Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning Theme: Good to be me

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services How is it used?  Theme for half term that involves the whole school community  Theme and materials introduced in staff meeting  Initial assembly from theme overview  Curriculum work at different levels  Celebration assembly  Follow up staff meeting review and sharing of practice

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Good to be me This theme is the first of two focusing on feelings. It explores feelings in the context of the child as an individual, developing self awareness and helping the child to realise that it really is ‘Good to be me’ It focuses on developing children’s knowledge, understanding and skills in three key social and emotional aspects of learning; Self-awareness Managing feelings Empathy

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Key ideas and concepts of this theme  Building emotional resilience Children need to become resilient if they are to be healthy and effective as life long learners.  Coping with anxiety and worry Worry and anxiety are major features in many children’s lives. Many children have good reasons to be anxious. Explaining worries is important.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Key ideas and concepts of this theme  Calming down Although stressed, anxious or angry are important and useful emotions, sometimes these feelings can be overwhelming.  Assertiveness The theme encourages children to become assertive – that is, able to recognise and stand up for their rights while recognising and respecting the rights of others.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Further support A good starting point for work within this theme is to be found in the booklets Conditions for learning [pages 38-45] and Learning to learn: progression in the key skills [pages 14-25] from Excellence and Enjoyment: learning and teaching in the primary years [DfES G] Another useful resource is the ‘Importance of emotions in the classroom’ a session from the Primary Behaviour and Attendance professional development materials [DfES PD5-EN]

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Whole school focus  Using the schools usual means of celebration (praise, notes to the child and parent/carers, certificates, peer nominations, etc.) to notice and celebrate children (or adults) who were observed; Week 1:Doing something to be proud of Week 2:Responding in an assertive way Week 3:Helping someone with a worry Week 4: Stopping and thinking when they are angry

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 1: Understanding emotions In pairs, using resource sheet 1 thought shower what threats, real or imagined, children might experience in the classroom or around school, e.g. fear of getting things wrong?

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 2: Understanding emotions – Read resource sheet 2, Fight or flight which explains in simple terms the idea that human beings were once involved in a dangerous world where it was essential to have a ‘rapid response system’ [the emotional brain] that could respond very quickly to threat

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 3: Understanding emotions –  Nowadays the world is not so dangerous but our behaviour is still often influenced by this rapid response system when we feel threatened. Consider the following questions; Can you think of a time when this applied to you? Does this help you explain the behaviour of any of the children in your class or school? Now, in your groups, consider how the threats that the children perceive or experience might be reduced. Use resource sheet 3 to record ways to address and reduce these threats. You could try out your ideas in the classroom and across the school.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 4: Understanding emotions Read the story about Paul on resource sheet 4 [from the Green set; Year 5] Discuss in pairs why Paul hit his brother even though he loved him very much and didn’t want to hurt him? One explanation is that he was reacting with his rapid response system – his emotional brain which responds more quickly than the thinking brain

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 5: Understanding emotions Now read Maggie’s story resource sheet 5 [from the Green set; Year 5] In your groups, using resource sheet 6, thought shower the words that describe the emotions Maggie felt in the story and try to agree why Maggie responded in this way, even though when she had calmed down she knew it was wrong. One explanation is that she was becoming increasingly emotionally aroused and probably wasn’t even aware of what was happening as the thinking part of her brain was overwhelmed by the emotional part.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 6: Understanding emotions As a group first read Sam’s story and then Peter’s story, resource sheet 7 [from the Purple set] Discuss and show, using the emotional barometer, how Sam and Peter might be feeling, as you read each story SAD Using resource sheet 8, consider the questions and offer some strategies to help? Agree to implement some of the strategies you suggest. Try them out and review their success.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 7: Understanding emotions Look at the graphs on the resource sheet 9, Overwhelmed by emotions [from the Green set; Year 6] In pairs think of a scenario to go with each of the graphs In groups discuss what are the implications for your school if takes at least an hour for a child or adult to calm down after they have been overwhelmed by emotions?

