SECURE ATTACHMENT IN THE CLASSROOM – A KEY TO OPTIMIZING LEARNING
SECURE ATTACHMENT IN THE CLASSROOM – A KEY TO OPTIMIZING LEARNING

Summary/Abstract: Attachment is a universal principle in nature from mere cohabiting plants to animals breeding their babies together and living in social groups. The capacity for building up attachment between teacher and students and also among students generates a better school adaptation. We are certainly able to have classes where students can learn from their careful, compassionate and unconditionally respectful teachers who, through their attitude and behavior, support the cognitive development, therefore the social and emotional development of their students. The students' capacity of learning is deeply influenced by the quality of the attachment relationship which they establish both with their teachers and mates. Could we also speak about "teacher sensitivity", a sensitivity which enables a teacher to perceive all the signals coming from students more properly and promptly? Neuroscience shows that adrenaline released in moments of fear or panic inhibits the hippocampus and thus the learning process, just like cortisol, the stress hormone. Stress, panic, anxiety and sometimes depression are thus the fearsome enemies of learning. The students may be attached to their teachers, they learn much better in a warm, enjoyable, hospitable, stimulating and protective environment where together they function as a small learning community. As teachers become emotionally connected with their students, they foster the development of each student's prefrontal brain and enable them to think logically. This integrated operation of the brain leads to the capacity to quickly and effectively solve problems. Little by little, students get autonomy, figuring things out for themselves at school and they start thinking creatively, particularly developing a positive attitude towards knowledge and learning. We believe that a securing attachment not only guarantees a sense of well-being in the classroom, but also optimizes the entire learning process, by enhancing motivation and facilitating neuroplasticity.

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