About the conference

12^th European Affective Education Network (EAEN)Conference

York St John University, York, England

Tuesday 2 – Thursday 4 July

About the organisation

The European Affective Education Network was established in 1994, and has an interdisciplinary membership of scholars, researchers and practitioners interested in the ’affective’ dimension of the educational process. This dimension has as its focus the personal, social, moral, cultural and spiritual development of students, and is concerned with feelings, beliefs, attitudes, interpersonal relationships and personal wellbeing.

Though ‘affective education’ is the term used by the Network, it is recognised that this is not the only term that can describe the work referred to and that, for some of those interested in the area, such terms as counselling, guidance, values education, pastoral care, personal social education, moral education or emotional intelligence will be more familiar terms. As far as the network is concerned, these terms and a number of others cover a wide area which either corresponds or overlaps with the affective dimension.

The Network's aim is to provide a forum for the exploration of issues that fall under the remit of affective education, and serve as a platform for the presentation and discussion of both scholarly and more practical work on affective development and related topics. A longer term aim is to increase general awareness of the significance of the area, and through this to influence the development of education policy in Europe.

Background

The European Affective Education Network was established at a conference on affective education that was held in 1994 in the University of Warwick, UK. This conference was attended by representatives from ten European Countries. What brought the members together was the belief that there is more to education than transmitting information and feeding students facts, indeed that education is about the development of the whole child. Members also shared the view that learning does not take place in an affective vacuum, and that factors like students' self-esteem, the quality of their interpersonal relationships and the general ethos of the school have a considerable impact on the educational process, and on students' all-round achievement.

Through a series of meetings, seminars and conferences, the Network has thrived and developed. It currently has more than 100 members in 20 different European countries, and serves as a platform for informed debate and research activity on affective issues and related topics. The members come from a range of backgrounds including education, psychology, sociology and philosophy, thus bringing into the Network a multiplicity of perspectives and insights. Anyone with a genuine interest in affective education and involvement in the education system of a European country can become a member of EAEN. We welcome network members and others alike and are always pleased to see new members taking part in our conferences. If you would like to get in touch with the Network, contact Dr Mike Calvert m.calvert2@yorksj.ac.uk

Previous conferences

View photos of the last conference, with thanks to our Slovenian colleagues.

May 1994: University of Warwick, England

May 1995: III Universita Di Roma, Italy

May 1996: Marino Institute, Dublin, Ireland

October 1998: Saarbrucken, Germany

July 1999: Tinos, Greece

June 2001: Porto, Portugal

June 2003: Roehampton, England

June/July 2005: Copenhagen, Denmark

June 2007: Adana, Turkey

July 2009: Ayr, Scotland