Kidsmatter Primary: a Brief Introduction

Component 2: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) for students Facilitator Guide

KidsMatter Primary: A brief introduction

KidsMatter Primary is a flexible, whole-school approach to children’s mental health and wellbeing for primary schools. It works on its own and as an umbrella under which a school’s existing programs can comfortably fit. KidsMatter Primary provides the proven methods, tools and support to help schools, parents and carers, health services and the wider community nurture happy, balanced kids.

KidsMatter Primary is a national initiative that aims to contribute to: Improving mental health and wellbeing, reducing mental health difficulties amongst students, and increasing support for students experiencing mental health difficulties.

It is the first national mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention initiative developed specifically for Australian primary schools, and was developed in collaboration with beyondblue, the Australian Psychological Society, Principals Australia Institute and, with funding from, the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and beyondblue.

KidsMatter Primary emphasises a shared responsibility for children’ s wellbeing . It seeks to engage those who have a significant influence on children s lives – parents, families, carers, teachers, community based services – in making a positive difference for children s mental health during this important developmental period It also seeks to train school staff to recognise signs of mental health difficulties and to respond effectively.

Risk and protective factors for mental health

Research has identified a range of risk factors that are likely to increase the chances of children experiencing poor mental health It has also identified a number of protective factors, characteristics or conditions that can improve children’ s resistance to such risk factors. Protective factors act to strengthen children’ s mental health and wellbeing, making it less likely they will develop ( or less severe should they develop) mental health problems. KidsMatter Primary guides schools in enhancing key protective factors in the school environment that research shows us can make a difference to children’ s mental health.

The KidsMatter Primary Initiative covers four areas where schools can strengthen the protective factors for student mental health and minimise risk factors. These four areas make up the four components of this Initiative: Component 1: Positive School Community

This component encourages a shared understanding of mental health and wellbeing for the whole-school community. Respectful relationships enable the promotion of a sense of belonging and inclusion within the school community, a welcoming school environment that reflects the diversity of the school and local community, as well as the active involvement of students, staff, families and the local community.

Component 2: Social and emotional learning ( SEL) for students

This component promotes the five core social and emotional competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning ( CASEL) : self-awareness, self- management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. School staff are encouraged to embed these competencies in the curriculum, to provide opportunities for students to practise and transfer their skills by incorporating them into day-to-day interactions, and collaborate with parents and carers to further assist students’ social and emotional skill development.

Component 3: Working with parents and carers.

T his component promotes collaborative working relationships between school staff and parents and carers, recognising the importance of these relationships in developing children’s good mental health and wellbeing. It encourages schools to facilitate access to information and services that support parenting, and provide opportunities for families to ex tend their social and support networks.

Component 4: Helping children with mental health difficulties.

This component assists schools to help students who may be experiencing mental health difficulties Within the boundaries of their role, teachers and schools can help by firstly recognising when a child may be experiencing difficulties They can then respond by promoting an inclusive, accepting environment and using school policies and practices to access support and referral pathways in collaboration with parents and carers. Schools also work closely with students, parents and carers, and support services to help students remain engaged in their education.

Table 1: Some examples of risk and protective factors for children’s mental health.

Risk Factors Protective Factors INDIVIDUAL Poor social and emotional Good social and emotional Children’s abilities and skills skills needs Impulsivity Positive coping style Pessimistic thinking styles Optimism Difficult temperament Easy temperament Low IQ School achievement Low self-esteem Disability FAMILY Family disharmony, Family harmony and Circumstances and instability or breakup stability relationships Harsh or inconsistent Supportive and caring discipline style parents and carers Low parental involvement Strong family norms and Family substance abuse values Family mental illness Responsibility (of child) Disability of parent or within family sibling SCHOOL Negative school climate Positive school climate Practices and environment that does not effectively that enhances belonging address issues of safety and connectedness Peer rejection School norms against School failure bullying and violence Inadequate or harsh Opportunities for success discipline policies and and recognition of practices achievement LIFE EVENTS / Physical, sexual or Opportunities available at SITUATIONS emotional abuse critical points Opportunities and Difficult school transition/s Involvement with stressors Death of family member significant other(s) Emotional trauma SOCIETAL FACTORS Discrimination Participation in community Access, inclusion and Isolation networks social cohesion Lack of access to support Access to support services services Economic security Socioeconomic Strong cultural identity and disadvantage pride Neighbourhood violence Cultural norms against and crime violence

