A safe space for learning

As a way to uncover ideas about what was working (and not working) in the Learning Centre, I asked the question, “Some people I see in here all the time, others not at all? Why do you come in here and if you don’t why not?” For most of the regulars in the room, the answers were clearly linked to the creation of a safe space for learning.

• There is a better vibe in here that out there
• In the TV room everyone is fighting and in a rush to get their makeup. It is calmer and cleaner in here
• Its quiet and nobody bumps into you in here; there’s less bickering
• It feels safe in here, and very peaceful.
• It’s relaxing
• It’s more formal and civilized
• I can get my mind off my problems
• It’s a safe place to come, safe person to talk to

And some of the comments about what stops them from coming in can also shed light on this issue:

Maybe it would take a while for me to get comfortable enough to come in. Sometimes I’m too shy to come in. If someone is really loud, or has a toxic personality, I stay away (Focus Group #2)

The idea of providing a safe space for learning is not new to us. It is stressed in the literature reviewed in this report, and Jan Sawyer devotes a whole chapter to it in the Research-in-Practice report Hardwired for Hope: Effective ABE/Literacy Instructors (Battell et al., 2004).