{"id":47394,"date":"2019-04-04T13:23:21","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T20:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=47394"},"modified":"2019-04-04T13:23:21","modified_gmt":"2019-04-04T20:23:21","slug":"dogs-in-the-classroom-coming-to-a-school-near-you-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/dogs-in-the-classroom-coming-to-a-school-near-you-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"Dogs in the classroom \u2013 coming to a school near you soon?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nWhen you think about your own school days, you might have had a furry friend to keep you company in the classroom \u2013 maybe a school hamster, rabbit or guinea pig. But what about a school dog?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what\u2019s being suggested by the vice chancellor of the University of Buckingham, Sir Anthony Seldon, who made a speech at the university\u2019s\u00a0\u201cUltimate Wellbeing\u201d conference<\/a>\u00a0promoting school dogs as \u201ca powerfully cost-effective way \u2026 to improve mental health in our schools\u201d. Also in attendance at the conference was Damian Hinds, UK education secretary, who spoke in support of bringing dogs into schools to enhance well-being and claimed every school should adopt one.<\/p>\n

It might sound barking mad, but a school dog could be one way to help make schools a homelier environment as an antidote to the competitive and performance driven places they have become. It could also be a low-cost way of introducing a \u201ctherapeutic effect\u201d which Aubrey Fine, a well respected expert in\u00a0animal-assisted therapy<\/a>, describes as the well-being benefits that arise simply from the presence of an animal. Getting dogs into schools, however, isn\u2019t as simple as it sounds.<\/p>\n

Waggy tails<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The idea that \u201cevery school needs a dog\u201d is problematic. But an aversion to animals in schools distances children from unique,\u00a0developmentally rich and life enhancing experiences<\/a>. It is entirely possible for a dog to thrive in a school if the animal is not seen as a commodity but a community member \u2013 as advocated by the\u00a0Dogs for Good<\/a>\u00a0charity.<\/p>\n

Boris Levinson, a professor of psychology, suggested back in 1972 in his book\u00a0Pets and Human Development<\/a>\u00a0that animals can help address \u201ccomplex stresses created in a technological society whose values and institutions are in many ways dehumanising\u201d. Levinson introduced the idea that the presence of an animal can be a \u201cforce\u201d for enhancing children\u2019s social and emotional skills and their capacity to relate to others on an emotional level.<\/p>\n

Various education pioneers, including Rudolph Steiner, Maria Montessori and Susan Isaacs, have also described how animals bring children back to the\u00a0rhythms and realities of the natural world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Paws for thought?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

That said, not everyone will be thrilled by the idea. There are those who are allergic, not a fan of animals or are even scared of dogs after a bad experience. There are also welfare concerns \u2013 specifically the potential for harm to animals, children and other people \u2013 and damage to property in the school is possible.<\/p>\n

Animal welfare organisations like the\u00a0Dogs Trust<\/a>\u00a0say that dogs should not be used in schools to mitigate the potential for harm and to protect the animals.<\/p>\n

Alongside this, there are often (but not always) restrictive health and safety policies in a school preventing dogs on the premises. But none of these factors should overshadow the asset that a dog could be in school life.<\/p>\n

Teacher\u2019s pet<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A good starting point for any school leader interested in introducing a dog, who wants to understand the theory and recommendations, would be the new\u00a0Code of Practice<\/a>, which has been developed by a leading UK human-animal interaction organisation \u2013 The Society for Companion Animal Studies.<\/p>\n

The person in charge of the dog should also have an appreciation of\u00a0anthrozoological theory<\/a>\u00a0. This is the study of interactions between humans and other animals. They also should have undertaken appropriate training. The animal would need to be temperament checked by a professional animal behaviourist and will need training and ongoing support to be comfortable in the school environment \u2013 schools can be noisy places and children can be unpredictable.<\/p>\n

Children and other adults in the school would also need to be briefed on acceptable interaction with the dog \u2013 with rules of engagement \u2013 certainly no pulling on its tail or chasing it around the playground.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, though, a well selected and happy furry friend in school can help children in many ways \u2013 not just with well-being. It can help children be more motivated in their learning \u2013 specifically with\u00a0reading<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It also makes them less\u00a0likely to develop allergies<\/a>. And for most children having a dog around is fun and enjoyable \u2013 it is something they can seek comfort from, learn about, a community talking point. A school dog also can be a fun teaching assistant to make the day more enjoyable \u2013 bringing a whole new meaning to the idea of a teacher\u2019s pet.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Diahann Gallard is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at Liverpool John Moores University<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you think about your own school days, you might have had a furry friend to keep you company in the classroom \u2013 maybe a school hamster, rabbit or guinea pig. But what about a school dog? That\u2019s what\u2019s being suggested by the vice chancellor of the University of Buckingham, Sir Anthony Seldon, who made […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":47395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15645],"tags":[295196],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-47394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-therapy-dogs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDogs in the classroom \u2013 coming to a school near you soon? - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/dogs-in-the-classroom-coming-to-a-school-near-you-soon\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dogs in the classroom \u2013 coming to a school near you soon? - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When you think about your own school days, you might have had a furry friend to keep you company in the classroom \u2013 maybe a school hamster, rabbit or guinea pig. 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