Creating a Safe Space

It should be every school’s highest priority to ensure that all members of its community are encouraged to actively engage in learning without fear of harassment. An ideal school would take proactive measures in creating and maintaining a safe learning environment in which all of its members feel comfortable to participate. Implementing a school wide ‘safe space’ is critical for education because learning is a collaborative social process. Children must be active participants in their own learning in order for it to occur. Therefore, constructing a ‘safe space’ for all children should be one of the highest priorities for our ideal school.
A ‘safe space’ can be described as an environment where “children feel comfortable to be themselves” (Turkanis, pg. 99). It allows students to actively declare and explore their individual identities and prior knowledge without fear of persecution or judgment. Students will only feel secure to examine and voice their convictions if there is no possibility of disapproval or harassment from their peers. A “climate of acceptance” for those who differ physically and in opinion from ourselves is an important aspect of a safe space (Hume, pg. 112). Safe spaces ensure that all children will feel comfortable contributing to daily classroom activities and assignments.
If we give merit to Professor Gordon Wells’ claim that “learning occurs in and through participation” than safe spaces are a critical prerequisite for education (pg. 11). Children must be active collaborators in their own knowledge acquisition. A supportive and non-judgmental learning environment or ‘safe space’ is imperative in encouraging student participation. As Mercer and Dawes argue in The Value of Exploratory Talk, learning “tends not to happen unless there is a degree of trust” within the classroom environment (pg. 65). A safe space allows students to engage in classroom discourse without fear of physical or emotional harm. Learning cannot occur if students are constantly “worrying about pressures, limits, disapproval and criticism” (Turkanis, pg. 99). These worries result in students being unable and unwilling to actively collaborate in classroom learning. However, if children are confidant that their contributions will be valued than they will exhibit a “willingness to talk” and actively engage in class activities (Hume, pg. 109). Learning is dependant on the ability to participate. A safe space allows for this participation to occur.
Creating a safe space in our ideal school should be one our highest priorities. We should take several steps to ensure that our school provides a safe learning environment for all students. To begin with, our school should maintain a zero tolerance policy for any acts of bullying, teasing, discrimination, exclusion and harassment. Students should be continuously told that such behavior will not be permitted. Secondly, all problems should be addressed immediately. There is no such thing as an act of bullying, exclusion, teasing or discrimination that is not harmful. All problems must be addressed immediately.
Another critical element to creating a school wide safe space is providing an inclusive and anti-discriminatory environment. Teachers should openly discuss and challenge stereotypes, biases and commonly held assumptions with students. Teachers should provide a plethora of other resources, in addition to state mandated text books, to ensure that all students’ cultures, “individual identities, interests and motivations” are present in the curriculum (Wells, pg. 3). A safe space should ensure, and is dependant upon children feeling valued.

Quick Tips to Create a Safe Space

Maintain a zero tolerance for bullying, teasing, and harassment.
Address problems immediately.
Value all students equally.
Actively and openly examine and challenge stereotypes, biases and assumptions (especially in state mandated curriculum).
Discuss issues of power and privilege.
Provide numerous resources with various points of view.
Create an inclusive environment.
Appreciate and welcome diversity.
Be a role model.

Works Cited

Hume, K. (2001) Seeing shades of grey: Developing a knowledge building community
through science. In Wells, G. (Ed.) Action, talk, and text: Learning and teaching through inquiry. New York: Teachers College Press (pp. 99-117)

Mercer, N. and Dawes, L. (2008). The value of exploratory talk. In N. Mercer & D.
Hodgkinson (Eds.) Exploratory Talk in School. London: Sage (pp.55-71).

Turkanis, C.G. (2001) Creating curriculum with children. In B. Rogoff, C.G. Turkanis, & L. Bartlet (Eds.) Learning together. New York: Oxford University Press (pp. 91-102)

Wells, G. (2001) The case for dialogic inquiry. In Wells, G. (Ed.) Action, talk, and text:Learning and teaching through inquiry. New York: Teachers College Press.


By Sena Dietz