Implementing KidsMatter Primary KidsMatter Primary outlines a process to guide whole-school planning to address student mental health and wellbeing. This process uses the evidence showing what works for schools in terms of implementing and sustaining a whole-school initiative. T he KidsMatter Primary framework provides schools with areas for action – for instance, target areas and goals – and an extensive range of tools and resources to implement each of the four KidsMatter Primary components systematically and in a way that is tailored to the needs of each school’ s unique community. Further information regarding the KidsMatter Primary initiative is available at www.kidsmatter.edu.au.

Component 2: Social and emotional learning (SEL) for students

What is social and emotional learning (SEL)?

Social and emotional learning (SEL) refers to the process of acquiring and effectively applying the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to:

Develop caring and concern for others, making responsible decisions, establishing positive relationships, and handling challenging situations capably (CASEL, 2003).

It is possible to identify common social and emotional competencies using research literature and the contents of evidence-based social and emotional learning programs. T his was the process used by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL). CASEL is an interdisciplinary group of international scientists, practitioners and policy makers who have been at the forefront of developing and researching social and emotional learning and its connection to academic achievement and student wellbeing. While there are many ways in which the social and emotional competencies for Primary School students can be grouped, the five core competencies identified by CASEL have been adopted for use in KidsMatter Primary. They have been chosen because they have a sounds theoretical and practical basis. Additionally, KidsMatter Primary schools will be able to utilise the research and resources continually being developed by this reputable organisation.

They include:

Self-awareness

 Recognising emotions: Identifying and labelling one’s feelings

 Recognising strengths: Identifying and cultivating one’s strengths and positive qualities.

Self-management

 Managing emotions: Monitoring and regulating feelings so they aid rather than impede the handling of situations.

 Goal setting: Establishing and working toward the achievement of short and long term goals that are in keeping with society’ s values.

Social awareness

 Perspective taking: Identifying and understanding the thoughts and feelings of others

 Appreciating diversity: understanding that individual and group differences complement each other and make the world more interesting.

Relationship skills  Communication: using verbal and non verbal skills to express oneself and promote positive and promote effective exchanges with others.

 Building relationships: Establishing and maintaining healthy and rewarding connections with individuals and groups.

 Negotiation: Achieving mutually satisfactory resolutions to conflict by addressing the needs of all concerned.

 Refusal: Effectively conveying and following through with one s decision not to engage in unwanted, unsafe, unethical, or unlawful conduct.

Responsible decision-making

 Analysing situations: Accurately perceiving situations in which a decision is to be made and assessing factors that might influence one s response

 Assuming personal responsibility: Recognising and understanding one’s obligation to engage in ethical, safe and legal behaviours.

 Respecting others: Believing that others deserve to be treated with kindness and compassion and feeling motivated to contribute to the common good.

 Problem solving: Generating, implementing and evaluating positive and informed solutions to problems.

The role of schools

Teachers can play an important role in the social and emotional development of their students. Providing children with opportunities to develop social and emotional competence aligns with many national and state educational policies and curriculum objectives ( for ex ample, Values Education, The National Safe Schools Framework, the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, the Queensland Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework [QCAR], the Victorian Educational Learning Standards [ VELS] and the Health Promoting Schools Framework) .For more information about specific state and territory based frameworks see Appendix: State and territory policy resources related to social and emotional learning.

