The social and emotional environment
As with the physical environment, many aspects of the social and emotional environment can also affect how safe and comfortable we feel. The next activity asks you to think about these when planning your own DAFNE course.
Activity 5: Environment
What can you do to create a social and emotional environment that feels safe and comfortable for the participants on your own DAFNE course as well as for yourself as the educator?
Make some notes under each question before looking at our suggestions.
Activity 6: Facilitating
Think about your own experience of facilitating Remote DAFNE courses. How did your participants feel at the end of the course in comparison with the beginning of the course?
What were the things that made them feel supported during a Remote DAFNE course? In the free text box below record your thoughts and observations, before looking to see what other people thought.
Comment
Listed below are some of the things people have said about how they felt at the beginning and end of a group learning experience.
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Nervous | Relieved | |
| Apprehensive | Comfortable | |
| Shy | Friendly | |
| Defensive | Confident | |
| Fearful of being singled out |
Below are some things people said about feeling supported:
- Not being rushed; small steps at a time with lots of encouragement.
- Acknowledging the effort made, even if the outcome was not so good.
- Talking to other people about how they did it, what helped them.
- Feeling safe; knowing that I could make mistakes, and no one would make fun of me.
- Being encouraged to think about what I would do next.
Social learning is about support and building self-esteem and confidence. For this to happen, we must focus on creating the appropriate environment.
The physical environment
