Moving Forward Flourishing Series: Caring Environment

ACSI: Moving Forward with Lynn Swaner

About Today’s Show

Today’s podcast features Sean Schat, Assistant Professor of Education at Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario (Canada). Sean talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Caring Environment, where alumni report that “teachers were kind, students felt included in class, and students were protected from bullying.” Sean unpacks the idea of educational care and shares his research on how it takes much more than just good intentions to build relationships with students. Rather, educational care also requires that teachers effectively communicate care, that students perceive and receive the care offered by teachers, and that the care is “completed”—with opportunities for students to reciprocate and care for others.

To go further in learning about this construct, check out the blog post Communicating Care in Education by Sean. To learn more about Flourishing Schools Research, check out the Flourishing Together book by Lynn Swaner and Andy Wolfe (Eerdmans 2021) and this video overview of the research. You can also find out about the related institute for leaders and instrument for schools here.

About the Guest

Dr. Sean Schat is Assistant Professor of Education at Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario (Canada). Sean has previously served as a classroom teacher and educational leader (director of staff development, vice-principal, and principal) in Christian independent schools in Ontario. Sean has led workshops on educational care, interpersonal theory, perceptual theory, invitational education, cooperative learning, differentiated learning, assessment and evaluation, curriculum design, and a number of other topics.

About the Host

Dr. Lynn E. Swaner is the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at ACSI, where she leads initiatives and develops strategies to address compelling questions and challenges facing Christian education. Dr. Swaner serves as a Cardus Senior Fellow and is the co-author or editor of multiple books on Christian education, including Flourishing Together: A Christian Vision for Students, Educators, and Schools and MindShift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education. Prior to joining ACSI