Emotional Literacy and Co-Regulation

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Emotional Literacy and Co-Regulation BEING A TRAUMA EMOTIONAL LITERACY INFORMED AND CO-REGULATION COMMUNITY ‘Emotional literacy may be defined as the ability to recognise, understand, handle, and appropriately express emotions. Put more simply, it means using your emotions to help yourself and others succeed.’ – Sharp, 2012. The role of carers Talk out loud to the child about their emotions and suggest how they imagine the child may feel in emotional situations Children are not born emotionally literate, or with the capacity – for example, ‘I wonder if you’re happy because you’re to regulate their emotions. They rely on those caring for them to smiling!’, ‘I wonder if you’re sad because you’re crying’. understand and respond to their signals of emotional arousal. Take everyday opportunities to teach the child about When a child is overwhelmed, they will look to their carer to help emotions – for example, watch movies or read books them understand, organise, soothe and recover (Fonagy, 2015). together and discuss how the characters might be feeling. Before a child can self-regulate, they need their carers to help them Help the child build a language for emotions. develop emotional literacy by first co-regulating emotions with Help the child to sort, understand and them. For example, in infancy, babies require adults to manage all appropriately manage their emotions. their needs, be sensitive to their cues and to provide a soothing presence in times of distress. Co-regulation requires carers to be Five steps of emotion coaching ‘bigger, stronger, wiser and kind’ and model appropriate self- soothing skills. If a carer is able to manage their own emotions by being present with the child and remain calm, it will help the child learn to regulate and understand their own emotions and provide a foundation for the child to develop their own emotional literacy. Children who are emotionally literate are better able to manage strong emotions, and this has far reaching and positive impacts on their self-esteem, confidence, identity (sense of self) and relationships. The impact of trauma Trauma often disrupts a child’s capacity to understand emotions – their own and others’. This impacts on and interferes with the child’s ability to manage and adapt to stress, and to securely attach to their primary carers. It also adversely impacts their peer and social relationships. Therefore, traumatised children need their carers to co-regulate with them to help them understand and manage emotions as they are often unable to do so on their own. Strategies to help children develop emotional literacy To strengthen a child’s emotional literacy, carers should: Role model responses to strong emotions and appropriate regulation. Work with the child to develop plans for how the child might handle a situation differently in the future. Talk out loud about their own emotions – for example, ‘I was Remember... disappointed when I missed out on the tickets to the show’, Accept all emotions for what they are and notice ‘It made me upset to see xxx get hurt’, ‘I am really cross emotions come and go. The key is learning how to right now and need to take a short break to calm down’. manage and express emotions for lifelong learning. Note: The terms ‘child’ and ‘children’ also refer to ‘young person’ and ‘young people’. Here to help! Come and talk to us if you’d like more practical ways you can be trauma informed. Sources: > Sharp, P (2012). Nurturing Emotional Literacy: A Practical Guide for Teachers, Parents and those in the Caring Professions. Routledge. > Fonagy, P (2015). Mutual regulation, mentalisation and therapeutic action: A reflection on contributions of Ed Tronick to developmental and psychotherapeutic thinking. Available at discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1462443/1/Fonagy_Mutual_regulation_FINAL_accepted.pdf LEARN MORE > How to Strengthen Your Child’s Emotional Intelligence (2017). The Gottman Relationship blog. Available at www.gottman.com/blog/strengthen-childs-emotional-intelligenc Published 2019.
