By Ilia Lindsay, Registered Psychologist and Komodo Psychology Lead
As a teacher, you’re always looking for ways to create a safe and nurturing learning environment for your students. The PACE model, created by Dan Hughes is a powerful approach to building strong relationships with your students by focusing on four key attitudes: Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy. The model emphasises the importance of building strong relationships with students by approaching student interactions with these four attitudes. When teachers approach their students with these attitudes, they help to foster positive relationships, promote social and emotional skills, and support student wellbeing, both academically and personally.
What does this look like in a classroom?
To effectively incorporate the PACE model into the classroom, teachers must be intentional and consistent in their approach. Teachers should work to create a positive learning environment that encourages playfulness, creativity, and exploration.
Playfulness
Playfulness is all about creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere in the classroom. When you approach your students with a sense of playfulness, you help to calm the more primitive areas of the brain and facilitate the engagement of high-order cognitive processing. This leads to students who are more engaged in the learning process.
One way to cultivate playfulness is to inject some humour into your teaching. Tell a joke, use a funny voice, or incorporate games into your lessons. Weave exercises and activities that support creativity and encourage students to be playful and exploratory rather than restricted and rigid in their thoughts and behaviours. When you’re having fun, your students will too. If you want to learn more about the importance of play in the classroom check out this blog by Child Psychiatrist Dr Nicole Quiterio.
Acceptance
Acceptance is about recognising and embracing each student’s unique qualities and strengths. In a classroom that values acceptance, teachers acknowledge and celebrate students’ differences. When you approach your students with a non-judgmental attitude, you create a safe and welcoming environment where they feel free to be themselves. To engage with students from a non-judgemental space we need to be not only aware of what we say but how we say it and what our nonverbal postures, tones and facial expressions convey. The school environment also has a role to play in facilitating and communicating acceptance. Think about the visual representation and visual displays around your school – would all students feel accepted, included and seen?
To practice acceptance, try to focus on your students’ positive attributes and strengths – what do they bring to the school community or your classroom? Students in this type of classroom are more likely to feel safe and comfortable being themselves and more likely to be vulnerable to offering ideas, making mistakes and the learning process.
Curiosity
Curiosity involves being genuinely interested in your students’ experiences, thoughts, and feelings. When you approach your students with a curious attitude, you show them that you care about them as individuals and that you’re invested in their learning journey.
To cultivate curiosity, try to ask open-ended questions that encourage your students to share their perspectives. This process facilitates critical thinking and a lifelong love of learning. When being curious with students we must listen actively and show a genuine interest in what they have to say, repeat back their ideas, and check that we have understood correctly. We can also cultivate curiosity through student voice and opportunities for students to present ideas and perspectives. If you would like to know more about how to enhance student voice at your school check out our Student Voice blog here.
Empathy
Empathy is about understanding and sharing your students’ feelings. When you approach your students with empathy, you show them that you care about their wellbeing and that you are willing to support them through challenges.
To practice empathy, try to put yourself in your student’s shoes and imagine how they might be feeling – it is also acknowledging when you cannot imagine how they might feel. When you offer comfort and support, you help to create a sense of safety and trust that allows your students to learn and grow.
One of the strengths of the PACE model is that it is flexible and can be adapted to suit the needs of different students and classrooms. Teachers can incorporate the PACE model into existing teaching practices, adapting it to suit your teaching style and the needs of your students. However, it is important to remember that incorporating the PACE model into the classroom is a journey and not a destination. Teachers must be willing to reflect on their practice, make adjustments, and continue to develop their skills to support their students effectively.
By approaching students with Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy, you can help to create a secure base from which they can explore and learn
References:
Hughes, D. A. (2017). Attachment-focused parenting: Effective strategies to care for children. W. W. Norton & Company.
Hughes, D. A. (2018). Building the bonds of attachment: Awakening love in deeply traumatized children. Rowman & Littlefield.
Hughes, D. A. (2021). PACE
Kain, E. D., & Terrell, S. L. (2012). The neurobiology of attachment-focused therapy: Enhancing connections in children and teens. WW Norton & Company.
Siegel, D. J. (2015). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are. Guilford Publications.
Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T. P. (2011). The whole-brain child: 12 revolutionary strategies to nurture your child’s developing mind. Bantam.
