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‘Safe zone’ needed for kids to make mistakes
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A veteran educator will tell you that before learning reading, writing and other academic subjects, students must have key social skills in place.
When we’re in teaching college, they tell us all about a nebulous thing called the “affective filter.” The affective filter can be anything from a feeling of insecurity, a fear of being judged or even just a sense that the teacher doesn’t like you very much.
It is the emotional wall that learners have between themselves and their learning objectives. In theory it sounds like silly “mumbo jumbo,” but in reality in the classroom we have all seen it take its toll on learners. This is largely down to the social skills they lack to scale the wall and break it down.
Teaching students the skills they need to feel confident in themselves is the most important social skill. Learners who feel they are worthless or that they have nothing of value to add to the discussion are unlikely to excel at even the most basic learning task. They certainly won’t be likely to take risks or reflect honestly about their progress or the road ahead. Giving students a sense that your classroom is a safe zone to make mistakes can go a long way in developing this confidence.
Furthermore, students learn best from their engagement with each other, the action of discovering knowledge through collaboration. This can’t happen if they don’t have these skills sufficiently in place. In large part the learning objectives of a group project have more to do with team work skills than with the outcomes of the actual project. Were students able to listen to each other and put their egos to the side? Were they able to consider multiple and even conflicting perspectives? Were they able to make and meet their commitments? These are far more important than whether or not they got “the right answer.” Being able to work together is a skill that needs as much nurturing as any other skills, but it is often overlooked as something you either are or aren’t inherently good at, i.e. introverts vs extroverts. In truth, it is a social skill much needed for meaningful learning.
If we want students to learn, we have to instill in them the value of being a whole person in their community. They are not just the grades on their report card, and indeed, they may never have the grades they seek if they cannot learn to function as a member of society first.
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