Members Archives - 91ֱ�� Support

How to teach resilience in the classroom: 7 primary school activities

Kate Dorrell — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 03:24:11 +0000

Teachers, do you want to teach resilience in the classroom? The good news is, resilience is a developmental process that you can support in class.

Developing a positive sense of self and healthy peer relationships are central to the 91ֱ��. As a member school, you can choose from a range of 91ֱ�� Support activities to support your students develop their resilience.

These activities can be led by your 91ֱ�� Leaders or a classroom teacher. Download further instructions and any relevant resources for these activities in the member’s dashboard under Planning Our Paths.

Activity 1: Explore feelings with emojis

This 30-minute activity invites students to explore how they feel using visuals they understand and enjoy: emojis.

Kids are asked to design their own emoji that reflects how they’re feeling today. They then share their design with the class or group, prompting a discussion about feelings.

Images are a great way for students to develop an awareness of how they feel. It’s a technique that school counsellors sometimes use, as kids often don’t have the emotional language to identify and express how they feel.

There’s also a feelings word search that helps students develop a language to describe different emotions and emotional states.

The activity takes 30 minutes, but you can extend it further by checking in with students twice a day across the week.

Activity 2: Think about your ideal school day

Returning to school after a holiday can be challenging for some students. What would your students’ ideal day look like? This activity invites students to explore this question over 30 to 60 minutes.

This activity helps students consider the positive aspects of their school day: what do they enjoy? Is there something they’re looking forward to at school?

Visualising their day helps students plan, develops optimism, and explores their values.

Students can write or illustrate their response. Follow up with a class discussion, focusing on what students can do to help create their ideal day.

Activity 3: Make plans for the future

Planning for the future is a skill that helps us achieve our goals, and gives us a sense of optimism and possibility. This activity builds on the previous one, asking students to write a letter to themselves for the following term.

Students are provided with questions to prompt their thinking. What would they like to do differently next term? Do they have goals they would like to work towards?

Teachers return the students’ letters at the start of the following term. You can reflect on the letters and how students will achieve their plans.

The initial letter-writing activity should take 40 minutes.

Activity 4: Practise slow breathing with the ‘5 finger’ technique

This is a simple 10-minute activity that you can use any time in the classroom to help students practise slow breathing. Slowing down our breathing is a proven way to calm our bodies, and our minds. This activity is a good reminder for teachers too!

Students place one hand on their heart and the other hand on their stomach. They’re invited to breathe in slowly and deeply as they count to 5 and then breathe out slowly while they count to 5. We recommend repeating this 10 times.

Activity 5: Learn to cope with failure

This 30-minute activity provides students with a scenario where Holly doesn’t make the school netball team. It invites students to discuss Holly’s pessimistic reaction to the event, and develop strategies for a more optimistic response.

This activity helps students identify and challenge destructive thought patterns. This is an important life skill that can serve us as adults too.

Activity 6: Challenge negative thoughts

This 30-minute activity aims to teach kids optimism and gratitude – which contribute to resilience. It lists some scenarios that students might see as negative, such as a rainy day, or returning to school after the holidays. Students are asked to think of some positive things related to each scenario. They learn to scaffold situations: ‘It’s raining today, but that means I get to play chess!’

Activity 7: Explore our connections with others

Human connection is vital to mental health. In fact, it’s one of the most important foundations for our sense of wellbeing.

This activity invites students to consider who they are connected to in their lives. Over one or two weeks, students create a visual representation to record all of the students with whom they have interacted by using a web diagram.

The class is invited to discuss their findings with a list of prompt questions.

Learn how to teach resilience in the classroom with our resource, Planning our Paths

These activities can support you to teach resilience to your students through discussion and practise.

91ֱ�� Support also offers an 8-week peer-led module that explores resilience in more depth: Moving Forward. And, of course, any 91ֱ�� Support module and activity helps support many of the foundations of student wellbeing by building strong relationships, and social and emotional literacy skills. This contributes to a students’ ability to navigate life and bounce back from adversity.

Visit the primary school members’ dashboard to download the activity sheets for Planning Our Paths, and to check out the resilience module, Moving Forward.

