s natural empathy towards others.

Authors

• Ellen Lynn Hall, Boulder Journey School

• Alison Maher