Social and emotional learning is also an increasing focus of school-based mental health and wellbeing initiatives internationally ( for ex ample, Health Promoting Schools Model from the World Health Organization CASEL, USA Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning SEAL , UK)

This stems from extensive research that has established a strong association between social and emotional competence and a wide range of outcomes across both mental health and academic domains (Bernard, 2004; Zinns, Elias, and Greenberg, 2004). A recent synthesis of over 300 studies that evaluated the impact of such programs for school aged children (aged five to 13 years old) reiterated the benefits of social and emotional learning. Children who received social and emotional learning instruction (as compared to those who did not) were found to have:

Significantly enhances social and emotional competence, attitudes and pr-social behaviour, reduced behaviour problems and emotional distress, and improved academic performance.

These benefits were sustained long after the social and emotional learning instruction had concluded (Payton, Weissberg, Durlak, Dymnicki, Taylor, and Schellinger, 2008). The research also found that school staff are just as effective in producing positive outcomes as researchers or other community members (Payton et al., 2008). Empirical evidence indicates that social and emotional learning implementation achieves significantly greater outcomes in relation to children’ s mental health and wellbeing in instances where social and emotional learning instruction is:

• explicit, integrated and coordinated (Zins and Elias, 2006) • sequenced (in other words, teaches skills progressively), ongoing, and developmentally appropriate (CASEL, 2006 ; World Health Organisation, 2006) • evidence-based (CASEL, 2003) • delivered with fidelity to program procedures and elements (Kress and Elias, 2006; Payton, Wardlaw, Graczyk, Bloodworth, Tompsett and Weissberg, 2000) • delivered by well trained and resourced staff (Payton et al , 2000) • provided at a universal level to all students (Barry, 2007).

Taken together, these findings illustrate the importance of implementing evidence based social and emotional learning programs in primary schools for children’ s positive mental health outcomes and academic achievement.

It is also evident that schools recognise the importance of including the whole-school community (particularly parents and carers) in the promotion of children’s social and emotional learning.

Social and emotional learning programs are one way to effectively implement social and emotional learning throughout a school. Effective implementation involves supporting primary school teachers in learning further skills for developing social and emotional competence in children, providing opportunities for students to practise their skills throughout the school environment, and working with parents and carers to support social and emotional learning in the home context.

KidsMatter Primary and social and emotional learning

KidsMatter Primary Component 2 encourages schools to teach an evidence-based social and emotional learning curriculum to all students formally, regularly and in a coordinated and supported way. This professional learning gives teachers the knowledge and skills to teach the five core competencies effectively.

Fundamental to this objective is the selection of a curriculum-based program that addresses each of the five core social and emotional competencies in such a way as to ma imise the likelihood that students will be able to generalise, or extend, their learning beyond the classroom. To assist schools in selecting suitable social and emotional learning programs, KidsMatter Primary has identified, reviewed and categorised more than30 school-based, manualised and readily replicable programs specifically designed to teach these skills within a classroom setting.

Each program was reviewed in accordance with criteria adapted from CASEL (2003), and in collaboration with program authors and developers. A detailed summary of pertinent information was compiled for each program – including aims, target age range, session outlines, theoretical framework, staff training requirements, contact details for purchasing materials and approximate costs.

Social and emotional learning programs comprise one part of the KidsMatter Primary Programs Guide, which also lists programs designed to promote a positive school community, to provide parenting support and education, and for students experiencing mental health difficulties.

More than 80 programs are listed in the Guide which can be accessed freely via the KidsMatter Primary website www.Kidsmatter.edu.au

The comprehensive staff professional learning package outlined in this Facilitator Guide covers children’ s social and emotional development and the elements of effective implementation, to build staff understanding, skills and confidence in teaching social and emotional learning This learning also encourages the school community to build relationships between teachers, students and parents in order to support understanding of social and emotional learning.

To consolidate children’ s social and emotional development both in the classroom and at home, a range of information sheets have been developed specifically for school staff, parents and carers These provide additional evidence-based information and a range of suggestions and strategies.

Additional information sheets have been developed to focus on key mental health and parenting topics. All are available at www.kidsmatter.edu.au.