Improve student wellbeing school wide

Find out more about the 91ֱ�� and how it can help improve student wellbeing at your school.

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91ֱ�� Support in primary school: 6 tips for running your program

redpinadmin — Tue, 16 May 2023 13:47:51 +0000

Is your primary school running 91ֱ�� Support this year? Our Wellbeing Education Consultant, Sophie Sedgwick, shares her insights on how to get the most out of your program.

Run your program in Term 2 or Term 3

Sophie recommends primary schools run the 91ֱ�� in Term 2 or Term 3.

“This timing enables students, particularly your kindergarten kids, to settle into the school year,”she says. “But it also means they have time to benefit from, and deepen, the cross-grade relationships formed during the program.”

Take the opportunity to build student-teacher relationships beyond the classroom

The 91ֱ�� provides an opportunity for teachers to get to know students outside their class.

“You’re getting to know students from across all school groups,” Sophie says. “The program gives you an opportunity to get to know more students on a deeper level.”

There’s research to show that increasing student-teacher relationships benefits the school culture — and this extends into the high school years. A of 2,000 students across 18 high schools found that the number of positive relationships with teachers correlated with a student’s engagement in school.

“At a time when we’re hearing many students are struggling with their sense of belonging, having additional teacher relationships is going to help them feel more connected to the school community,” Sophie says.

Build capacity within the school to nurture healthy relationships

The 91ֱ�� is designed to be fully managed by your school, with our consultants available for any support as needed.

“It’s an 8-week annual program, but the legacy carries through beyond the program,” Sophie says. “Our approach builds capacity within the school so teachers and students can own and run the program.”

“Why do we get time poor teachers to train the 91ֱ�� Leaders and supervise peer-led sessions? We do it to build capacity within the school — so the staff involved in the program have a deep understanding of the 91ֱ�� and why they’re doing it,” she says.

This model is supported by evidence: found that a ‘train the trainer’ approach had the best outcomes.

The approach also empowers teachers to embed a 91ֱ�� Support approach across the school.

“We know that teachers’ mental health and role modelling is really important,” Sophie says. “Being trained as a 91ֱ�� Support Coordinator gives teachers a better understanding of the mental health space. It helps them know how to build protective factors, and they can model that to students.”

Support inclusive leadership

Teachers play an important role in supporting inclusive leadership.

“We hear time and time again how, for some students, having a leadership opportunity changes their trajectory,” Sophie says. “It gives students the opportunity to learn and practise leadership skills in a safe environment.”

Sophie urges teachers to give every student the opportunity to be a 91ֱ�� Leader.

“The 91ֱ�� is not about creating perfect leaders,” she says. “It’s about giving all students that opportunity to be a leader. For some, this will come more naturally, but for others, it’s important that we encourage and support them.”

“It’s an opportunity for kids who struggle with their social and emotional skills. These are the kids that need it most, and it’s where this opportunity can be the most powerful,” Sophie says.

According to Sophie, the program can change students’ views about themselves, and how others view them too.

“And these skills are transferable — they can use them in other roles in the school and even beyond the school gate, such as in sports or even at home,” she says.

Remember to give your 91ֱ�� Leaders feedback on how they’re going, including what they’re doing well, and what could they work on for next time.

“For many it will be their first time in a leadership role,” Sophie says.

These skills will also support your Year 6 students as they transition into high school.

Create groups that foster new connections

The 91ֱ�� for primary schools includes all students, from Kindergarten to Year 6.

“Every student in Year 6 is used as a 91ֱ�� Leader, and sometimes some Year 5s too,” Sophie says. “We ask schools to mix the groups up across years, so you’re maximising connections across grades. This builds protective factors for mental health, by creating connections across the school community.”

Sophie recommends splitting up siblings and friendship groups.

“Try to put together a mix of kids who don’t normally hang out together. Invite all staff to have input into who goes into each group,” Sophie says.

Sophie also encourages schools to include students with disability, including providing leadership opportunities.

“Some kids may need additional support, and you could have three 91ֱ�� Leaders in one group,” Sophie says.

