1. SOCIAL PEDAGOGY developing authentic relationships
Dublin, 11/11/14
SOCIAL PEDAGOGY
developing authentic relationships
Unity through Relationship Conference
Gabriel Eichsteller
ThemPra Social Pedagogy
Community Interest Company

2. The Social Pedagogy Diamond
Well-being & Happiness
Positive Experiences
Empowerment
Relationships
The Diamond Model symbolizes one of the most fundamental underpinning principles of social pedagogy: there is a diamond within all of us. As human beings we are all precious and have a rich variety of knowledge, skills and abilities. Not all diamonds are polished and sparkly, but all have the potential to be. Similarly, every person has the potential to shine out – and social pedagogy is about supporting them in this. Therefore, social pedagogy has four core aims that are closely linked: well-being and happiness, holistic learning, relationship, and empowerment.
Well-being and happiness:
The overarching aim of all social pedagogic practice is to provide well-being and happiness, not on a short-term needs-focused basis, but sustainably, through a rights-based approach. While the terms ‘well-being’ and ‘happiness’ are sometimes seen as one and the same, in our understanding they are notionally different: happiness describes a present state whereas well-being describes a long-lasting sense of physical, mental, emotional and social well-being. In combination we can get a holistic view of a person’s well-being and happiness. Importantly, well-being and happiness are very individual and subjective: what causes happiness is highly individual. As a result social pedagogical practice is very context-specific and highly responsive to the individual rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.
Holistic learning:
‘Learning is the pleasant anticipation of one’s self’, according to the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk. In this sense, holistic learning mirrors the aim of well-being and happiness – it must be seen as contributing to, or enhancing, our well-being. Learning is more than what happens at school, it is a holistic process of realizing our own potential for learning and growth, which can take place in every situation that offers a learning opportunity. Holistic learning is a life-long process involving ‘head, heart, and hands’ (Pestalozzi). Social pedagogy is about creating learning opportunities, so that people get a sense of their own potential and how they have developed. As we are all unique, so is our potential for learning and our way of learning and development.
Relationship:
Central to achieving these two aims is the pedagogic relationship. Through the supportive relationship with the social pedagogue a person can experience that someone cares for and about them, that they can trust somebody. This is about giving them the social skills to be able to build strong positive relationships with others. Therefore the pedagogic relationship must be a personal relationship between human beings – social pedagogues make use of their personality and have to be authentic in the relationship, which is not the same as sharing private matters. So the pedagogic relationship is professional and personal at the same time, thus requiring from the social pedagogue to be constantly reflective.
Empowerment:
Alongside the relationship, empowerment is crucial in order to ensure that an individual experiences a sense of control over their life, feels involved in decisions affecting them, and is able to make sense of their own universe. Empowerment also means that the individual is able to take on ownership and responsibility for their own learning and their own well-being and happiness, as well as their relationship with the community. Social pedagogy is therefore about supporting people's empowerment, their independence as well as interdependence.
Positive Experiences:
In order to realize these core aims, social pedagogy has to be about providing positive experiences. The power of experiencing something positive – something that makes someone happy, something they have achieved, a new skill they have learned, the caring support from someone else – has a double impact: it raises the individuals self-confidence and feeling of self-worth, so it reinforces their sense of well-being, of learning, of being able to form a strong relationship, or of feeling empowered; and by strengthening their positives the person also improves their weak sides so that negative notions about their self fade away.
Due to its inter-disciplinary roots, social pedagogy offers a conceptual framework that can help guide holistic practice. As an academic discipline, social pedagogy uses related research, theories and concepts from other sciences to ensure a holistic perspective. This means that in realizing those core aims there is a lot of inspiration to be taken from what research and concepts tell us about related areas. All four aims point at the fact that social pedagogy is about process. Well-being and happiness, holistic learning, relationship, empowerment – none of these are a product that, once achieved, can be forgotten. This is why it is important to perceive them as fundamental human rights that we all constantly need to work on if we want to ensure that nobody’s rights are violated or neglected.
This perspective of social pedagogy means that it is dynamic, creative, and process-orientated rather than mechanical, procedural, and automated. It demands from social pedagogues to be a whole person, not just a pair of hands. It is therefore not surprising that many professionals in the UK and elsewhere have taken a keen interest in social pedagogy and have found it possible to relate both at a personal and professional level to its ethical orientation and ambition to provide children and young people with the best possible life experiences.
Holistic Learning
Eichsteller & Holthoff, 2009

3. In a Nutshell
In much of continental Europe and other countries like Brazil, there is a strong tradition of social pedagogy as an academic discipline and field of practice. Social pedagogues tend to work in a variety of educational and care settings, starting from early years, through to play, residential care, youth work, community and family support, addiction work, prisons and care for the elderly. At first sight, some of these settings, say a nursery and a prison, don't have much in common, except for gates with vertical bars. But there is a shared ethical underpinning, an understanding that in any of those settings we can make a positive difference not just for the individuals but actually for society as a whole if we create an environment that enhances well-being, supports learning and human growth through empowering relationships. In this sense, social pedagogy seeks to find educational solutions to social issues by connecting individuals to society.
Essentially Social Pedagogy is about helping children unfold their potential

