social and emotional competence

Is the cheery praise for mindfulness based on expert evidence?

By Christopher T. McCaw, Winky Lee and Nicholas Van Dam

Educators, desperate to offset the mental health impacts of COVID on students, are taking up mindfulness programs to

How to talk to students right now about the most important crisis of our time

By Charlotte Jones and Cristy Clark

Charlotte Jones on why we need to pay attention to the emotional significance climate change has for students, as many young people experiencing legitimate and increasing anxiety as they grapple with climate change. Cristy Clark on the existential threat posed by climate change and why the only ethical thing educators can do is to acknowledge

Playground duty really is quality time: how joyful learning happens outside the classroom

By Olivia Karaolis

The Quality Time Action Plan is described by the department of education as an approach intended to reduce and simplify administrative processes for teachers and provide them with more time for “high value tasks”.  It is here that I have a quibble with this document and its definition of playground duty or supervision at lunch

Six things schools need to do now to stop gendered violence

By Amanda Keddie

Wesley College refers sexual assault and harassment complaints to police (ABC News, March 2021) Abuse Scandal Shocks St

Teachers ‘must show’ emotional intelligence but how will it be measured? (And other questions)

By Kristina Turner

All initial teacher education graduates must now “show superior cognitive and emotional intelligence measured via a psychometric assessment” before they will be considered for teaching jobs in New South Wales public schools.  This requirement is part of the Teacher Success Profile launched last year by the New South Wales Education Minister Rob Stokes. I asked

Importance of social and emotional competence for teachers, for very young children and for at-risk students: latest research

By Rebecca Collie and Andrew Martin and Erica Frydenberg

Teachers and researchers are increasingly aware of the importance of social and emotional competence in the classroom and