Can Social and Emotional Learning Be Taught Using Technology?
Technology Literacy Is On The Rise! Research shows children aged 8-11 are active social network users – 78% of eight to nine year olds and 92% of 10-11 year olds have used a social networking site. Social networking websites, once confined to the dorm rooms of U.S colleges, are extremely popular with our younger generations. Some […]
3 Strategies to Improve Social Awareness in Children
What is social awareness? Social Awareness is an aspect of Emotional Intelligence which encompasses key life skills such as empathy, compassion and understanding of relationships. A strong sense of social awareness means one can effectively use these skills to accurately read situations and people because they are able to understand and empathise with their emotions. […]
How To Prioritise Self-Care In The Holidays
The holiday period is approaching for most of us and it’s finally time to unwind and relax after this year’s hard work. We all know that having this time off is essential for us to implement positive self-awareness and self-care strategies. It allows us to reflect on our achievements of the year, as well as […]
What You Need to Know About the New Australian Wellbeing Framework
Helping students reach their full potential has been a perennial challenge of educators and parents alike, with many different factors at play and a growing understanding of how to address these challenges. A key aspect to this potential being fulfilled is understanding and improving the status of student’s social, emotional and physical wellbeing. One study showed that 1 […]
IQ vs EQ: Why Do We Need Both?
The notion of success has most strongly been linked to general or academic intelligence (IQ) throughout history. However, over the past decade or so, there has been an increased awareness of emotional intelligence (EQ) with some researchers claiming its utility in forming behaviour and relationship management techniques. It has been found that these skills are crucial determinants […]
Implementing a Growth Mindset in Classrooms
Developing a growth mindset is one key aspect of metacognition: the understanding of one’s own ability to process thoughts. I’m sure we’ve all heard someone say; “I’ll never be an artist, I’m terrible at drawing…” and then watch them give up on their dreams. Then there’s always that one person who seems to be able to […]
How to Measure Wellbeing and SEL in Primary Schools
The ability to measure the results of social, emotional learning (SEL) programs has become a major obstacle in the adoption of SEL programs for many schools around the world. The New Vision For Education report from the World Economic Forum acknowledges this: “Lack of measurement emerged from our survey as one of the most important impediments to promoting SEL among […]
Taming Your Brain: Emotional Regulation Through Mindfulness
Research from Harvard suggests that mindfulness exercises such as meditation, breathing and relaxation can have significant physiological benefits such as decreased risk of hypertension and reduced inflammation. This study builds upon what we already know about mindfulness exercises and their impact on reducing stress and anxiety. For many, these benefits come as no huge surprise, however the hard part […]
3 Strategies to Reduce Anxiety in Primary School Children
The first day of term, public speaking, NAPLAN, even just everyday interactions on the playground – what do these have in common? If you guessed common sources of anxiety for primary school children, give yourself a pat on the back. As adults with life experience, these activities can seem relatively innocuous, however, in a big and […]
How to Maximise Your Leadership Skills Through EQ
Whether it was at work, in a sports team or working on a group assignment back in your university days, we’ve all met someone who you can immediately tell has exceptional aptitude to lead. On the other hand, it’s quite possible you’ve witnessed this from the other perspective. With poor leadership, quite often you will […]