Actively support 91ֱ�� Support sessions

Our best practice implementation structure involves teachers briefing and debriefing their own class for each session. This ensures it’s done at an age-appropriate level, before students break into their 91ֱ�� Support groups. There are resources in our membership portal to help teachers with this process.

Sophie advises Year 6 teachers to set their students up for success as 91ֱ�� Leaders.

“Think about the group of students your 91ֱ�� Leaders are working with. Does any material need to be modified? Does the language need to be modified? Do the activities need to be modified?” Sophie says. “Do this before the sessions, so it’s a truly inclusive session.”

Classroom teachers across the school supervise two to three 91ֱ�� Support groups each, which will include students from outside their class.

“Supervising teachers should let the 91ֱ�� Leaders lead the session, stepping in if the 91ֱ�� Leader needs support, such as managing behavioural issues,” Sophie says.

Help your 91ֱ�� Leaders feel valued

The 91ֱ�� gives Year 6 teachers an opportunity to deepen their relationships with their Year 6 students.

Many schools take extra steps to help their 91ֱ�� Leaders take their responsibilities seriously.

“Some schools choose to train their students off-site,” Sophie says. “This can help make the 91ֱ�� Leader training feel special. Other schools let their 91ֱ�� Leaders wear casual clothes to training, or order pizza for lunch. These things make the kids think, wow this is something special.”

There’s also a supplementary resource, Supporting Change, that you can run with your 91ֱ�� Leaders later in the year. This is available free to members on our portal.

“Supporting Change involves four sessions of 20-minutes each that Year 6 teachers can use with their students,” Sophie says. “It’s teacher led and helps Year 6 students transition to high school.”

Get in touch with your Wellbeing Education Consultant if you have any questions about the 91ֱ��.

Improve student wellbeing school wide

Find out more about the 91ֱ�� and how it can help improve student wellbeing at your school.

Learn More

The post 91ֱ�� Support in primary school: 6 tips for running your program appeared first on 91ֱ�� Support.

5 tips for running 91ֱ�� Support at high school

redpinadmin — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 13:44:53 +0000

As a member school, you would know that running 91ֱ�� Support at high school is a valuable way to support your incoming students, and provide leadership opportunities for your senior students.

Starting high school can be filled with both excitement and nerves for Year 7 students.

Year 7 students face new people, new routines, and a new environment when they start high school. They also shift from being the oldest in their school, to the youngest. Finding their way around school grounds, understanding expectations and requirements, and getting to know their peers and teachers, may be overwhelming for some students.

The 91ֱ�� helps ease the stress around this transition.

Our Wellbeing Education Consultants share their advice on how to follow best practice implementation, and deliver the best possible outcomes for your school community.

Focus on building relationships

Wellbeing Education Consultant, Sophie Sedgwick, has helped hundreds of schools implement the 91ֱ��. She says that relationships are at the heart of the program.

“As teachers, you will know better than most, the benefits that come with building strong relationships between students, including across grades,” Sophie says. “The program means that Year 7 students form relationships with new peers, and with Year 10 students, who they often look to for ongoing support.”

“Knowing there is always someone to go to when experiencing a problem, helps to reduce anxiety and forge friendships,” Sophie says. “And Year 10 students develop a sense of responsibility in stepping-up and becoming leaders.”

Sophie recommends building on the skills developed during the program across other areas of school life.

“Give your students opportunities and encouragement to develop their communication skills, leadership experience, and emotional literacy. By helping them nurture these skills and their peer relationships, you’re helping them to build their resilience,” she says.

Raise awareness of the 91ֱ�� in your school community

Samuel O’Leary is 91ֱ�� Support Australia’s newest Wellbeing Education Consultant. He helped runthe 91ֱ�� at Redlands, a high school in North Sydney, before joining 91ֱ�� Support Australia.

Samuel advises 91ֱ�� Support Coordinators to raise awareness of the program amongst the whole school community, including staff, students and parents.

