Policy Briefing for Social Media Assessment Help

Positive learning environments are settings where children are supported in their quest for learning by experiencing a sense of belongingness, undergoing nurture and learning how to understand their own emotions as well as that of those who are around them. These environments are critical towards the development of children in their early years and can help support in building their emotional and social competence. This policy brief advocates for positive learning environments as the hub of emotional and social learning and for honing competencies related to these capabilities. It also presents strategies and practices for practitioners that seek to build and sustain positive learning environments.

Positive learning environments are a fundamental and critical part of the early years learning framework (EYLF) as they are imperative for supporting a child’s knowledge goals and facilitating the development of emotional and social competence. The foundation of a positive learning environment is rooted in the development of a setting where participatory teaching is valued and students have the freedom to engage in discussions and two-way communication with their teacher and fellow students alike (De Nobile, Lyons and Arthur-Kelly, 2017). Another important feature of positive learning environments is that they encourage students to engage in good behaviour and actively seek to establish a setting where such behaviours are reinforced so that learners continue to adopt them (De Nobile, Lyons and Arthur-Kelly, 2017).

By having a deliberate focus on acknowledging learners’ good actions and behaviours, teachers that are a part of positive learning environments ensure that these actions are rewarded and recognized. Accordingly, the same strategy is utilized to control and effectively manage negative attitudes, behaviours or actions by adhering with relevant preventive measures. Student engagement stands at the forefront of positive learning environments and teachers that develop such classrooms do so with a vision of achieving designated learning objective successfully. In essence, the establishment of a positive learning environment is an amalgamation of intervention strategies as well as preventive strategies to bring out the best in students (De Nobile, Lyons and Arthur-Kelly, 2017).

The overall objectives of positive learning environments are secured by adhering to the principles of effective classroom management, which has a critical role to play in advancing the emotional and social growth of students (Hue and Li, 2008). There are several definitions of classroom management as it is a broad framework. Most importantly, it is defined as a process which focuses on improving student behaviour to address key issues such as lack of self-esteem and discipline (Hue and Li, 2008). From this perspective, classroom management can be considered as an interventionist approach. At the same time, some practitioners suggest that classroom management broadly covers all those activities that teachers conduct and the practices they engage in, which advance students’ participation and involvement within the classroom (Hue and Li, 2008). Lastly, another critical aspect of classroom management as a driver of positive learning environments is that it focuses on promoting students’ personal growth within an emotional and social capacity. This is achieved by adopting progressive practices within the classroom that are associated with early childhood development rather than resorting to punishment, fear and control as a means of managing students’ behaviours (Hue and Li, 2008).

The development of emotional and social competence during the course of a child’s early years is as important as the acquisition of academic skills. Moreover, advocates of social and emotional learning (SEL) suggest that focusing on building these competencies during school years can facilitate academic learning (Frey, Fisher and Smith, 2019). Positive learning environments are viewed as the ideal setting for acquiring these competencies as they place a strong focus on student-teacher and student-peer relationships.

In this background, the objective of this policy brief is to present a comprehensive and critical discussion on how positive learning environments facilitate the acquisition and development of emotional and social competencies. The sections in this policy brief will showcase the approach that was adopted to assess the impact of positive learning environment on emotional and social learning with regard to different elements that define these competencies. Accordingly, the policy brief will also put forward a proposal highlighting the implications of this assessment and presenting recommendations to drive the direction of research and practice in the area. These proposals will advocate for the development of positive learning environment across school settings and highlight strategies for professionals working in the domain.

The research approach adopted to develop this policy brief focuses on conducting a comprehensive qualitative analysis of scholarly sources in the areas of early years learning framework (EYLF), positive learning environments (PLEs), classroom management and the role of emotional and social competencies in children. These keywords were entered into relevant scholarly databases which enabled the identification of literature and sources that are pertinent to the topic. Following the classification of relevant sources, an extensive and comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to advocate for the development of positive learning environments (PLEs) owing to their positive impact on emotional and social competence. These scholarly sources also guided the development of relevant, applicable and appropriate strategies for practitioners and teachers in the field.

Emotional and social competence comprises of a set of sub-categories which include a child’s ability to 1) identify and control their own emotions 2) define and secure positive personal objectives 3) perform responsible and effective decision-making and 4) engage in productive interpersonal discussions and conversations (Frey, Fisher and Smith, 2019). Moreover, emotional and social competence can be defined as an amalgamation of interconnected behavioural, affective and cognitive elements which comprise of 1) the child’s ability and aptitude to understand his/her own emotions and underlying values 2) the capacity to exercise empathy and relate to the viewpoints of other individuals while acknowledging differences in backgrounds and culture 3) the willingness and ability to foster long-term associations with family members, peers, friends, teachers and those in the community 4) the possession of critical skills such as discipline, organization and ability to navigate through uncertain and stressful situations and 5) the capability to engage in effective and conscientious decision-making that not only takes individual consequences into account but the implications for others as well (Dusenbury et al., 2014). Another model of social and emotional learning suggests that this framework is based on the interaction of cognitive processes with emotional responses and a child’s social skills (Lee, 2008). This implies that sound social and emotional learning is conducive to promoting pro-social and positive behaviour (Frey, Fisher and Smith, 2019).

Research indicates that positive learning environments have a direct impact on the success of students’ learning (Young, 2014).  A learning environment which is positive and supportive encourages students to become more inquisitive, understand the importance of collaboration and build trust while having the courage to face new challenges in the classroom (Young, 2014).  A critical point which supports the creation of positive learning environments for honing the emotional competence of learners is linked with the idea of understanding emotions. As teachers seek to enhance the emotional capacity of students it is important to highlight that both positive and negative experiences provide students with an opportunity to learn emotional competence (Young, 2014).

A study conducted on a sample size of 132 pre-school children and 80 teachers concluded that being a part of positive learning environments assisted children’s ability to understand and was beneficial build their emotional knowledge and the lack or absence of non-support attitudes and responses in advancing pro-social behaviour and a positive attitude in children (Denham and Bassett, 2019). As positive learning environments have a strong focus on two-way communication, the emergence of conflicts within the classroom can be viewed as a learning opportunity for students. Positive learning environments and classrooms help students identify incoming challenges and collaborate with one another to address and resolve conflicts (Young, 2014). In many cases, the responses to these conflicts can be creative and allow a child to brainstorm and discuss ideas with peers.

In a positive learning setting, children develop the ability to understand their own emotions, identify challenges and navigate through the problem by initiating a collaborative effort. An example of this is that when a child has a recurring conflict with a fellow classmate, he or she may initially address the challenge by either crying or throwing a tantrum. However, in a positive classroom setting, the teacher will identify this challenge and hold an open session where the class can discuss ways of resolving disagreements and fights. This will allow the child to understand and listen to the idea of his or her peers and come to a productive conclusion such as talking to the peer with whom he or she is having a conflict with rather than outwardly expressing negative emotions. This will encourage the child to transition towards a positive emotional state rather than continuing to move in a negative direction (Young, 2014). Another impact of positive learning environments in building emotional competence is that they serve as a means for evoking a sense of curiosity among children which is a bridge to sustaining a positive emotional state (Sinha, Bai and Cassell, 2017; Bazhydai and Westermann, 2020).

Social and emotional learning competencies are one of the foundational elements of early years learning framework (EYLF) therefore, the inclusion of strategies and practices which can aid the achievement of these skills is imperative. Positive learning environments have a direct correlation with the development of these competencies therefore; practitioner and teachers should adhere to strategies where students are given a chance to learn in such environments and settings.