Recommended publications
  • Social & Emotional Learning
    Access Better Kid Care’s On Demand Online Professional Development System to: • Create a free account • Read the research-based module content • Watch videos highlighting best practices • Complete reflection activities • Take the assessment • Print your certificate of completion (Preview modules for free. $5 fee for certificate of completion.) Social & Emotional Learning Online Professional Development Resources extension.psu.edu/youth/betterkidcare • 800-452-9108 Supported in part with funds from the Office of Child Development and Early Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing Learning, jointly overseen by the Departments of Human Services and Education. employment opportunities to minorities, women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other protected groups. Nondiscrimination: http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD85.html Claudia C. Mincemoyer, Ph.D., Better Kid Care Program Director 2182 Sandy Drive – Suite 204 State College, PA 16803 This publication is available in alternative media on request. © 2017 The Pennsylvania State University Brochure_SEL 03/20/17 On Demand Modules Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) • Cultural Understanding: Building Solid Foundations • Adverse Childhood Experiences: Building Resilience • Creating Special Moments with Infants and Toddlers • Understanding Poverty: Strategies for Family Engagement • Dealing with Anger - The Children’s and Yours • Death, Loss and Grief: Understanding How to Support Children • Family Child Care: Support Infants and Toddlers
    [Show full text]
  • Using Emotional Literacy to Promote
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by University of Birmingham Research Archive, E-theses Repository USING EMOTIONAL LITERACY TO FACILITATE ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL: A CASE STUDY By JAMES GILLUM A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL AND CHILD PSYCHOLOGY Volume 1 School of Education College of Social Sciences The University of Birmingham June, 2010 ABSTRACT This thesis comprises of a critical literature review and case study. The literature review considers, in detail, the theory underpinning emotional intelligence and emotional literacy. It begins by detailing the shift in UK Education policy, between 2000 and 2010 and considering academic research into non-cognitive aspects of education. A critical evaluation of two theories of emotional intelligence (ability theory and trait theory) is then presented and these theories are subsequently contrasted with the theory of emotional literacy, as outlined by Claude Steiner. The paper concludes by considering how each of the three theories discussed may impact upon research practice. The case study, which was completed in a city suburban primary school, is made up of two embedded units, the first uses interview to examine staff perceptions of emotional literacy. The second employs collaborative action research to consider whether emotional literacy can be used to promote organisational change. Data was analysed using thematic analysis and is presented together with discussion regarding staff perceptions of emotional literacy. The collaborative action research resulted in four identified changes in the school: development of practice and policy at lunchtimes; the introduction of elements of the SEAL curriculum; the establishment of a student council and a staff collaboration project.
    [Show full text]
  • Emotional Literacy: Building Strong Relationships for Lifelong Learning
    Emotional literacy: Building strong relationships for lifelong learning “Tomorrow’s world will require adults who have been taught to draw on a wider range of capabilities and competencies; who are curious, resilient, self-disciplined and self-motivated; who can navigate differences, overcome language and cultural barriers, and who are at ease working in a team.” A Smith Family Snapshot Report November 2009 “40% of Australian primary and secondary school students have poor social and emotional skills.” Professor Michael Bernard, University of Melbourne, in conjunction with the Australian Council for Educational Research Message from Elaine Henry In a globalised knowledge era, the only constant is change. Our children are growing up in a technology-enabled, socially networked environment in which their wellbeing depends more than ever on the relationships they are able to form and the mosaic of skills that they are able to draw on at different times, in different contexts, for different purposes. In this context, personal achievement and productivity depend not only on academic acheivements but also on the emotional intelligence that assists in coping with the multiple stresses and pressures of modern life. Until very recently, an individual’s ability to recognise, understand and manage their own emotions – and to recognise these emotions in others through empathy – has been marginalised within education systems that measure success in predominantly academic terms. The cultivation of these ‘soft skills’, popularly perceived to be the duty of parents/carers and others outside the classroom, has suffered signifi cantly as a result of changes specifi c to the family unit over the last 50 years.