Target areas and goals for Component 2: Social and emotional learning (SEL) for students

Some schools may already be teaching elements of a social and emotional curriculum to students. The KidsMatter Primary framework assists schools to ex amine systematically what is currently being taught and how social and emotional learning is embedded throughout the school environment.

Two specific target areas have been identified for this component, with objectives for each target area that will assist schools to provide effective social and emotional learning for students.

Table 2: Target areas and goals for Component 2: Social and emotional learning (SEL) for students

Target Areas Goals Effective social and emotional learning a) School staff understand the (SEL) curriculum for all students interrelationship between social, emotional and academic learning. b) Teachers understand the core social and emotional competencies of: - self-awareness - self-management - social awareness - relationship skills - responsible decision-making. c) Social and emotional learning curriculum is taught: - that covers the core social and emotional competencies - that has research evidence of effectiveness or is underpinned by a sound theoretical framework - effectively, formally and regularly in a co-ordinated and supported way throughout the school.

Opportunities for students to practice and a) School staff use their daily interactions transfer their social and emotional skills. with students to support the development of students’ social and emotional learning skills, in and out of the classroom. b) Students are provided with regular opportunities t practise and adapt their social and emotional skills to new situations in the classroom, school and wider community. c) School staff provide information to parent about the school’s social and emotional curriculum and work collaboratively with parents to assist students’ development of social and emotional skills.

Resources

KidsMatter Primary provides a suite of resources for school staff, families and community members to support schools in exploring and further developing a positive school community at their school. These include the KidsMatter Primary information sheets, which are evidence- based and focus on information and strategies for school staff and families to promote a positive school community. These resources are available from the school’ s Action Team and also from the KidsMatter Primary website: www.kidsmatter.edu.au. Other sources of support and information include the Essential Reading document, the Action Team Handbook, and the professional learning packages designed for all school staff.

Component 2: Professional learning package Comprehensive professional learning is provided to all school staff, enabling them to understand the contributors to children’ s mental health, become familiar with ex amples of best practice, and to identify opportunities to enhance their school’ s practices in each component area.

A professional learning package is supplied for each of the four components of KidsMatter Primary. These are designed to be delivered to all school staff and comprise three hours of content targeting the key goals of the KidsMatter Primary target areas. These professional learning packages have been developed according to a number of professional learning principles:

• Content must be evidence based (Mitchell, 1999)

• A combination of didactic and interactive training is most effective for learning

(Forsetlund et al., 2009).

• Use of a range of primary and secondary learning strategies and media caters

for different learning styles and provides opportunities to reinforce learning

(Davis, Thomson, Oxman, and Haynes, 1995).

• Practical activities are most effective in leading to change in professional practice

(Hodges, Inch, and Silver, 2001).

• New learning should be explicitly linked to prior knowledge and opportunities should

be provided for broader application (Dewey, 1938; Loucks-Horsely, Hewson, Love,

and Stiles, 2003).

• Professional learning should be evaluated (Deane, Crowe, King, Kavanagh,

and Oades, 2006).

Each of the professional learning packages consists of a comprehensive Facilitator Guide, an accompanying set of PowerPoint slides, activity materials for the facilitator, and a workbook of participant handouts. The professional learning for all school staff is delivered by KidsMatter Primary facilitators who have expertise relevant to the component they are charged with delivering.

KidsMatter Primary Component 2 facilitator

The Component 2 facilitator may be a school based person, Action Team member, or an external support person or critical friend, a school psychologist, counsellor or social worker or other suitably qualified person. Component 2 facilitators must participate in a one-day KidsMatter Primary workshop session before delivering the professional learning to school staff. Training and learning are provided by the state and territory-based coordinators and project officers. The component 2 facilitator works in conjunction with the school’ s Action Team to coordinate and deliver the school staff professional learning.

The three-hour content of the professional learning has been designed to be run as one three- hour session or as three one-hour sessions, depending upon the needs of the school. T his decision is made in conjunction with the school’ s Action Team and is respectful of the school’s timetabling requirements.

