We asked local independent schools to talk about how they teach non-academic skills essential for future success, such as persistence, teamwork and resilience. Their responses were included in our Independent Schools special section.
From Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School:
Even at its peak of activity, Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School is a calm and productive place.
Students are happy, and feel supported and successful in their individual learning journeys. This positive climate does not happen by accident, but through very careful attention being paid to the emotional intelligences of our students through a well-defined and deliberate approach to social and emotional learning (SEL).
SEL is a process for learning life skills, including how to deal with oneself, others, and relationships, recognizing emotions, managing feelings, developing empathy for others, and maintaining positive relationships.
We are fortunate to have a strong team of counsellors leading our SEL programme. They work in partnership with our core teachers to both deliver a “formal” SEL curriculum in dedicated periods three times per week, as well as to support the “informal” SEL skills and values that are embedded into day-to-day life inside and outside of the classroom.
Many of our students arrive at the school with considerable emotional baggage having been accumulated through a series of personal and academic challenges in their previous learning environments.
Our first priority is to help them to unload some of those feelings of negative self-worth and anxiety and to focus on positive attitudes about themselves and those around them.
Soon they find that their ability to empathize, follow through, exercise self-control, and communicate clearly helps them to make thoughtful decisions, solve problems, work co-operatively with others, and ultimately enables them to build more friendships and experience greater social and academic successes.
