Emotional Intelligence at FHPP
Starting in January 2013, our AWESOME team at FHPP began a journey with the aim to foster and develop emotional literacy in our school. We decided that we wanted to build on our strengths but also face our weaknesses. We wanted to become a school that worked as a team to help give our children more skills and confidence to prepare them for life. All staff participated in many team days and professional development workshops to help improve our EQ (Emotional Quotient) and the EQ of our lovely children. We believe that we cannot teach something that we cannot also practise and role model.
We are in our sixth year of EQ development and the impact has been incredible. All the staff, the domestics, teachers and teaching assistants have been brave and we have all had to go out of our comfort zones, taking huge risks to move forward. This process has united us as a family, giving us each a sense of empowerment and pride in our achievements. As a result, we are a team that has become happier, more flexible and more positive and the children have benefitted immensely from that.
Here are some of the achievements we have made:
- All class’s have been practicing EQ with themes for each month/term
- All teachers meet weekly in small groups to identify children of concern and come up with an action plan to help support progress for that child. This information is then relayed to the Principal and support is given to the child, the teacher and the parents concerned.
- Small group work is established when needed to help children to improve their social skills
- Individual children will see the Principal when necessary to help identify issues and decide on the next step of action.
- Parents are encouraged to make appointments with their teacher and the Principal when needed, to discuss concerns about their children.
- We are now able to identify barriers to learning much quicker and are able to match children with the relevant professionals needed to assist in diagnosing and meeting the specific needs for those children with greater difficulties
- We are more in tune with what each child needs and have created an environment of tolerance and understanding which allows to us differentiate to meet those needs
What is Emotional Intelligence and why is it important?
Emotional literacy or emotional intelligence as it is sometimes called, is the ability to recognise, understand, handle and appropriately express emotions – both your own, and those of others. Emotionally literate people often have good relationships, cope well under pressure, know how to handle difficult situations and are not afraid to take risks in life.
EQ (Emotional Quotient) has been compared and contrasted with IQ (Intelligence Quotient) scores. International research continually confirms that EQ is a better predictor of long term success than IQ. We at FHPP strongly support this belief. We believe that if we can develop and nurture the social and emotional skills of children then that will allow them to reach their academic potential and achieve well in life. When children are happier in themselves and in their emotions they are more open to learning and taking risks with their learning.
Our EQ Curriculum
Term 1 Theme ‘New Beginnings’
Taken from SEAL materials Social, Emotional Aspects of Learning(UK)
Term 1 theme focuses on helping children feel safe and happy in their new environments. We concentrate on how to help children start new friendships and how to share and care for each other.
Belonging
- I know I belong to my class/group.
- I know the people in my class/group.
- I like belonging to my group/class/school.
- I know that people in my group/class like me.
- I like the ways we are all different.
Self-awareness
- I can tell you something special about me.
Understanding my feelings
- I can tell if I am happy or sad.
- I can let you know if I feel happy, excited, sad or scared.
- I know that it is OK to have any feeling but that it is not
- OK to behave in any way we like (if it hurts other people).
Managing my feelings
- I know some ways to calm myself down when I feel scared or upset.
Understanding the feelings of others
- I know that everybody in the world has feelings.
Social skills
- I can share in a group.
- I can take turns in a group.
- I can join in with other children playing a game.
- I know how to be kind to people who are new or visiting the classroom.
Understanding rights and responsibilities
- I know what to do in my classroom/setting.
Weekly Themes
Week 1/2: Making someone feel welcome
Week 3/4: Doing something brave – overcoming feelings of fearfulness
Week 5/6: Solving a problem/remembering to use the problem-solving process
Week 7/8: Calming down/helping someone to calm down
Term 2 Theme ‘Getting On and Falling Out’
Taken from SEAL materials Social, Emotional Aspects of Learning(UK)
Term 1 theme was New Beginnings. This theme focused on helping children feel safe and happy in their new environments. We focused on how to help children start new friendships and how to share and care for each other. Term 2 Getting On and Falling Out is about how to maintain friendships and deal with conflict. Please see the following table for our aims:
Friendship
- I can play with other children
- I know how to be friendly
- I can say sorry when I have been unkind
Working Together
- I can work in a group with other children
- I can take turns when I play a game
- I can wait for my turn to say something in the classroom
- I can share a toy
- I can ask for help when I am stuck
Managing feelings – anger
- I can express my feelings when I am angry
- I can make myself feel better when I am angry
Resolving conflict
- I can make up when I have fallen out with a friend
- I can think of ways to sort things out when we don’t agree
Understanding my feelings
- I can tell when I am feeling angry
- I can tell when other people feel angry
Week themes
Working cooperatively in a group
Being a really good friend
Keeping Calm and relaxation
Overcoming feelings of anger
Solving difficult problems with a friend
Term 3 Theme ‘Going for Goals’
Taken from SEAL materials Social, Emotional Aspects of Learning(UK)
Term 3 Going for Goals is about how to set goals for ourselves and the importance of ‘failing’ in the process of achievement. Please see the following table for our aims:
Knowing myself
- I know that I can do more things now than I could when I was younger.
- I know that I will be able to do more things when I am older.
- I know that we are all good at different things.
- I can tell you what I like doing and learning.
- I can try new things in my learning.
Setting a realistic goal
- I can tell you what a goal is.
- I can set a goal for myself.
- I can tell you what I want to achieve and how I am going to do so.
Planning to reach a goal
- I can say what I am going to do next.
Persistence
- I can focus my attention and start a task.
- I can sustain my attention.
- I can work hard to achieve my goal.
- I know that working hard is important to reaching my goal.
Evaluation and review
- I can tell you what I have done and the things that worked well
Week Themes
Week 1/2: Taking responsibility – for our successes and when things go wrong
Week 3/4/5: Waiting for what you want; persistence (keeping going)
Week 6/7/8: Resilience – bouncing back or maintaining effort through a difficult experience or after a mistake or failure
Week 9/10/11: Setting and achieving goals