Participants in professional learning sessions The Component 2 professional learning for school staff will be provided by trained Component 2 facilitators. Participants for the professional learning sessions usually include school Action Team members as well as all staff from schools implementing the initiative. It is important that facilitators consider the number of staff to whom they will be delivering this package, as this will vary across contexts and impact upon group sizes during activities.

Materials

The following materials comprise the Component 2 professional learning package for school staff.

Facilitator Guide

The Facilitator Guide is designed to be read before delivering the professional learning, and is to be referred to as a guide during its delivery. The Guide contains copies of each of the slides, along with detailed information and instructions on how to facilitate each activity. Activity materials, participant handouts and a facilitator feedback form are also included and can be found at the end of the Guide. It is one of the core materials used to train Component 2 facilitators.

The Presentation Slides

A set of PowerPoint slides has been developed for use in the delivery of the Component 2 professional learning sessions. The facilitator should thoroughly review this Guide before delivering a session – this will allow for meaningful delivery of the slides.

The slides are contained in one document and cover the Component 2 content as a three-hour presentation. If the school staff professional learning is to be delivered in separate sessions, review the slides and exclude those not relevant to each individual session.

Slides have also been prepared for each of the activities that form part of the professional learning. In some instances, there are options available for the facilitator to select from. nI these cases, once a particular activity has been selected, facilitators can hide the slides that will not be used for that session. It is strongly recommended that slides are not deleted as they may be required for delivery at a different school.

Key learning outcomes The overall goal for the Component 2 professional learning is to provide all school staff with an understanding of the rationale behind social and emotional learning for students, and why it is part of the KidsMatter Primary initiative.

The key learning outcomes for school staff include:

 To better understand the KidsMatter Primary framework and the relevance of social and emotional learning in a school.

 To understand the skills students need to develop social and emotional competence

 To provide information about how social and emotional competence can be taught

 To understand the factors that can support social and emotional learning programming in their school.

Table 3: How the key learning outcomes for Component 2 professional learning are achieved

Key Learning Outcomes Key points/Activities & Tools

Session 1: 1. School staff develop a shared • Promotion of positive mental Social and understanding of social and emotional health emotional learning (SEL), and the relevance of • Protective factors for mental learning social and emotional learning to health difficulties (SEL) for schools. • Learning Outcomes students- • Links with specific state/territory what it education policy means and Handout: Risk and protective why it is factors for children’s mental health. important. 2. School staff are aware of the • Developmental continuum of multiple influences on social and social and emotional learning and emotional learning competence, reframing the way we look at including how it is learned and children’s behaviour developed • Links to social and emotional learning sequencing over multiple years • Links to generalising skills beyond the classroom (for example, home, playground) • Links to resources Activity 1 and handout: Identifying positive and negative influences on children’s on children’s social and emotional competence. Activity 2 and handout: Enhancing social and emotional competence 3. School staff recognise that social • This notion is to be developed and emotional learning is teachable further throughout session 2 and learnable. Reflection task for between sessions (no handout) Session 2: 4. School staff understand the • Clearly outlines what we are Teaching important role they have in relation to asking teachers to do through and children’s social and emotional skill addressing social and emotional emotional development. learning. learning (SEL) in classroom 5. School staff understand the need for • Core competencies micro-skills a broad-based skill focus •Links to Kidsmatter Primary Programs Guide • Links to generalisation of skills beyond the classroom Handout: The five core social and emotional competencies Activity 3: Micro-skills sort Handouts: Activity 3 - Micro-skills sort list – cards (printed to A3 size) - Micro-skills sorting sheet – Core social and emotional competencies (printed to A3 size) - Solutions to micro-skill sort activity - Micro-skill sort – Core social and emotional competencies diagram 6. School staff understand the qualities Handout: Effective social and of effective social and emotional emotional teaching teaching Online tools: Demonstration of social and emotional learning in action – see links located in guide. Session 3: 7. School staff understand the factors Handout: Effective social and Implementin that are necessary for effective social emotional teaching g social and and emotional learning Online tools: Demonstration of emotional implementation social and emotional learning in learning (SEL) action – see links located in guide. throughout • Regular, formal, coordinated your school • Evidence-based • Sequential and developmental • Trained staff • Adaption vs. Fidelity to program resources

