‘Exclusion, Inclusion, Re-integration: Social Pedagogy and transitions a case study’

1. ‘Exclusion, Inclusion, Re-integration:Social Pedagogy and transitions a case study’ A presentation by Dr Kieron Hatton and Dr Catherine Brennan University of Portsmouth

2. Social pedagogy – some key ideas • An academic discipline that draws on core theories from various related disciplines, such as education, sociology, psychology and philosophy. • Concerned with well-being, learning and growth. This is underpinned by humanistic values and principles which view people as active and resourceful agents, highlight the importance of including them into the wider community, and aim to tackle or prevent social problems and inequality... • Dynamic, creative, and process-orientated rather than mechanical, procedural, and automated. It demands that social pedagogues to be a whole person (Social Pedagogy Development Network downloaded from www.thempra.org.uk/social pedagogy.htm on 1/11/12)

3. cont. • Hamalainen (2003) argues that social pedagogy starts from the premise that, ‘you can decisively influence social circumstances through education’ (p. 71). Further he suggests that:  The basic idea of social pedagogy is to promote people’s social competence as members of society (p.76).

4. Co-creation not professional as expert • Vogrincic (2005) talks about how the social pedagogue or social worker needs to develop new language and concepts but makes, ‘the co-creation of solutions together with the client possible’ (p.336). (my italics) Based on an agreement about how to work, common understandings, a focus on participation, a focus on strengths rather than weaknesses and finally what he calls co-presence, which he says is about, ‘confrontations, understanding, agreements... (as)... sources of new experience and possible changes’ (p.338). He suggests that the key to these elements is the transfer of professional knowledge into professional action

5. Denmark - The ‘Common Third’ Aabro describes the work of Husen who sees the key element of social pedagogy as being: To be sharing something, to have something in common, implies in principle to be equal, to be two (or more) individuals on equal terms, with equal rights and dignity. In a community you don’t use or exploit the other (Husen, 1996: 231, translated by Aabro, 2004) At the core of this relationship are notions of equality and respect and the eradication of unequal power relations. As Aabro suggests: through a common or joint activity (based on partnership) the users and the social workers enter a co-creative relationship...(in which)…the professional is meant to “forget himself” and the things around him – and devote entirely to the process and activity…the pedagogical challenge is to be able to realise activities which don’t reflect the interests and needs of only one part, but instead seek to establish a common and productive activity.’ (Aabro’s emphasis). (Husen, 1996: 231, translated by Aabro, 2004 cited in Hatton, 2015:114).

6. A Danish example • Langager (2009), writing about the Danish experience of working with ‘at risk’ young people, describes the work of the Academy for Untamed Creativity (AFUK), ‘a creative socio-educational environment …(which)…represents a contemporary social –pedagogical approach to the vulnerable adolescents’ (Langager, 2009:91). As Langager says: • The basic idea is to empower the participants, trying to strengthen their self-esteem, their acting, their …competence and individual development of constructive new life strategies by working with creative projects - theatre, music, poetry, design, cooking (as an art) etcetera’ (p.92). • One participant said, ‘What I most of all have learned in this school, is to turn a problem to something you can work with’ (p.94)

7. Creative activity • The idea of creative activity is, central to social pedagogy in Europe and to those educational initiatives based around social pedagogy which are occurring or have occurred, in the UK. Petrie and Chambers (2009) reviewing the importance of creative activity in the practice of Danish social pedagogues reported that creative work should be informed by democratic principles to the extent that pedagogues should ‘respect children’s social agency and their perspective on the world’ (p.12).

8. Head, Hands and Heart • Central to a pedagogues activity is the use of head, heart and hands. • Headenables the pedagogue to develop an understanding of the reasons for their intervention, • Heart indicated the regard for and empathy with the person or group with whom the pedagogue is intervening and the • Hands indicate the range of practical and creativity which the pedagogue uses in any intervention (Boddy, 2011).

9. Releasing Potential’s EngageProgramme • Small group SEN provision (max. 4 students) • Designed for children with Emotional Behavioural Difficulties and extreme Emotional Vulnerability who have not coped in any other setting • High staff/student ratio (1:2)

10. Releasing Potential’s EngageProgramme • Students are dis-applied from the National Curriculum • Bespoke curriculum providing a broad range of subjects delivered through practical, often outdoor activities • Focus on social emotional learning as an equally important element of school life as academic progress

11. Releasing Potential’s Engage Programme • Creativity and the Common Third • Bespoke curriculum is designed around the creative strengths of the children. Curriculum is embedded in shared practical tasks, often in the outdoors. Hierarchies are discouraged. Staff and students work alongside each other. Staff are called by their first names.

12. Releasing Potential’s Engage Programme • Managed Risk Adventurous activities are core curriculum elements, including outdoor residentials. ‘Forgive and remember. All activities are carefully planned and risk managed so that students are able to participate fully in the curriculum.

13. ‘Jake’ • Take a few minutes to read through the case study. • Turn to the person next to you to discuss how a social pedagogical approach may have worked to help Jake cope with the numerous transitions he has had to face.

14. Conclusions and ways forward for education, care and support • Utilise a broad range of approaches – radical education (Freire), social pedagogy, social inclusion. Develop approach based on: • Holistic understanding and praxis • Promotion of agency and recognition of capacity to change • Cognition, emotion and practice (Head, Hands and Heart) • Promotion of managed risk • Creativity and co-construction/co-production, partnership • par