The Fountain

From the Deputy Principal

As we pass the halfway mark of the term, I hope that students continue to share some of the topics covered in Positive Education under the pillars of gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy. 

 

For this edition of the newsletter, I would like to focus on emotional literacy which refers to a person’s ability to recognise, understand, handle and appropriately express emotions. People with high emotional literacy and EQ (emotional intelligence) create and manage relationships more effectively. 

 

Having a strong emotional intelligence allows us to communicate effectively with others, negotiate social situations well, work in teams, deepen relationships, respond well to bigger emotions and respond to others with empathy. 

What does emotional literacy look like in our Positive Education classes? A range of opportunities are provided to support students across the College so that they may:

  • recognise and identify their own emotions
  • describe situations that may evoke these emotions
  • compare their emotional responses with those of their peers
  • investigate how emotional responses vary in depth and strength
  • examine influences on and consequences of emotional responses on behaviour 
  • analyse factors that influence their ability to regulate emotions
  • forecast the consequences of expressing emotions inappropriately and devise measures to regulate behaviour
  • identify indicators of possible problems in relationships
  • analyse enablers of and barriers to effective verbal and non-verbal communication
  • reflect critically on their emotional responses to a variety of situations and in a range of contexts 
  • moderate their emotional responses when expressing opinions, values and choices.

What can you do at home to help your child continue to develop emotional intelligence?

  • When younger children are showing big emotions, help them name the emotion and guide them to expressing the emotion appropriately.
  • Help your child to develop strategies to move from negative emotions to positive emotions.
  • Model how to respond to emotions, especially anger and disappointment which are hard for children to manage.
  • Talk about how you deal with emotions and the strategies you use when dealing with bigger emotions.
  • Model responding to others with empathy and kindness.

For further strategies please access The Resilience Project's Resilience@Home resources. 

 

All students need to have their emotional literacy nurtured, reinforced and encouraged. Therefore, by supporting students to express themselves appropriately, we are empowering them to navigate the emotional choppy waters of growing up successfully.

 

Caroline Wilson-Haffenden 

Deputy Principal