Designing and developing a whole school approach to emotional intelligence

  1. Professional development activity undertaken, including how the need was identified.

Having already begun some work on EI, and with the onset of the Revised Curriculum, I felt there was a need to delve more deeply into understanding the emotional needs of pupils, staff and parents. The bursary afforded me the opportunity to focus in greater detail on developing whole school EI programmes.

  1. The outcomes in terms of improved practice by the teacher.

The main outcomes are as follows,

  • Ongoing training for myself on EI competencies and their impact on personal and professional life.
  • Opportunity to study research and other literature in relation to EI and visit two good practice schools in Rochdale, Manchester.
  • Ongoing training for staff and parents in relation to EI competencies. This has been achieved through staff development for teaching and non-teaching staff and through the delivery of a parent programme.
  • The development of collaborative coaching and its use in PRSD feedback sessions.
  • The development of a bank of EI resources for adults and children.
  • The development of a draft whole school programme – development of emotions, values and virtues.
  • The establishment of a nurture centre within the school to help develop the emotional needs of pupils with social and emotional difficulties.
  1. The outcomes or benefits of the activity in terms of improvements in pupils’ learning experiences.

The pupils have been involved in a pilot programme which has involved work in a number of areas as outlined below.

Year 1 / Use of puppets to explore feelings & emotions
Year 2 / Create big book of feelings and emotions
Year 3 / Explore feelings & Emotions – Treasure Chest
Year 4 / Collate a booklet on feelings and emotions
Year 5 / Explore feelings & Emotions – Zing Programme
Year 6 / The Learning Game
Year 7 / Reflections Diary – Dealing with feelings & emotions

The children have participated fully and staff have reported improvements in the pupils ability to understand and regulate their own emotions. In addition pupils are learning to articulate their feelings and use appropriate language to do so.

In addition, in 2007-2008, all year groups from nursery to year seven will be following a yearly programme which deals with,

  • Emotions
  • Good manners, honesty and truth
  • Respect for others / friendship
  • Respect for self / self-esteem
  • Respect for family / others
  • Respect for community
  1. How the success of the professional development activity has been / will be evaluated.

A final report will be presented to the Board of Governors in the Autumn Term. In addition other staff who have been involved in the ongoing work will examine the impact and present the programme to the full staff (August 07). Feedback will be sought. The pilot programme established for the pupils will be monitored and amended as appropriate throughout 07/08. The EI parent programme was evaluated at the last session and comments indicated that parents found the programme worthwhile and expressed a wish for further sessions in the future.

  1. How the experiences, skills and knowledge gained have been / will be shared with other teachers.

This is ongoing with staff workshops and training sessions planned for the future. Year heads have been consulted on the programme and the SLT have been proactive in practicing collaborative coaching and other elements of the programme. It is our intention to disseminate the knowledge and skills throughout the school community.

  1. Reflection by the teacher on the value and effectiveness of the activity

Having the opportunity to study in depth and assist with the design of the EI programme has been both a personal and professional benefit to myself and to the school community generally. I have a greater understanding of EI and have been able to develop staff, parent and pupil workshops. Feedback indicates that all concerned agree that the emotional development of pupils and adults within the school community is crucial. My work hasconvinced me of the importance of EI in all aspects of school leadership and in building leadership capacity for the future. My visit to two good practice schools in Rochdale proved invaluable and has motivated me to establish a nurture unit within our school. In addition the work I have been doing has motivated other staff and ensured that the focus on EI will continue to be a priority.

  1. Future plans / suggestions for further development.

EI will continue to be a priority for our school. As indicated above a pilot programme for pupils will be introduced 07/08. This will be evaluated and revised as appropriate. Staff training will continue as well as a second stage of the parent programme. The nurture room (name to be decided) will be in operation from early September and individual and small group education plans will be drawn up. Additional funding will be required to staff the facility, which I hope will be extended as soon as possible. We will continue to build up a bank of EI resources for pupil and adult use.

Catherine Wegwermer StJosephsPrimary School Crumlin