    [Show full text]
  • EMPATHY EDUCATION Why the Other Side of the Report Card Counts by Michele Borba, Ed.D
    EMPATHY EDUCATION Why the Other Side of the Report Card Counts By Michele Borba, Ed.D. micheleborba.com “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another. Listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another.” Empathy Is Teachable and Comprised of 3 Distinct Types “Empathy ABCs” Affective: Feeling what another person feels; Behavioral: Sensing what someone needs and responding compassionately; Cognitive: understanding another’s perspective or values but -not necessarily agreeing with them. And it lies on a spectrum from low to high. Empathy Education Starts with Understanding the Empathy Advantage Empathy is integral to education, mental health, promoting the moral virtues of kindness, compassion, justice, fairness, caring, it increases resilience, civic engagement, helps students become contributing citizens and creates more caring, inclusive, safe, trusting Empathy Staff Resources learning climates. And it reduces aggression, bullying, racism, violence, and hate. UnSelfie, Michele Borba The Road to Character, Brooks 7 Principles of Effective Empathy Education The Altruistic Personality, Oliner 1. Ongoing: Not a one-time lesson but a continual focus The Path to Purpose; Damon Generation Me, Twenge 2. Woven-in: Integrated into content, not tacked on. iGen, Jean Twenge 3. Meaningful: Real & authentic so it’s touches heart & mind. The Trophy Kids Grow Up, Alsop 4. Internalized: Goal is adopting empathy competencies as habits. Shadow a Student Challenge 5. Student-Centered: Child’s needs, not curriculum, drives lessons. College of the Overwhelmed, 6. Relationships: Empathy breeds in a culture of respect & caring. Kadison 7. Empathic Leadership: Modeling, expected and core to leader’s The Nature of Prejudice, Allport vision, purpose, style and interactions.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategies for Fostering Emotional Literacy in Young Children
    Strategies for Fostering Emotional Literacy in Young Children Emotional literacy is the ability to ‘read emotions’ in oneself and others…to be able to identify, understand and respond to emotions in a healthy manner. As a teacher you can help the children in your classroom learn to label emotions and develop this valuable social-emotional skill. The CSEFEL website contains many resources available for use in your classroom to help build children’s emotional literacy. For example, the Emotion Faces cards, labeled in English or Spanish, show facial expressions associated with 12 different emotions and can be used in a variety of ways. These cards can be found at http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies/html . Some examples of ways to incorporate Emotion Faces into your classroom include: Feelings Hunt: Display the CSEFEL feeling face pictures around the room. Encourage the children to go on a ‘feelings treasure hunt.’ As children find the faces, ask them to tell you how that child might be feeling and about a time they felt that way. It’s best to start with the basic emotions of happy, sad and mad before moving on to the emotions that are harder to define and express like frustration and pride. Feelings Cube Toss: Glue one feeling face on each side of a small square box and cover the sides with contact paper for durability. Use this at group time to generate discussion about feelings. Roll the cube to a child who identifies the emotion on the top of the cube before rolling it to another child.
    [Show full text]
  • 3Rd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology
    3RD CANADIAN CONFERENCE ON POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY June 15 - 17, 2016 White Oaks Resort and Spa, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON Conference Program Positive Psychology: The science of happiness, well-being, and what makes life worth living. The 3RD Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology 3 days of sharing leading-edge research and best practices in the application of positive psychology across multiple disciplines. Over 100 positive psychology experts will be speaking on topics in 5 main streams. Speakers will discuss: 1. The latest research in positive psychology and recent findings 2. Implementation of positive psychology initiatives in education and schools to build resilience and improve academic performance 3. Strategies for applying positive psychology in counselling and psychotherapy 4. Tools and techniques for coaches to leverage in their practice 5. Best practices for business consultants and HR specialists to build positive and productive workplaces With Special Thanks to our Proud Sponsors 2 Table of Contents 4 ------------------------------ Letter from the President 5 ------------------------------ Letter from the Conference Chair 6 ----------------------------- Letter from the Mayor 7 ------------------------------ About the CPPA 8 ----------------------------- Keynote Speakers 11 ------------------------------ Pre-Conference Workshops 15 ------------------------------ Invited Speakers 18 ------------------------------ Program at a Glance 23 ------------------------------ Thursday Schedule 47 ------------------------------ Friday
    [Show full text]
  • FAMILY EMOTIONAL LITERACY: a CRITICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM for MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION Anna L
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs Education ETDs Summer 6-20-2017 FAMILY EMOTIONAL LITERACY: A CRITICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION Anna L. Dinallo University of New Mexico Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/educ_llss_etds Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons Recommended Citation Dinallo, Anna L.. "FAMILY EMOTIONAL LITERACY: A CRITICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION." (2017). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/educ_llss_etds/80 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Education ETDs at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i Anna Marie Dinallo Candidate Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies Department This dissertation is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Dissertation Committee: Ruth Trinidad Galván, chair of the committee Glenabah Martinez Holbrook Mahn Magdalena Avila ii FAMILY EMOTIONAL LITERACY: A CRITICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION by ANNA MARIE DINALLO B.A., Psychology, The University of New Mexico, 2011 M.A., Counseling, The University of New Mexico, 2014 DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico July 2017 iii DEDICATION I dedicate this journey to the many children I have counseled in school and community settings. As my teachers, you have taught me resilience by laughter and play.
