Years 2 & 3

Recently in my browsing of social media - oops ... I mean, serious research on the internet - I came across some information regarding positive self-talk using the word "you" rather than "I" (for example, telling oneself "You can do it" vs "I can do it"). I'm paraphrasing, but the takeaway from one study cited was that under certain conditions (essentially isolation), people who spoke to themselves using the word you (eg, "You can do it", "You can figure this out", "You will get through this") coped better with challenges and stress than those who used the word I. The researchers found the "you" phrasing of these sentences triggered connection centres in the brain, and concluded it was this feeling of reduced isolation and social connection that supported resilience and wellbeing in the challenging conditions. 

Immediately I wondered if this might be relevant to students' self-talk in the classroom, especially as we were about to commence some end of year assessments which can challenge students physically, mentally, and emotionally. I decided we'd have a go at self-supporting 'you' statements in 2/3! In a Wellbeing session prior to starting assessments, students received a randomly assigned sticky note with another student's name on it. Everyone wrote an encouraging "you" phrased statement and then gifted the sticky note to the named student. The notes have been laminated and I have been encouraging students to keep the encouraging note on their desk during the assessments as a 'lucky charm'.

This turned out to be a lovely Wellbeing session and it was just really heartwarming to see the care they took to decorate the little note and the encouragement they extended to one another. One of the strengths of this class as a group is their kindness and active support of each other. It turned out to be a fantastic activity that strengthened the relationship of the class as a whole as well as individual relationships within it. Just a beautiful bunch of kids.

Besides assessment, we have continued to work hard: reading poetry, writing stories, practicing multiplication and division, and working with money. We have also talked about swimming in preparation for next week. Over the weekend, students are encouraged to practice taking off/putting on clothing items that might be tricky! Thank you as always for your support.