Social and emotional learning is an important part of both education and human development. Through social and emotional learning we are supporting students to develop skills to build resilience, maintain positive relationships with others and effectively manage their emotions and behaviour. Social and emotional learning focuses on five broad competencies, which are outlined below.
* Self-awareness- This element involves students developing an awareness of their own emotional states, needs and perspectives.
* Self- management- This involves students regulating their own emotions and expressing them appropriately.
* Social awareness- This considers the need for students to consider the feelings of others and knowing how and when to help others.
* Relationship skills- This element involves students developing skills to build and maintain healthy, positive relationships with others.
* Responsible decision making- A focus on making decisions that take into consideration all factors, including any consequences of your actions.
At Yarralinka Primary School we use the Second Step programme to support our whole-school approach towards teaching social and emotional learning. The Second Step programme has been developed based on research and includes the following elements:
* Weekly lessons- During weekly lessons students are explicitly taught important social and emotional skills.
* Class activities- A number of activities are conducted throughout the week as a follow up to the week's explicit lesson.
* Brain builders- Brain builders are activities that help to develop the brain and support student learning.
* Whole-school language- The programme helps support the use of consistent social and emotional language across all classrooms and by all staff.
* Home-school links- The programme contains a number of activities and information to help support links between the school and students' homes.
* School culture- Many of the aspects of the Second Step programme are being used to help build a positive school culture at Yarralinka PS.