4. The Purpose of Social Pedagogy
WHAT
creating learning situations …
… in the everyday
HOW
educationally
relationally
WHY
values
purpose
motivation
confidence
Social pedagogy is often misunderstood as an approach or a method. It's perhaps more helpful to think about it as a perspective, a way of seeing the world and how we respond to what we see. It's not a method, and it's not so much about what we do that defines social pedagogy. Rather it's about the how and the why, the purpose and intention behind our action and how these determine the way in which we practice. The very same activity you just participated in could've been very un-social pedagogical if you had wanted to try and scare the person sitting in front of you with your clapping, to catch them off-guard, or to show them that they're at your mercy. So it's not enough to understand the technical steps. Rather it requires an empathic, relational approach and a clear sense of our own values. The composition of the whole situation is therefore very important, and we need to pay attention to all elements working in harmony. In social pedagogy we often refer to this as using head, heart and hands: knowing why we do something, how we need to do it to convey that we care and have the best interest of the other at heart, and physically being there too, joining in, doing things together.
therapeutically
restoratively

5. The Hundred Languages of the Child
The child is made of one hundred. The child has a hundred languages a hundred hands a hundred thoughts a hundred ways of thinking of playing, of speaking.
A hundred always a hundred ways of listening of marveling, of loving a hundred joys for singing and understanding a hundred worlds to discover a hundred worlds to invent a hundred worlds to dream.
Loris Malaguzzi, founder of Reggio Emilia (translated by Lella Gandini)
Fundamental to the social pedagogical perspective is our recognition of and regard for each person's human dignity and a concept of children, young people, and all other people, as rich - rich in potential and possibilities, rich in ideas and ways that they can make a difference to our society. So it's about individual agency, about seeing a diamond where others might only see a rock. And it's about helping to make that diamond shine bright. Because, when we enable every member of society to unfold their potential, to bring out their richness and to support others to do the same, we create a more equal, inclusive and thriving community. This wider concern with social inclusion and social justice is therefore reflected in every relationship we build in practice, whether that's the neighbours of a children's home, the teacher of a foster child, or the parents of a young person.

6. Samuel Johnson, English essayist & poet
Haltung
“The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.”
Samuel Johnson, English essayist & poet
Within a social pedagogical context, we often refer to Haltung, which roughly translates as congruence. It means the way we guide our actions by our beliefs and values. One example at highlights this comes from a Danish children's home. In all of the Danish homes I've been to, the pedagogues always talk about children's parents in very positive terms and highlight the ways in which parents try to be there for their children and how the pedagogues aim to support these relationships. This isn't just empty rhetoric but a genuine belief. So when a mother of one of the young people at this children's home turned up drunk at her son's birthday party, rather than sending her away and suggesting that showing up drunk on such an important day was completely inappropriate, they invited her into the kitchen and made her a cup of strong coffee to sober her up before joining the party. They saw the effort she had made in coming, the fact that she had remembered and the benefit it could have in her relationship with her son. And they found a way of translating their values and principles into action. That's Haltung epitomised.
The example also illustrates one principle that, in my view, characterises social pedagogical practice: behind every behaviour lies a positive unmet need. It's actually one of the fundamental principles of nonviolent communication, which Marshall Rosenberg developed. And it serves as a guiding star for social pedagogical relationships. It encourages us to search for potential, to help a young person - or, as in the example, a mother - find ways of meeting their positive unmet need. It demands that we see the person for who they are and who they could be, not for what they might have done or might do. Nonviolent communication seeks to create an environment in which we can connect as equal human beings, in which we can relate to each other without judging each other and instead empathise with each other, understand the emotions and needs that we have.

