Task One, Part One
How could a teacher/tutor establish and maintain a safe and supportive learning environment for their learners? Discuss methods and approaches that could be used to do this, for example, establishing ground rules with learners.
Explain what a teacher/tutor could do to promote appropriate behaviour and respect for others.
A teacher/tutor could establish a safe and supportive learning environment through clear and concise communication at the very beginning of the learners journey, of what students are likely to expect from the environment they are now in, e.g. providing them with reassurance that not only are they safe in the building but also in the company of their tutor, explaining that they are able talk in confidence to their tutor about any issues they may have as and when they need to or informing them of student support services and how this service can be accessed..
The work of A Gravells (http://www.anngravells.co.uk/tips.html) supports treating students as individuals, using eye contact with them and using their name where possible. I believe this contributes to enabling the students to feel supported as this type of rapport can build trust between student and tutor.
It is also the responsibility of the tutor to ensure in advance that the environment itself is safe e.g. free from hazards, fit for purpose, welcoming, comfortable and appropriate
Some other methods and approaches could include establishing ground rules in order that students are aware of boundaries and expectations. According to A Gravells (2008 pg16), “all learners require boundaries and rules within which to work”. These can be dictated by the tutor or to ensure they are ‘student informed’ (enabling student participation), this could be turned into a task for the students to undertake between themselves, as research has shown (http://teachingandlearning.gia.org.uk ) that when a small group of learners agreed ground rules themselves and reached a whole class...