8. School staff are familiar with a • KidsMatter Primary range of resources that are available Information sheets to support them to address this • School-based supports compoenent, and understand the (additional professional different ways in which they can be development, curriculum used to link the school and home in timetabling) working towards social and • Local community – and web- emotional competence or optimal based resources social and emotional learning. Activity 4: Using the KidsMatter Primary Programs Guide Handout: Activity 4: - Using the KidsMatter Primary Programs Guide - Blank KidsMatter Primary Programs Guide Activity 5: Discuss the factors that might be important considerations for social and emotional learning (SEL) programming in your school community. Handout: Activity 5: Discus the factors that might be important considerations for social and emotional learning (SEL) programming in your school community - Group discussion questions

Example agenda The following agenda is based on an all-staff morning session of Component 2. The three sessions are run sequentially, and an additional half hour of time has been added for a morning tea break so a block of three and a half hours is needed. Suggested times provide an approximate indication only.

Time Topic 8:45 - Acknowledgement of Country 9:00am Introductions Introducing KidsMatter Primary • Aims 9:00 - • 9:10am Four components of KidsMatter Primary Kidsmatter model for mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention (PEI) in schools.

Session 1: Social and emotional learning (SEL) for all students – what 9:10 - it means and why it is important 10:00am • What is social and emotional learning • The importance of social and emotional learning 10:00 - 10:30am Morning Tea

10:30 - Session 2: Teaching Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the 11:30am classroom • A broad-based skills approach to teaching social and emotional learning • Five core competencies and micro-skills • Teaching social and emotional learning effectively - The three levels of social and emotional learning instruction

10:30 - Session 3: Implementing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the 11:30pm classroom • Effective social and emotional learning implementation • Deciding on a program for your school – using the KidsMatter Primary Programs Guide • Embedding social and emotional learning throughout the school • Supporting KidsMatter Primary resources 12:20 - 12:25pm Conclusion

12:25 – Summary and close 12:30pm

Session Outlines

Time Topic (minute s) Sessio Social and emotional learning – what it means and why it is important (one hour) n 1 10 Acknowledgement of Country Introductions 5 Introducing KidsMatter Primary • Aims • KidsMatter model for mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention (PPEI) in schools • Four components of KidsMatter Primary

10 Session 1: Social and emotional learning(SEL) for all students - what it means and why is it important • What is social and emotional learning? • The importance of social and emotional learning • The relevance of social and emotional learning to schools • KidsMatter Primary links to national educational policy and curriculum.

10 Influences on social and emotional learning

20 Development of social and emotional competence

5 Summary and close

Sessio Teaching social and emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom (one hour) n 2 5 Introduction • Review previous session • Discuss the outcomes of the bridging refection activity

5 From programs to a broad based skills approach to teaching social and emotional learning

30 CASEL five core social and emotional competencies 15 Teaching social and emotional learning effectively What does an effective social and emotional learning session look like? The three levels of effective social and emotional learning instruction  Provision of information  Guided skill practice  Personalised skill application Social and emotional learning in action

5 Summary and close

Sessio Implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) throughout your school (one hour) n 3 5 Introduction Review previous session

5 Effective social and emotional learning implementation Deciding on a program for your school • Important considerations

25 KidsMatter Primary Programs Guide Fidelity versus adaption

15 Strategies for embedding social and emotional learning throughout the school KidsMatter Primary Supporting resources  What did we learn from pilot schools  What did the evaluation show?  Summary and conclusions

5 Review of component 2 professional learning

5 Summary and close

Getting ready for delivery

Before you start

Before delivering this professional learning package, the Component 2 facilitator should meet with the school’s KidsMatter Primary Action Team. The Action Team is comprised of members of the school community who will play a pivotal role throughout the implementation process of KidsMatter Primary in each school.

