This paper is derived from a study of excluded students' perceptions of their educational experience. It is based on the accounts of 33 young people, all permanently excluded from school. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews a number of salient features of the school experience were raised. One of these features is the students' relationships with teachers. This paper considers excluded students' perceptions of teacher qualities that either foster or hinder the development of positive relations, disciplinary practice as a particularly significant set of interactions that affect relationships, and the hierarchical social structure in which these relationships are formed and operate. The result is an ideal model of the teacher-student relationship based on the excluded students' accounts. This model reconsiders power relations in order to create a set of interactions that recognises the students' non-child status while, at the same time, highlighting teacher-specific responsibilities such as duty of...

The Teacher-Student Relationship in Secondary School: Insights from Excluded Students.

Student voice and pupil empowerment projects are common in many mainstream schools However, such initiatives are more challenging to implement in provision for students experiencing (social), emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) As a consequence, they are less frequently attempted This article reports one such attempt at an SEBD special school, where a student research group was formed to evaluate the school's behaviour policy The students' views remind professionals of the need for consistency, positive relationships and communication underpinning behaviour management strategies The article also reflects on a number of issues to consider when implementing such projects in special education contexts

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13632750802655687

Lessons learned: student voice at a school for pupils experiencing social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

Children’s outdoor play is declining, despite clear links between play, learning and development. Alternative learning initiatives which provide children with a diversity of play opportunities including the chance to play outdoors are therefore needed. One such programme, Forest School, is increasing in popularity in the United Kingdom (UK) and internationally, yet little is understood about its impact on children’s learning, or how alternative approaches are informing learning in mainstream settings. This novel study examined primary school children’s experiences of engaging in a Forest School programme in relation to this intersection between formal and informal approaches to learning. It explored how children interpret their experiences when faced with a fusion of learning environments and critically evaluates the
benefits children realise, when asked to reflect on their learning engagement in both classroom and outdoor settings. Interviews were conducted with 33 children from two mainstream primary schools in England, UK who had recently completed a six-week Forest School programme. A rigorous phenomenological thematic analysis revealed three inter-related themes: A break from routine; Learning through play; and Collaboration and teamwork. The findings suggest that the blending of Forest School with mainstream settings contributes to children’s social, cognitive, emotional and physical skill development through experiential learning using play. These findings are significant because they not only emphasise the values of social constructivist play-pedagogy which underpin Forest School practice, but they highlight the need for primary schools to consider learning outside of the classroom as an effective pedagogy.

Learning while playing: Children's Forest School experiences in the UK

The relationships between teachers and their students play a vital role in the creation of positive learning outcomes and environments for all learners, but particularly for those individuals with diverse needs. This study examined the teacher behaviours that contributed to positive student-teacher relationships with gifted secondary students (GS) (N=58) and with secondary students with Emotional/Behavioural Disorders (EBD) (N=40) in Western Australia. Valued teachers’ behaviours were identified through a mixed-methods approach that included surveys and student focus groups. The data indicated that GSs valued teacher behaviours that promoted cordial and friendly interactions between teachers and students to the extent that these behaviours supported and extended student learning. While the importance of academic support was foremost in the minds of GSs, students with EBD instead valued teacher behaviours that displayed warmth, understanding and patience. For EBD students, these behaviours are the precursors to teachers supporting them in their learning. Comparisons between the behaviours that were identified by gifted students and students with EBD revealed a set of core behaviours that were deemed essential for developing positive relationships with both groups, but that each group specified a set of behaviours to address their unique needs.

/pdf/establishing-positive-relationships-with-secondary-gifted-3xttaiirgb.pdf

Establishing Positive Relationships with Secondary Gifted Students and Students with Emotional/ Behavioural Disorders: Giving These Diverse Learners What They Need.

In this essay, I reflect on the intellectual influences that led to the genesis of the Social Psychology of Organizing and assess the way forward. I stress that the Social Psychology aspired to provide an outline of an organizational epistemology. I particularly focus on the interplay between experience and understanding, highlighting the following features: self‐validating prophecy, partiality toward similarity, ambivalence between belief and doubt, and understanding as ongoing accomplishment. I conclude with a discussion of the three papers published in this Special issue.

Sensemaking, Organizing, and Surpassing: A Handoff

Excluded Pupils' Views of Their Educational Needs and Experiences

Susan de Pear argues that disaffected and excluded pupils are too often blamed for their own difficulties. By interviewing and analysing the responses of such students, she comes to the conclusion that had teaching and learning styles been more sensitively addressed earlier in their careers, most subsequent problems would have been ironed out. This article sits comfortably with the views presented elsewhere in this issue by Banner and Rayner.

Susan de Pear

Papers

Excluded Pupils' Views of Their Educational Needs and Experiences

Pupils' views Excluded pupils' views of their educational needs and experiences