Welcome to this EL workshop

Please use the paper on your table to record• What you know about Emotional Literacy

and• What you would like to find out.

• Also please fill in a card and add it to the map

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Emotional Literacyas a way of being

Developing an Inclusive School Culture2

Aims... to consider…

• What we know already• Emotional Literacy as a means to GIRFEC • E L as an approach to learning across the

curriculum• The importance of transition in every day

learning. • The personal perspective ~ how we can use

our knowledge & strengths

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Emotional Literacy is…‘Emotional Literacy is a developed awareness

and understanding of ones own and others emotions. This information guides our thinking and is expressed in our communication and behaviour. Further, it is the understanding that individuals feel emotions in different ways and therefore have different responses depending on their life experience.’

Parkhead definition 20054

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A life long continuum

Understand & voice your own emotions

Understand how your own emotions affect others

Developing empathy

Read & understand the emotions of others

Deal with all of this

Understand how the emotions of others affect you

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Data shows ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ responses dropped from an initial 90% to 55% in 9 months.

January 05: Emotional vocabulary used by Nursery Class Preschoolers - later entering 1a.

happy29%

sad61%

happy sad

crying scared

excited surprised

good angry

cross bad

yucky fine

worried upset

unsure frightened

miserable uncomfortable

worried afraid

hurt apprehensive

lonely sleepy

mixed

October 05: Emotional vocabulary used by 1a pupils from Nursery Class

excited10%

scared9%

happy23%

sad32%

happy sad

crying scared

excited surprised

good angry

cross bad

yucky fine

worried upset

unsure/missed frightened

miserable uncomfortable

worried afraid

hurt apprehensive

lonely sleepy

mixed

An action research project by Christine Bruce

An Emotionally Literate approach develops• Resilience• Belonging• Independence• Respect• Confidence

• Positive Behaviour• Self esteem• Safety• Enthusiasm

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Setting up an EL class

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Welcome

Display

Space

Organisation

The Heart of Education

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GIRFEC

Transition ~ getting it right• Annual class moves

• Each new day

• Within each day– Specialist & supply– Each new topic or

task– Each new session

after breaks10

• Starting Nursery• Nursery to P1• Primary 7 to S1

‘What we are as adults is a product of the world we experience as children.’

Knoll & Patti (2003:39).

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Puppets

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Teaching &

Literacyconfidence

Communication

Learning

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bullying

Class mascot

inclusion

Personal safety

recycling

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Creating a supportive sense of belonging...

...through the power of peer pressure

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Team Work

17Teaching Emotional Resilience

Independent

18Independent collaborative problem solving

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So How Emotionally Literate Are you?

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The perfect classroom?

You don’t have a magic wand but…

Quoted remark by an articulate pupil

‘Good teachers understand how you feel; they respect you and don’t automatically assume they are right. Bad teachers don’t listen, treat you like dirt, boss you around all the time and think they are always right.’

Hamill & Clark. 2005

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Reflection

• Have I changed you perception of EL?• Have you found out anything new or useful?• Have we had the opportunity to exchange

information with other areas?• Do any new understandings impact on your

personal strengths ~ Does it change the way you perceive your self and or your practice?

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In Summary

If you work together Emotional Literacy has a hugepotential to improve your school

• Discipline & Ethos• Health & Wellbeing• Attainment

• To make a start we first need …to look at ourselves

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Final word

Anyone can be angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person,

to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way

– that is not easy! Aristotle

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Thank You

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Talk about comfortable & uncomfortable feelings

Hi, My name is Sally and I’ve come home with my special friend for a sleep over. I am very excited. For homework my friend is to take one photo and write about something we did today in my journal. At bed time please help me to clean my teeth and then I would like a story.Tomorrow I must go back to school because another special friend is waiting for me. If you can’t come to school please arrange for someone to drop me off.Thank you for having me, I know that I will have fun.Sally

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Literacy skills & home link