Social & Emotional Learning
At Dederang Primary School we take a whole school approach to Respectful Relationships Education and are in our third year of the Berry Street Educational Model.
Our weekly Social and Emotional Learning lessons, teach resilience, empathy, gratitude and mindfulness to students.
Respectful Relationships education is a core component of the Victorian Curriculum from foundation to year 12. It is all about embedding a culture of respect and equality across the entire school community.
At Dederang Primary School, respectful relationships education provides opportunities for children to develop and reflect on knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours that relate to respectful, equal and non-violent relationships.
Our weekly Social and Emotional Learning lessons aim to equip children with knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will empower them to:
- realise their health, wellbeing and dignity
- develop respectful social relationships
- consider how their choices affect their own wellbeing and that of others
- understand and ensure the protection of their rights throughout their lives.
(UNESCO, 2018)
The Berry Street Educational Model provides our school community with a suite of trauma-informed, strengths-based strategies for engaging all students with learning.
Educators use evidence-informed strategies to meet diverse learning needs, enhancing student engagement, self-regulation, relationships, wellbeing, and academic achievement.
We start each day with our whole school morning circle. This sets the expectations for the day and also enables students and teachers to check-in with one another.
Every student has a ready to learn plan and is responsible for maintaining their personal toolbox of strategies for coping with strong emotions.
Our Berry Street Education Model student diary helps create a supportive and predictable learning environment by incorporating structured routines, emotional regulation techniques, and student engagement strategies.
At Dederang Primary School children are taught 5 concepts of Emotional Intelligence through our Physical Education classes and weekly Social and Emotional Learning classes. Having a deep understanding of these concepts ensures that children have the skills to build a safe school environment and embrace the ups and downs of life and learning. Being emotionally intelligent has the greatest impact on academic outcomes.
Each concept is taught through the guidance of the Life Raft program, developed within Wilson McCaskil’s Play is the Way Program. This program is a practical methodology for teaching social and emotional learning using guided play, classroom activities and an empowering language which is embedded across all levels of our school. The 5 concepts that children learn then become our mantras within the school and help us to live our school values of Be Safe, Be a Learner and Be Respectful
For further information and recommended reading for parents, please visit the ‘Play is the Way’ website: www.playistheway.com.au