    [Show full text]
  • Creative Interventions for Children's Anticipatory Grief
    Creative Interventions for Children’s Anticipatory Grief Presented by Jennifer Allen, LMFT, ATR-BC provider#PCE4493 Anticipatory Grief - The rollercoaster of uncertainty and the Elephant in the room The grief that happens in anticipation of a loss& doesn’t replace bereavement. It can help with orientation to grief process. Hallmarks are uncertainty and cultural disenfranchisement. This can be with illness, pending divorce, etc. Children are often shut down when expressing AG Like with bereavement, AG can show up with behaviors, somatic complaints, and emotionally. Not everyone experiences anticipatory grief. Children are aware of more than we think. Combo this with an imagination and no place to share = high stress Each child’s AG is unique to him/her as was their relationship to the person who is ill. Differences in Adult’s & Children’s Grief & Anticipatory Grief Adults know they are grieving, while children (under 9) often don’t have a reference/perspective for all the feelings inside. With AG – it is often so disenfranchised that adults aren’t aware they or their children are already grieving. Adults grieve over long periods of time, while children dip into small “pockets” of grief. With AG each loss along the way triggers a “pocket.” Adults may take many years to integrate loss, while children re-integrate loss at new developmental stages. With AG over long periods, kids and teens may resent the focus being on the sick person and interrupting their development narcissism. Adults may get angry with them for being insensitive or regressing behaviorally. Adults try and make sense of and cure an illness, while children focus on “Did I cause it?, Will s/he die? Who will take care of me?” Magical thinking.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluation of Emotional Literacy Activities: a Phenomenological Study
    Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol.7, No.36, 2016 Evaluation of Emotional Literacy Activities: A Phenomenological Study Yucel Oksuz Education Faculty, ,19 Mayis University Kurupelit Kampusu A Blok, Atakum/Samsun, , 55200, Turkey Abstract The present study aims to evaluate impact of the emotional literacy activities through participant student’s experiences. Emotional literacy activities, including social-emotional skills Goleman’s emotional intelligence and Fapuel’s emotional literacy model designed and conducted for 2 months on primary school students, who study in 4th grade. The present study was conducted in phenomenological study. After the emotional literacy activities was ended, semi-structured interview was carried out with the participant studetns. Qualitative data was analysed within three steps as suggested by Miles & Huberman (1994). As result of the data analysis the participant student evaluated the emotional literacy activities effective in developing their social and emotional skills. Research findings were discussed in terms of the relevant literature and theoretical base. Several suggestions were made based on the research findings. Keywords: Emotional Literacy, Socio-Emotional Learning, Phenomenological Study 1. Introduction Individual makes efforts to adjust his physical and social environment during his life. In the adjustment interaction between process capacities from inborn and environment has pivotal role. Learning rises from this interaction. Utilizing inborn capacities depend on several variables. Those variables have social and emotional dimensions. The notion that emotions influence cognition comes back Plato. Furthermore, Vygotsky (1986) stated in his learning theory that emotions have key roles in employing cognitive skills and learning and development process.