“The program is an opportunity to talk to your school community about wellbeing and the importance of relationships,” Samuel says. “Including parents and teachers in the conversation ensures “everyone understands what the program is and what it aims to achieve. This generates a shared language, maximising engagement and ensuring the best chance of success”

“There are resources on the 91ֱ�� Support Australia portal to help you with this. Resources are free to member schools and provide everything you need to run the program and promote the program,” he says.

Foster inclusive leadership

Jill Pearman our Senior Wellbeing Consultant with many years’ experience in supporting school communities to build whole school wellbeing and, like Sophie, has supported hundreds of schools to implement the 91ֱ��.

Jill is passionate about inclusive leadership.

“If you can, train your entire Year 10 cohort to be 91ֱ�� Leaders,” Jill says. “This allows all students the opportunity to learn transferable leadership skills, which can be used in other roles within the school, and into their futures.”

She recommends giving all students the opportunity to take on 91ֱ�� Leader roles, rather than being selected by staff. This allows them to take ownership of the role, particularly those students who don’t usually put their hand up to lead. Some schools expand the program to include Year 8 students, creating more leadership opportunities.

Jill says: “If you are unable to use all the Year 10s as 91ֱ�� Leaders, provide opportunity for them to apply to be a 91ֱ�� Leader using the application form on our portal. This process helps to build student agency and inclusive practices.”

“Be sure to include students who may have struggled at school, or who are not usually seen in leadership roles. Inclusion in the program will help them to flourish and can change a student’s trajectory,” she says.

Being a 91ֱ�� Leader can be transformative for some students

We recently spoke to students at a high school in Western Sydney. Javier, a Year 10 student, had a ‘rocky start’, according to his teacher. He told us becoming a 91ֱ�� Leader transformed his life, emotionally and academically. Watch the video below.

Students and teachers share their experience of the 91ֱ�� at their school in Western Sydney.

Jill also recommends using the same teacher for the two days of 91ֱ�� Leader training.

“This deepens relationships with the students and builds on existing and developing knowledge of the teacher and the group,” she says.

Brief and debrief your Year 7 and Year 10 students

Samuel recommends briefing and debriefing students before and after each 40-minute session. This will help set students up for success and encourage them to reflect and learn from their experience.

He says: “Provide supervising teachers with all the information they need to brief and debrief the Year 7 students before and after each session. Aso brief and debrief your Year 10 students at each session too.”

“Some schools find it difficult to bring students together before and after the session, so have one session instead, with students being debriefed after the session and then briefed for the following week’s session,” Samuel says.

Session summaries and debriefing questions are available on our members’ portal.

Samuel also suggests sharing a copy of each week’s session on your online learning platform.

“This provides 91ֱ�� Leaders with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the upcoming session,” he says. “They can then make changes if required for their group and ask questions beforehand if needed.”

Use the resources available to you

Sophie reminds schools that 91ֱ�� Support Australia’s members’ portal hosts a comprehensive collection of resources for schools to run their program.

Make sure your school’s membership with the 91ֱ�� is current.

“Not only does this provide your school with a 12-month license to run the program, it provides your school with access to resources to deliver your 91ֱ�� effectively and efficiently,” Sophie says.

“91ֱ�� Leader Training certificates are also available on our members’ portal for students at completion of their training. You can also order 91ֱ�� Leader badges,” she says. “Both of these celebrate their achievement of completing the training and raise the profile of the 91ֱ�� Leader role at your school.”

You can also access additional resources to extend your core 91ֱ�� and support your students’ overall wellbeing.

“Also know that we are just a phone call or email away,” Sophie says. “Our role is to help schools run a successful program, so get in touch if you need support.”

Our Wellbeing Education Consultants can help you navigate the resources on our members’ portal, guide you through the steps to reinstate your school’s membership and work with you to ensure the best possible outcomes of your 91ֱ��, within your school’s unique context.

Log into the members’ portal here. If you’re membership has lapsed, you can renew here.

Improve student wellbeing school wide

Find out more about the 91ֱ�� and how it can help improve student wellbeing at your school.

Learn More

The post 5 tips for running 91ֱ�� Support at high school appeared first on 91ֱ�� Support.