EDU20014 Social and Emotional Learning Report 1 Sample

EDU20014 Social and Emotional Learning Report 1

Assignment Details

Early childhood and primary school teachers are required to plan learning activities that align with the curriculum and support their students’ physical, intellectual, social, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. In addition, teachers need to be aware of the impact that situational, family, cultural, and environmental aspects may have on children’s wellbeing and resilience.

You need to plan a learning activity which aligns with the curriculum and supports students’ wellbeing.

You will need to include:

• an explanation and definition of wellbeing

• a plan for a learning activity which will support students’ physical, intellectual, social, spiritual or emotional wellbeing, including your plan for assessing the activity and reporting to parents. You must include how student wellbeing is addressed in the relevant curriculum framework (State, Australian or EYLF)

• a discussion of the impact which situational, family, cultural, and environmental aspects may have on children’s wellbeing and resilience

• written expression and APA 7 referencing format.

Solution

1. Explanation and theoretical definition of wellbeing.

Early childhood wellbeing is a whole-of-child approach that includes a child’s physical, emotional, social, and psychological health. It is not the lack of illness but that the child is feeling safe, happy, confident, resilient, and connected with their world (Benoit & Gabola, 2021). In young children, especially those under the age of three, wellbeing is most closely associated with responsive relationships, predictable caregiving, and culturally responsive environments. When the child has warm, trustful relationships with family and teachers, the child builds emotional security, which strengthens their ability to explore, learn, and form healthy social relationships.

Early Years Learning Framework Learning Outcome 3 also aligns with this understanding by seeking for children to have “a strong sense of wellbeing.” The framework recognizes that wellbeing is the foundation for the capacity of children to engage confidently with people, materials, and ideas, leading to better learning outcomes for MBA assignment expert .Significantly, the framework looks for teachers to promote physical wellbeing (nutrition, rest, movement), emotional wellbeing (secure relationships, self-regulation), and social wellbeing (belonging and positive relationships).

Theories like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs also attest to this, noting that the safety, love, belonging, and esteem needs of children should be satisfied before higher learning and development can be achieved (Murray et al., 2024). Further, the work of Comolli, Bernardi & Voorpostel, in 2021) also brings attention to the fact that the well-being of children is also shaped by the wider family context, such as the work conditions of parents, the parents' mental health, and socioeconomic status, which resonates with the EYLF's focus on partnering with the family (Comolli, Bernardi & Voorpostel, 2021).

2. Choose one well-being to be the focus of your lesson: Physical, intellectual, social, spiritual, and emotional well-being. Please clearly state which one you will use.

a. Create an activity.

b. Link to theory.

c. Include a plan for assessing the activity and reporting to parents.

a). Activity: “Emotional Icons Art & Circle Reflection”

At our next developmental play, we will be focusing on “emotional well-being” with the aid of a creative art project called “Emotional Icons”. Prep children will be creating symbolic representations of their emotions using soft watercolours, cotton pads, textured brushes, and black markers. The project will encourage the children to name, represent, and label their emotions, and hence practice developing emotional intelligence. Once the art work is completed, the children will sit around a warm circle and share their work, talk about their emotions, and engage with their peers, fostering empathy and social bonding (Park et al., 2023).

b). Theoretical link: PERMA Model

This activity firmly aligns with the PERMA framework:

Positive Emotions: In making art, the child is engaged in a pleasurable and satisfying experience.

Engagement: Sensory and creative aspects involve the child deeply into the experience.

Relationships: Circle time discussion develops empathy, understanding, and robust social relationships.

Meaning: Children make sense of their own and other people's emotions, adding their meanings to the learning (Farmer & Cotter, 2021).

Accomplishment: Completing their emotional icon and describing their emotions make the child feel a sense of achievement.

Also, the activity is congruent with Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and with the Theory of Social Constructivism, with peer discussion enhancing emotional understanding. The child learns new emotional words and coping strategies from others and adult modeling. The educator-child relationship is also important, as highlighted by the Well-being and Involvement Scales of Laevers and the reflective practice recommended by Schön (Manning-Morton, 2024).

c). Assessment and Reporting to Parents

Assessment Process

• Observation Checklists: Structured checklists will be used by teachers for the art activity and the circle time. These will be employed to track each child's ability for recognising, naming, and describing emotions.

• Documentation of Expression of Emotions: Teachers will record the work of the children, highlighting the ways that they represent emotions visually using colour, drawings, or symbols.

• Verbal and Nonverbal Cues: Emphasis will be placed on the manner the children use words, body language, facial expressions, and hand movements for the expression of feeling during group and individual discussions.

• Peer Interactions: The teachers will record the child's listening, empathizing, and responding to the emotional expression of other children, promoting social and emotional learning.

