Comments for AntidoteNews

Comment on Putting emotional learning at the centre by Caroline Stride

Caroline Stride — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:17:47 +0000

I am really looking forward to a discussion being held in April in London on teaching emotional wellbeing in schools. I think ‘teaching’ is perhaps the wrong word though as to me it is about permeating the directed and extra curricula with opportunities for restorative approaches activities for thinking, feeling and participating. What works well with our students are drama, art, music and film projects. As a staff team we have just started restorative approach sessions and they are going well. I agree with David Spendlove entirely that the adults have to be supported with developing our emotional wellbeing to be of use to the children in our care.

Comment on Putting emotional learning at the centre by Anna Phillips

Anna Phillips — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:24:10 +0000

hi, My name is Anna, I am a Master of Teaching student at UTAS, that’s Tasmania, Australia!. I admit to a great interest in this topic of Emotional Education, as I feel this area of learning has been sadly underdeveloped in main stream curriculums. As an art teacher, I am rapt to read about projects that encourage students to articulate their feelings. Sharing their own narratives to gain understanding of art has to be a positive. I have recently commenced this research, so if anyone could suggest some good reads, or sites, I would be very appreciative. I can only add, that in some ways this research is driven by my own early childhood school life where I struggled with text-based traditional literacies. Being able to discuss feelings/emotions in a supportive classroom, I feel will surely promote emotional maturity, and in the bigger picture, a more caring and society. thanks for your blog ! Anna Phillips

Comment on Teacher training needs rethinking by Susannah Temple

Susannah Temple — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:51:27 +0000

I think James Wetz’s last paragraph here is even more relevant to teachers. It is first and foremost the teachers who need to:
* have the capacity to trust
* be open to learning and managing the inherent risks involved in learning
* contain anxieties in the face of threat
* regulate their emotions.
After all, children learn by example and experience (and making sense of both) and in the classroom teachers are largely responsible for both.
It isn’t about turning teachers into therapists. It’s about enabling them to become the sort of human beings who can respond effectively to the needs of all the young people in their classrooms though knowledge, skill and understanding. This requires ongoing personal development throughout initial training. Whatever subject they are paid to ‘deliver’, teachers are teaching children and have a powerful influence over how they develop as learners.

Comment on Teacher training needs rethinking by James Park

James Park — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:42:56 +0000

I think we need to work out a way of getting inside the thinking of government ministers who seem intent on giving free schools the freedom to employ people who have NO training as teachers at all. This is probably linked to schools minister Nick Gibb’s statement after the election that he would prefer children to be taught physics by someone with an Oxbridge degree in physics than by someone with a PGCE. He has made it quite clear that his concern is that relationship is being prioritised over opportunities to acquire knowledge. Do we have to think of somehow allowing for the possibility that there are two types of teacher – those who ‘present’ a subject in inspiring ways to those who are ready to be inspired, and those who engage with, motivate and stimulate young people’s capacity to engage with the challenge and excitement of learning. I just think that we are going to be constantly put onto the back foot if we continuously argue that there is ‘one’ model of teacher training that everyone needs to follow.

Comment on Teacher training needs rethinking by Heather Geddes

Heather Geddes — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 14:33:38 +0000

What James Wetz so clearly states would make a significant contribution to the engagement and achievement of many more vulnerable pupils. This has been the experience of organisations, such as Antidote over many years of involvement in schools. Teacher awareness is at the heart of creating much greater fairness and equality of opportunity for many more underprivileged and vulnerable pupils – and the cost is minimal. Whilst there is so much debate and conflict over the wrong issues re education and schools, will everyone please contact their MPs and demand that they take notice of such proposals.

Comment on Research shows importance of learning about learning by Anna Brydges (Antidote)

Anna Brydges (Antidote) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:41:31 +0000

A very good point, Jan! Title adjusted accordingly. Anna

Comment on Research shows importance of learning about learning by Jan Tallis

Jan Tallis — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 08:48:48 +0000

What a strange title for this – the content doesn’t mention testing or raising standards. Jan

Comment on PROGRESS Story: Names matter by Anna Brydges (Antidote)

Anna Brydges (Antidote) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 07:13:58 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Rob. I’m sure learning names is harder for some than others, and harder in certain situations – as in this case study where the students’ names were largely unfamiliar to the staff. However, with enough effort, the difficulties can always be overcome, and this effort is surely worthwhile. If schools are communities where people feel known and valued, the optimum conditions will be in place for students to learn and thrive.

Comment on PROGRESS Story: Names matter by Rob Hunter

Rob Hunter — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:33:12 +0000

A valuable case study. As a teacher, trainer and youth worker, I have always been ‘good with names’. I believe they are crucial to a person’s sense of self and so deserve priority attention in a learning situation. But am I just lucky? I’ve never found it easy to discuss the issue with people who say ‘I’m no good at names’. Is it an issue of aptitude, of motivation, of context? I like David Clark’s 3Ss model of community – places in which people feel significant, secure and solidarity with the task. If we are to build learning communities and schools as communities of practice then accurate knowledge and frequent use of names is fundamental to all three.

Comment on Putting emotional learning at the centre by James Park

James Park — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:31:35 +0000

Duncan, Thanks for this. At Antidote, we go even beyond this – to say that every interaction we have is an opportunity to build emotional understanding or to undermine it. Therefore, we need to look at how our communities are organised. Does this support open community and strong connectedness, or make it more difficult. We need, in short, to embed emotional education into our schools, our business and our lives – rather than seeing it as an add-on.