Meet with the Action Team

Meeting with the Action Team is important because the facilitator will gain a clear understanding of the individual school community and how this package will relate to it specifically. The Action Team will be able to provide a context for the professional learning, allowing it to be tailored to the specific school. The success of the professional learning will, in part, be dependent on this process – the information needs to be meaningful to the participants. In addition, there are opportunities for the Action Team to play a role in the delivery of the learning, for example, by collating ideas generated by the group for further action. This will need to be discussed with and negotiated by the Action Team members.

Finally, the Action Team can help with the logistics of the professional learning delivery, including liaising with the rest of the school staff regarding appropriate delivery times, and may provide some administrative support – for example, photocopying materials.

Some general topics to aid the familiarisation process are provided below. These are intended to assist you in getting to know the school context and to deliver the content of this professional learning package to each individual school in a way that is relevant to that school. Again, the school Action Team will be a particularly useful resource throughout this process.

General points to discuss with the Action Teams: • What is the current knowledge of staff about KidsMatter Primary?

• What is the current attitude of staff towards KidsMatter Primary?

• Is staff participation in professional learning voluntary or mandatory? • Are there any specific issues for this school that need to be considered in relation to professional learning (for example, rural, remote, distance education, hospital school, and culturally and Linguistically Diverse ALD or Indigenous communities)?

• Are there any particular staff wellbeing issues that need to be considered?

• Some activities require movement; are there any mobility issues?

• Who will be present or invited to the professional learning sessions?

- Teaching staff

- Administration staff

- Support staff

- Parents and carers

- Community representatives

• Are there any pre-existing expectations or standards around staff conduct during professional learning sessions or staff meetings (for example, has it been permissible for staff to do corrections during meetings in the past) or will this need to be addressed at the beginning of the session by the facilitator?

• How will the professional learning link with the implementation process and component plan?

Component 2 specific points

• Are there any links between this component and any specific educational policy or curriculum documents that need to be taken into account? (see Appendix: State and territory policy resources related to social and emotional learning)

• What social and emotional learning programs are currently operating at the school?

- Do staff support the use of the program – is it used regularly across the whole school?

- Have there been any key achievements or areas of difficulty with this program?

- What instigated the implementation of this program? For e ample, behaviour management issues.

• How many teachers have attended training for social and emotional learning programs or other relevant areas?

• What whole school supports are currently in place to support staff in teaching social and emotional learning?

• What understanding do staff members have of social and emotional learning, such as what to teach and how to teach it? • What is the attitude of staff in relation to the relevance of social and emotional learning in their role as teachers?

The responses to the KidsMatter Primary Staff Survey for Component 2 will be a particularly useful resource for establishing relevant contextual factors for this component.

Preparing materials

The core materials required for the professional learning are contained in this Guide and the PowerPoint slides Additional resources may include specific KidsMatter Primary materials (for example, the Component 2 information sheets, held by the Action Team in each school). You may also require standard items such as butcher’ s paper, textas, whiteboard markers, pens and blank paper for each session. Access to an internet connection during the delivery of this professional learning package would also be useful to the facilitator, particularly for showcasing the KidsMatter Primary website and resources– for example, the KidsMatter Primary Programs Guide

The main administrative preparation for each session will include ensuring sufficient copies of handouts and worksheets are made, including participant feedback forms. This Guide lists the required or suggested preparation for each activity.

T o assist you in preparing for the sessions, a checklist has been provided on the next page.

This covers:

• materials

• photocopying requirements (for example, colour, black and white, numbers of sheets)

• physical space required

Preparing slides

The number of slides required will depend on whether the professional learning is to take place in one three-hour session or three one-hour sessions. In addition, for each session, slide preparation will include the following:

• individualising the first slide with name of school, the facilitator, etc

• selecting which of the activity options is to be used

• hiding (but not deleting) slides that won t be used in that session • delivering the Acknowledgement of Country with the KidsMatter Primary logo at the start of the session (consider tailoring it to the Aboriginal and/or TorresStrait Islander group/s in your area and by using a relevant landscape photograph)

• reviewing the KidsMatter Primary introduction slides to ensure they contain sufficient information for participants (check with the Action Team about the level of knowledge in the group about KidsMatter Primary) .