Reporting to Parents

• Portfolio Entries: Individual portfolios will consist of the work of the children, observation notes, and teacher reflections.

• Feedback: Parents will receive feedback on children's emotional vocabulary, social engagement, and confidence.

• Home Extensions: Educators will suggest simple ways of continuing emotional discussions at home.

d). Curriculum Link (EYLF)

This activity specifically aligns with the EYLF:

Outcome 1: A strong sense of identity is developed by the expression and exchange of their emotions (Guo, 2024).

Outcome 3: Children's emotional well-being is increased by reflection, expression, and social discussion.

Outcome 5: They can speak effectively and imaginatively about their emotions.

Through the integration of PERMA theory and curriculum connections, this activity supports emotional well-being, deepens social connections, and develops the emotional literacy of children in a fun and purposeful manner.

3. A discussion of the impact which situational, family, cultural, and environmental aspects may have on children’s wellbeing and resilience. Link to Bronfenbrenner.

The resilience and well-being of children are determined by the dynamic interaction of family, environmental, cultural, and situational factors, and the nature of early learning opportunities. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory can be utilized for making sense of these factors across levels (Amali et al., 2023).

On the microsystem level, the family is of utmost significance. Parents' work-life balance, emotional availability, and secure attachment all directly affect the child's resilience and well-being. As a point of illustration, parental stress due to insecure work or poverty can negatively affect the child's emotional security.

The mesosystem encompasses family relationships, early childhood education (ECE) centers, and the community. When family and educators collaborate and value diversity, studies show, children feel a sense of belonging and show increased emotional well-being. On the other hand, discrimination or cultural misunderstandings can make the child feel excluded, hence lowering resilience.

At the level of the exosystem, parents' work arrangements, community networks of support, and childcare availability impact the well-being of the child indirectly. As an example, children with parents with family-friendly work arrangements show better behavior and emotional adjustment (Doǧan & Aytekin, 2021).
The macrosystem is representative of the values of the larger community. Cultural inclusion, acceptance, and anti-discrimination directly impact the mental health of children, particularly minority children.

Lastly, the chronosystem, which includes events such as migration or trauma, can have long-term effects. Supportive environments can act as buffers, developing resilience. Bronfenbrenner’s model emphasizes the point that wellbeing is not the child’s making but the result of interacting systems that facilitate or impede development.

4. Reference List

Amali, N. K., Ridzuan, M. M., Rahmat, N. H., Seng, H. Z., & Mustafa, N. C. (2023). Exploring learning environment through Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(2), 144-162. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hui-Seng/publication/370144077_Exploring_Learning_Environment_Through_Bronfenbrenner's_Ecological_Systems

_Theory/links/645c3e154353ba3b3b5828f0/Exploring-Learning-Environment-Through-Bronfenbrenners-Ecological-Systems-Theory.pdf

Benoit, V., & Gabola, P. (2021). Effects of positive psychology interventions on the well-being of young children: A systematic literature review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(22), 12065. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/12065

Comolli, C. L., Bernardi, L., & Voorpostel, M. (2021). Joint family and work trajectories and multidimensional wellbeing. European Journal of Population, 37(3), 643-696. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10680-021-09583-3

Doǧan, R. Y., & Aytekin, Ç. (2021). An overview of parental alienation from the framework of ecological systems theory. Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar, 13(3), 551-572. http://www.cappsy.org/archives/vol13/no3/cap_13_03_11_en.pdf

Farmer, N., & Cotter, E. W. (2021). Well-being and cooking behavior: using the positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment (PERMA) model as a theoretical framework. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 560578. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.560578/full

Guo, K. (2024). Exploring parents’ understanding of children’s learning through the lens of belonging, being and becoming within the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. https://childrenaustralia.org.au/journal/article/3011

Manning-Morton, J. (2024). From Birth to Three: An Early Years Educator’s Handbook. Taylor & Francis. https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=52bwEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT11&dq=++Well-being++Scales+of+Ferre+Laevers+and+Donald+Sch%C3%B6n&ots=-SVicJYME0&sig=j_G5GbjNaK_fFdv412-3yyMDgTI&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Murray, L., Eadie, P., Fong, M., Liley, K., Markham, P., & Hardy, K. (2024). Educator wellbeing and family engagement in Australian early learning settings: perspectives of early childhood educators and families. The Australian Educational Researcher, 1-23. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13384-024-00751-y

Park, C. L., Kubzansky, L. D., Chafouleas, S. M., Davidson, R. J., Keltner, D., Parsafar, P., ... & Wang, K. H. (2023). Emotional well-being: What it is and why it matters. Affective Science, 4(1), 10-20. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42761-022-00163-0