    [Show full text]
  • Promoting Social-Emotional Development and Physical Well-Being Table of Contents
    Educator’s Voice NYSUT’s journal of best practices in education Volume VII, Spring 2014 Included in this issue: Resilience Reimagined: Mindfulness Promoting Practices in the Classroom Creating a Caring Majority Social-Emotional Building Community with a Kinesthetic Classroom Development and Developing Social Consciousness through Media and Literacy Physical Well-Being The Guided Memoir Process: A Reflection in Four Voices Promoting Social and Emotional Well-Being through Meditation In this issue … Considerable attention is currently focused on developing students’ Decreasing Test Anxiety: A View cognitive skills, on looking at outcomes, at products of learning, and from a Special Education School things that can be measured. But developing the ability to understand self and others, to manage our feelings, to express emotions, and to listen well, Combating Test Anxiety leads to the cultivation of deeper attention and empathy while strengthening Cyberbullying – The New Age the ability to reason, understand, and interpret new information. The devel- of Harassment opment of these qualities can benefit students as individuals and as members of an increasingly collaborative and diverse society. These are lifelong skills Glossary and teachers are poised to help students acquire them. Resources The authors in this issue examine a variety of topics and offer related classroom practices connected to social-emotional learning and physical Call for Proposals for Next Issue well-being. They explore reflective writing and socially responsive media. They raise awareness about bullying, and offer advice for coping with test anxiety. They include ways to use mindfulness techniques like yoga, deep For additional information breathing, and meditation to reduce stress, increase attention, and cultivate on this and other topics, please visit www.nysut.org a positive school climate.
    [Show full text]
  • Emotional Literacy in Young Children: Labeling Emotions
    Fostering Emotional Literacy in Young Children: Labeling Emotions Project funded by the Child Care and Head Start Bureaus in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services What Works Brief Training Kit #21 www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/ April 2009 The What Works Brief Training Kits were developed to help in-service and pre-ser- vice providers conduct staff development activities. Each Kit is based on one What Work Brief and contains the following items: presenter’s PowerPoint note pages, participant handouts, activity ideas, pre-training survey, demographic form, training evaluation, and training certificate. The What Works Brief Training Kits are grounded in the Pyramid model depicted below which provides a framework for describing the four interrelated levels of prac- tice that address the social and emotional development of all children. The Pyramid is designed to guide practitioners in understanding the importance of children’s social emotional competence in terms of school readiness and the prevention of challenging behavior. This What Works Brief Training Kit relates to the “Targeted Social Emotional Supports” level of the Pyramid. We welcome your feedback as you provide professional development activities with these materials. Special thanks to the Meginnis Endowment at UIUC for funding to help support this effort and to the following individuals who developed the What Works Brief Training Kits materials: Micki Ostrosky, Hedda Meadan, Greg Cheatham, Monique Mills, Sallee Beneke, Nancy Gaumer, Amy Hayden, Elenor Rentschler, and Angel Fettig. Presenter Notes WWB Training Kit # 21 Fostering Emotional Literacy in Young Children: Labeling Emotions Presenter PowerPoint Speaker Notes: • Presenter should be familiar with the content in What Works Brief #21 and • Module 2, Section IV on Enhancing Emotional Literacy available at http:// www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/ • Welcome participants • Take care of any logistics (e.g., length of time for session, break, handouts, etc.) • Consider using What Works Brief #21 handout as a supplemental resource.
    [Show full text]
  • Emotion Literacy Construct Progression
    EMOTIONAL LITERACY Construct Progression DOMAIN: SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT CLAIM: Students communicate about and use strategies to regulate responses to their own emotions. Copyright © 2017. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. All This document was developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Rights Reserved. Licensed for free access and use, to be studied, copied, and Education. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy distributed. Please do not modify from its original version without the of the Department and you should not assume endorsement by the U.S. express written consent of the NC Department of Public Federal Government or the North Carolina State Board of Education. Instruction. Permission to copy not required. Distribution encouraged. Domain: Social-Emotional Development Construct: Emotional Literacy Background Information In this progression and related materials, the term emotion experience refers to both the internal and the external experience or expression of an emotion. For some skills, teachers may need to probe about why a child made a particular statement about an experienced emotion. There is no “right” answer as long as the child can produce a relevant justification for their answer. For example, a child explaining that he felt happy because, it was raining and he likes to splash in puddles, is relevant, whereas a child explaining that he felt happy because, it’s a happy thing to feel happy, is not a relevant answer. Skills on the latter part of the construct progression require being able to use the social context for understanding emotions. Each social context in which an event and consequential emotional experience occurs includes a set of expectations, such as formal rules (e.g., school policy or classroom constitution), social norms (e.g., don’t cut in line), and other local expectations, cultures, or traditions that may provide additional information that one might use to interpret or predict emotions in others.
    [Show full text]