Atmospheres of Learning, Atmospheric Competence

Abstract

Educational situations are mainly based on curricula, methods, and principles of teaching. For a long time, the pedagogical relationship had mostly been ignored until John Hattie rediscovered it. The following text proposes the hypothesis that the individual way of interaction between pedagogue and child is at least as important as the above-mentioned aspects. The term “embodied communication” creates the chance to explain subtle and hardly noticeable aspects of communication in the collective situation in a classroom. They allow the distinct description of the atmosphere of learning situations and develop a perspective that perceives not only countable items but also tangible effects on pedagogue-child interaction. The concept of “atmospheres” in the context of educational situations demonstrates in which subtle way children’s socialization is influenced and how to use this knowledge for a positive impact. The beginning and termination of bullying in a classroom may thus be explained as well as the creation of a motivating learning atmosphere. The chapter illuminates elementary processes of learning not just as a cognitive function, but as a guided experience in the concrete learning situation.