7. The 3 Ps 3 P model: Professional self Personal self Private self
Basis:
Professional Competence
Objectivity
Subjectivity Emotional
Knowledge and insights:
Theoretical Knowledge e.g.
Laws & policies
Processed experiences
Self -awareness
Own experiences (more or less proccesed)
Actions characterized by:
Analysis
Methods
Evaluation
Have a sense of situation
Empathy
Emotive
Chance
Approach to collaboration:
Multi-disciplinary
Willingness and eagerness to co-operate
Pursuing one’s own agenda
Needs:
Others
Others /own
Own
Social pedagogical relationships acknowledge that we can’t be professional without being personal, so we have to be both. What we must avoid is not the personal but the private self. In Danish social pedagogy this distinction is referred to as the 3 Ps: the professional, the personal and the private self of the social pedagogue.
The professional self is fundamental, because it ensures that the relationship with a child is both professional and personal. It helps us explain and understand a child’s behaviour, for example to know that a foster child might refuse to go to school, not because he can’t be bothered but because he has had traumatic experiences in education before. So the professional self draws on our knowledge of the law, of relevant policies, and of research, practice evidence and theory connected to our field of practice. The professional self makes the relationship with a child purposeful, because as professionals we will have particular aims for the child, for example for a foster girl to get along well with her siblings. In this sense, the professional self frames the relationship and ensures that we never lose sight of those aims, that everything we do has a purpose.
The personal self is about how we engage with the child in a way that shows them who we are, so that we can develop a better, more genuine relationship with them. By actually being who we are and using our personality, but also showing our flaws, we can encourage children to be who they are and not to feel inferior to us. Using our personal self in a social pedagogical way requires a lot of professional reflections (which is where the professional self comes in): we have to know what we aim to achieve through the relationship, how the relationship may help the child, why this requires us to be authentic and how we can ensure that this is beneficial to the child. For example, if a boy has just lost a parent we might choose to talk about someone we have lost who was dear to us, how we have felt and how we have coped with the loss. This might help the child see that he is not the only one who has been in such a situation and has felt very sad, and it might provide a chance to talk about how we can support him through this difficult period, how he might want to commemorate his parent.
The private self sets the personal boundaries of what we do not want to (or feel unable to) share with a child and should therefore not be brought into the relationship. The private self is who we are with those closest to us, our own family and closest friends. The private self draws the line between what is personal and what is private, and where we draw the line needs to be our own decision. It is fine to choose not to share some of our own experiences that have shaped who we are, especially if we haven’t fully processed them or feel that sharing them would not be helpful to the child. For example, if we are still feeling depressed about the loss of someone dear to us, then sharing this with the boy mentioned above could be very unhelpful for both of us. It is also important to understand that often the private self has an effect on how we engage with a child, for example that we’ll avoid talking to the boy who has just lost his parent, which might make him feel even more alone, or unconsciously doting on a girl who reminds us of our daughter. Therefore we need to reflect on our own behaviour and recognise when our reactions to a child may have something to do with what is part of our private self, and to be open to discuss this in professional supervision so that we can gain a deeper understanding of our private, personal and professional self and improve our practice.
The 3 Ps are all constantly in play during practice, meaning that we need to constantly reflect on how our work impacts on our professional, personal and private self. Especially in situations where we show our vulnerabilities, we must consider how it might affect our private self so that we respond in a professional and personal manner. This enables us to be authentic, to see trust as a two-way process that requires careful nurturing from both sides, show children what they mean to us and that the relationship has intrinsic value, isn't just something we do to achieve an outcome or because we get paid to build relationships.

8. Janusz Korczak, Polish pedagogue and writer
“Children don’t become human beings, they already are. Children are not the people of tomorrow, but are people of today.”
Janusz Korczak, Polish pedagogue and writer
Children as Equals
The importance of building authentic relationships is perhaps best illustrated in the Danish concept of the Common Third. It encourages us to engage in shared activities, to find a common interest in order to learn together and develop our relationship with a young person, or anyone else for that matter. The significant thing is less what you do, but how you do it and with what intention, so that it becomes a purposeful activity in which outwardly we are just two people doing something they enjoy, and more importantly in which we can meet as equal human beings, can be who we are without fear of being judged. A Common Third activity could be anything from baking a cake together, going on a bike ride, flying a kite, taking the dog for a walk, playing a game of check, painting a wall or growing vegetables - anything that brings us together and gives us an insight into who we are, what we are like, what we enjoy doing, what we're good at, what we can learn from each other.
I often find that practitioners do these kinds of things, but they're not always done as a Common Third, aren't fully recognised as purposeful or fully understood in their potential for developing relationships. This is where I think social pedagogy can give further meaning to practice, make professionals appraise what they're already doing that is implicitly social pedagogical. In my experience, where practitioners have become more conscious of the potential and value of what they're doing, they've become more confident, more assertive and even better at developing relationships. They've stopped feeling like they should be in the office doing their paperwork instead of being out in the garden playing football, or that they're unprofessional when they share something personal. And they've reconnected to the very reason they wanted to work with children and young people. They've realised that preserving or strengthening the relationship is imperative in all professional situations.

9. The Art of Helping
“If one is truly to succeed in leading a person to a specific place, one must first and foremost take care to find him where he is and begin there.
This is the secret in the entire art of helping. Anyone who cannot do this is himself under a delusion if he thinks he is able to help someone else.
In order truly to help someone else, I must understand more than he—but certainly first and foremost understand what he understands. If I do not, then my greater understanding does not help him at all.
If I still intend to assert my greater understanding, then it is because I am vain or proud, and instead of benefiting him, I actually want to be admired by him.
But all true helping begins with a humbling:
The helper must first humble himself under the person he wants to help and thereby understand that to help is not to dominate but to serve, that to help is not to be the most dominating but the most patient, that to help is a willingness to, for the time being, put up with being in the wrong and not understanding what the other understands.”
Søren Kierkegaard, Danish social philosopher, in ”A straightforward message” (1859)
I’d like to conclude with this quote by Søren Kierkegaard, one of the most significant philosophers in Denmark, which beautifully describes the purpose of social pedagogy and the ‘Haltung’ within a social pedagogical relationship.