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7
ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE
What does this mean in practice?
In small groups, pupils explore their views
of challenge and unpick their emotional
response to it. Being able to tell the
difference between, for instance, anger
and frustration, will go a long way towards
helping a pupil to manage their behaviour
and make the right choice about how to
move forward. In a boarding environment,
where pupils spend a great deal of time
together, we want pupils not only to
recognise their own emotional response
to challenge, but also that of their friends.
Shells work on their Prep together: if they
know how to spot each other’s emotional
responses, they will be well-placed to
help. Collaborative working is the future
for our young people, and the sooner
they learn how to do it effectively, the
better. Academic work is a team effort at
Teddies, and we aim to instil this idea from
the very beginning.
So, by ‘the pit’ you mean ‘getting
stuck’?
Absolutely. Imagine how many times pupils
get stuck with their work. It’s an unavoidable
part of learning, so our pupils must know
how to cope. In fact, evidence now suggests
that ‘getting stuck’ is not only unavoidable,
but highly valuable. It is now widely accepted
that it is at the point of being challenged
that we learn most. If we keep skating
over, say, maths questions we find easy, we
and Saskia van der Heiden