• reviewing the KidsMatter Primary introduction slides to ensure they contain sufficient information for participants (check with the Action Team about the level of knowledge in the group about KidsMatter Primary).

Some other tips for the facilitator:

• Consider the time of the day you will be delivering the professional learning session or sessions and how this may affect participation.

• Find creative ways to re engage groups after breaks and activities, such as energiser activities.

• If the professional learning package is to be delivered over three sessions summarise briefly what was covered in earlier sessions before beginning the next session.

• Consider the space in which you will be delivering the presentation – is it the space that is always used for staff professional learning? Would a new or fresh space be beneficial?

Checklist Item Amount Number Check Facilitator materials Presentation slides (amend as required) 1 1 Facilitator Guide 1 1 Facilitator Activity Materials 1 set per group (5 people to a Activity 3: Micro-skill sort list - cards group) 1 set per group (5 Activity 3: Micro-skill sorting sheet – Core social people to a and emotional competencies group) 1 set per Activity 3: Solutions to micro-skill sort activity group Participant Workbook (handouts) SESSION 1 Activity 1: Identifying positive and negative influences on children’s social and emotional 1 per competence participant Activity 2: Enhancing social and emotional 1 scenario competence per group SESSION 2 1 per The five core social and emotional competencies participant Activity 3: Micro-skill sort – Core social and 1 per emotional competencies diagram participant 1 scenario per group (5-8 people Effective social and emotional teaching per group) SESSION 3 Activity 4: Using the KidsMatter Primary Programs Guide 1 per participant Activity 4: Blank KidsMatter Primary Programs 1 per Guide participant Activity 5: Discuss the factors that might be important considerations for social and emotional learning (SEL) programming in your school 1 per group community – Group discussion questions Participant references and other resources for KidsMatter Primary Component 2: social and emotional learning Feedback Participant feedback form 1 per participant Other materials required through the day Blank paper, pens, textas and sticky notes Sufficient for each table Whiteboard and markers, internet connection KidsMatter Primary resources Component 2 parent and carer information sheets 1 per group Others as relevant

Self care and personal disclosures Discussions about childhood and school experiences can sometimes trigger unpleasant memories for people – this applies both to the participants and the facilitator. This commonly occurs during discussions of experiences of not belonging or of feeling excluded.

It is important to remind participants at the outset of each session that the KidsMatter Primary materials focus on the children they work with and their families. Emphasise that while open discussions and sharing of thoughts and ideas are important to the success of their school’s journey, disclosure of personal stories is not advised. It is important that the names of students or families during group discussions are not used.

It is recommended that the facilitator have a list of contacts available for participants (either school- or community-based agencies) in the event that something arises that they would like to address further on a personal level. This should include contact details of any employee assistance programs that are offered at the school. Again, the school action Team and external support or critical friend can help to identify the relevant personnel within the school. Some useful contacts for adults

Phone Website Service Provided Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au 24-hour telephone counselling beyondblue 1300 22 46 36 www.beyondblue.org.au Information and referral line Sane 1800 18 7263 www.sane.org Information Australia line – 9am – 5pm weekdays, online helpline, factsheets, resources Australian www.psychology.org.au/FindaPs Find a Psychological ychologist Psychologist Society (APS) service

A brief note about this Facilitator Guide

This facilitator guide is for KidsMatter Primary Component 2 facilitators who have been trained by KidsMatter Primary. It has been designed to be used in conjunction with the PowerPoint slides when delivering the school staff professional learning sessions.

It is also part of the core material for the one-day training of Component 2 facilitators, Facilitating Component 2: Social and emotional learning (SEL), conducted by KidsMatter Primary state and territory-based coordinators and project officers.

Symbols used in this Guide