Unpacking the Connection Between Attendance, Behaviour, Emotional Literacy, and Attachment Theory
Understanding the relationship between attendance, behaviour, emotional literacy, and attachment theory is essential for creating a thriving school environment. These elements are interconnected, shaping not only students’ social and emotional development but also their engagement in learning and overall school experience. This article explores how teaching emotional literacy, grounded in the principles of attachment theory, […]
Life Skills GO and Aligning to the NSW School Excellence Framework
When I was in every position in a school, my biggest enemy was time. I had three lists I carried with me, the things I had to do today, the things I needed to do by the end of the week and the things I wanted to do. Unfortunately, by the time I finished the […]
Excel in whole school wellbeing: What does this look like?
What does excelling in wellbeing look like? That wellbeing is important is uncontested. What we mean when we say wellbeing is a little slipperier. The figure below from the 2022 AITSL Spotlight on Wellbeing in Australian Schools articulates the increased prevalence of publications focused on wellbeing over time. Figure 1: Google Ngram viewer for wellbeing With so […]
Cultivating Focused Attention for Enhanced Wellbeing in Schools
In today’s fast-paced and information-rich world, fostering focused attention in students is more important than ever. Focused attention is not just about academic success; it is integral to mental health and overall wellbeing. When students can concentrate effectively, they not only perform better academically but also experience reduced stress and improved emotional stability. Schools play […]
The Compassion Conundrum
There are many educators in schools today wrestling with the tension between the pressures of hitting academic outcomes and fostering the harder to measure components of whole child development. As educators we know the value of nurturing attributes such as compassion but can sometimes find it difficult to articulate what we did and why it […]
Key Elements of an Effective Learning Space to help your Students Thrive
Setting up a welcoming and effective learning environment is key to helping students thrive. It’s not just about how the classroom looks, but also about how it feels and functions. A positive atmosphere supports both academic success and personal growth, and it’s all about creating a space where students feel comfortable and inspired to learn. […]
Nurturing Realistic Optimism
When we are nurturing students to think about the future it is tempting to jump to the extremes of the spectrum. For example, when we are talking to kids about their future prospects we swing to the optimistic extreme and say things like ‘You can be whatever you want to be!’, ‘Dream big’ and ‘The […]
Social Awareness: 3 ways to help children develop an essential life skill
Social awareness is a crucial element of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and includes essential life skills such as empathy, compassion, and understanding interpersonal dynamics. It involves the ability to accurately interpret social situations and empathise with others’ emotions, which plays a significant role in navigating social interactions effectively. Success in various aspects of life often hinges […]
Measuring Student Wellbeing: What do we want our wellbeing program to achieve?
Before we measure anything, including wellbeing, we need to define what it is we are measuring. In many systems and jurisdictions this is defined for them through frameworks and policy often resulting in highly jargonistic or ambiguous phrasing and measured through blunt instruments such as attendance, frequency of behaviour incidents and annual student surveys. While […]
Nurturing a Deep Sense of Belonging: For Our Children’s Mental Health
Belonging is crucial for well-being, happiness, mental and physical health, and even longevity. It provides a fundamental sense of purpose and meaning in life. Research consistently highlights that the absence of belonging is linked to stress, illness, reduced well-being, and depression. Feeling disconnected can be profoundly isolating, especially for children navigating their way through a […]