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 8: Relaxation When I am stressed I calm down by … Write down the ways your group can think of to relax, one idea on each post-it note

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 9: Relaxation The SEAL materials are based on the idea that there are three key ways of calming down; Distraction By moving to a new place away from whatever is causing the stress or by doing something entirely different Exercise Put your ideas into these three categories Relaxation

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 10 : Relaxation Are you sitting comfortably …? … then let’s relax!

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Relaxation Other ideas: Invite someone in school to help you relax; ideas might include, for example, Indian head massage or aromatherapy Alternatively you could use a visualisation as a staff group; an example is in your pack

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Relaxation Further support / resources A programme of support based on relaxation and guided visualisation is available to schools from the Diversity & Inclusion Team Classroom resources are available from; A free relaxation exercise available to download is if you sign up on the web site

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 11: Assertiveness Read the story of Lion, Mouse, Fox and Human resource sheet 10 [from Yellow set; Year 3] Work as a group to agree the moral of the story Then using resource sheet 11 list the strategies that human used to successfully resolve the situation

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 12: Assertiveness Look at the Assertiveness poster, resource sheet 12 Now read Faye’s story, resource sheet 13 [from Purple set] In pairs, using the poster and the learning from the story, think about how Faye might respond in each of the roles

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Assertiveness What sort of person are you? Aggressive like Lion ? Timid or whiney like Mouse ? Sneaky like Fox ? Assertive like Human ?

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 13: Assertiveness Reflect on the key points you have learnt in this activity Now in pairs write an assertive script, using resource sheet 14, to use in the classroom or playground. This might be when a child is reluctant to carry out an instruction. Use the script in class and report back to others how well it worked

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Worrying In the SEAL materials worrying is defined as when our thoughts get stuck in a cycle of unproductive thought and we are unable to break out into more productive problem solving. Having a problem becomes a worry when we don’t think about the solution but repeatedly think of the problem and the possible negative outcomes.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Worrying You might wish to start to think about worrying by reading The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside [Hodder Wayland ISBN ]

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 14: Worrying Think about these questions; If you are happy to do so, share your worry with a partner What worrying thoughts go with your worry? Do you ever worry? What is your worry?

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 15: Worrying In your groups use ‘Wormwart’s cure for worrying’ resource sheet 15 [from Green set; Year 6] to solve this example of a worry, or use a worry of your own if you prefer. You can record your ideas on resource sheet 16. I worry when my daughter goes out late at night. I worry in case she is attacked on her way home.

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 16: Worrying Catch that worry …. I am feeling worried Have a good look and check that it is a ‘Useless Worry and not a Useful Thought’ … a useless worry - she is 21, it is only 11 o’clock, she is out and I can’t do anything about it Last time things were OK … she often goes out until this time, she has always been OK before That isn’t true because … she is sensible and will get a lift with her friends. She knows to phone me if she’s stuck without a lift That is really rare … not many people get attacked around here You don’t get … attacked when you are with a group

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Activity 17: Worrying In pairs discuss these questions, you can record your answers on resource sheet 17 What do you think the children in your class / school worry about? I’m no good at maths As a staff consider how children are supported when they are worried. What else might you be able to do? Set up a worry box or jar in your classroom How might you help them turn their worries into ‘useful thoughts’?

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Emotional resilience rests on many factors that include;  Feelings of self worth  Feelings of competence  Learned optimism  Feelings of autonomy  The ability to bounce back in the event of failure  The ability to take sensible risks Activity 18: Building emotional resilience In your groups consider each of the factors and suggest things that you can put into place, or make more effective, in the classroom and around school. Use resource sheet 18 to record your ideas

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Planning  Consider how you might deliver these sessions and any resources you would need  In your groups, look through the ‘Good to be me’ theme and choose activities, for your age group, for the next half term

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Questions ? ? ? ? ?

Behaviour & Attendance Strategy for Manchester Children’s Services Evaluation Please complete an evaluation sheet