Building Resilience
in Children and
Young People
Emotional Literacy
Teacher Professional
Development
Emotional Literacy
What is Emotional Literacy?
• ‘Emotional literacy’ is described as the ability to understand ourselves
and other people, and in particular to be aware of, understand, and use
information about the emotional states of ourselves and others with
competence
• It includes the ability to understand, express and manage our own
emotions and respond appropriately to the emotions of others The
terms ‘emotional literacy’ and ‘emotional intelligence’ are often used
interchangeably
• The term ‘literacy’ tends to be favoured by educators and those focused
on the ongoing nature of personal and social learning across the lifecourse
(Weare 2004)
6a. Emotional Literacy
A developing interest in emotional literacy
• Gardner’s (1983) work on ‘multiple intelligences’ emphasised the
contribution of:
 intrapersonal intelligence, including the capacity to be aware of
one’s own emotional states, feelings and motivations
 interpersonal intelligence, including the capacity to assess the
emotions, motivations, and perspectives of others
• Goleman’s (1995) work on ‘Emotional Intelligence’ heightened attention
to the importance of being able to perceive, understand and regulate
the expression of emotions, and understand and deal effectively with
the emotions of others
• Matthews (2006) argues that ‘emotional literacy’ is a better term as
literacy is socially and culturally ‘learnt’, and entails recognition of the
cultural and social values of others. Key components of emotional
literacy include the capacity to reflect, to be in dialogue with others, and
to accept and respect difference
(Gardner 1983; Goleman 1995; Matthews et al. 2002)
Emotional Literacy
Key presumptions underpinning the focus on
building emotional literacy
• Social and emotional capabilities are teachable
• All students benefit from being taught SEL
• Student mental health and engagement in
learning improves when students are taught SEL
(this is now well-established through longitudinal
research tracking the learning and wellbeing of
students who have received quality SEL
programs)
• Evidence-based programs work best
Emotional Literacy
Research Shows the Benefits of SEL programs
• A meta-analysis of over 200 primary and secondary SEL
programs, where participants participated in rigorously
designed and well-taught SEL programs (as compared with
students in control schools) showed:
• More positive social behaviour
• Less risky and disruptive behaviour
• Improvements in academic performance with an average
11% gain in academic achievement
(Durlak et al. 2011)
Emotional Literacy
Emotional Literacy and Social and Emotional
Competancies
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) have
identified five interrelated sets of cognitive, affective and behavioral competencies.
A range of research has investigated how to use school-based programs to
develop these competencies.
Self-Awareness:
Identifying and recognising emotions; accurate self-perception;
recognising strengths, needs, and values; self-efficacy
Self-Management:
Impulse control and stress-management; self-motivation and discipline;
goal-setting and organisational skills
Social Awareness:
Perspective taking; empathy; difference recognition;respect for others
Relationship Skills:
Communication, social engagement, and relationship building; working
cooperatively; negotiation, refusal, and conflict management; helpseeking
Responsible Decisionmaking:
Problem identification and situation analysis; problem-solving;
evaluation and reflection; personal, social, and ethical responsibility
Emotional Literacy
SEL in the Current Curriculum
Social and personal skills are emphasised in the AusVELS General
Capabilities:
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•
Personal and Social Capability skills are addressed in all learning areas and at every
stage of a student’s schooling. They include:
• Self-awareness
• Self-management
• Social awareness
• Social management
• The Building Resilience lesson materials explicitly address skills within these
elements
Critical and Creative Thinking is a general capability which is also integral to all learning
areas. Key elements fostered within the Building Resilience lesson materials include:
• Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
• Reflecting on thinking and processes
•
* Note that the General Capabilities, as well as the Health and Physical Education curriculum will be
updated when the current curriculum is updated in Victoria and released under the AusVELS curriculum
framework. For more information about General Capabilities in the Australian Curriculum see
www.acara.edu.au
Emotional Literacy
Literacy as a Tool for Emotional Literacy
• The Building Resilience Social and Emotional Learning
(SEL) materials provide literacy-rich situations and the
opportunity to build the vocabulary that is needed for
students to understand and articulate their emotions
• Literacy development is embedded in the content and
processes of the learning activities
• This is particularly so in the Emotional Literacy Topic, but
subsequent sessions also prompt the teacher to develop
the vocabulary needed for students to successfully engage
with the activities
Emotional Literacy
Activities in the Emotional Literacy Topic assist students to develop vocabulary
and concepts to help them to:
Foundation
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Recognise and identify their own emotions
Describe situations that may evoke these emotions
Compare their emotional responses with those of their peers
Investigate how emotional responses vary in depth and strength
Examine influences on and consequences of emotional responses on
behaviour
Analyse factors that influence their ability to regulate emotions
Forecast the consequences of expressing emotions inappropriately and devise
measures to regulate behaviour
Identify indicators of possible problems in relationships
Analyse enablers of and barriers to effective verbal and non-verbal
communication
Reflect critically on their emotional responses to a variety of situations and in a
range of contexts
Moderate their emotional responses when expressing opinions, values and
choices
Explain how relationships differ between peers, parents, teachers and other
adults
Level 9/10
Emotional Literacy
EXAMPLE LEARNING ACTIVITY:
1. Understanding Strong Emotions (Levels 3-4)
The metaphor of the thermometer helps
students to talk about the different
intensity with which emotions are felt
10 Boiling!
9 Extremely strong
•
Identify the type of experience that might
8 Very strong
make you feel a little bit angry, or
annoyed, with a score in the 1-3 out of 10.
7 Quite strong
Share this idea with a partner
6 Strong
• Identify the type of experience that might
5 A lot
make you feel very angry, or furious, with
a score between 7 to 10 out of 10. Share
4 To a degree
this idea with a partner
3 Weak
• Share some ideas with the group
• Repeat the activity exploring the emotion
2 A little
of fear, first locating small fears or
1 Not much
anxieties, then working up to the more
terrifying level
This activity is adapted from the Level 3-4 Building Resilience learning materials (Topic 3: Positive
coping, Activity 2)
Emotional Literacy
EXAMPLE LEARNING ACTIVITY:
2. Emotions across the school day (Level 3-4)
Children identify that they can experience a range of
positive and negative emotions across the day

Example brainstorm template
Conduct a group brainstorm: What experiences lead to
children feeling
•
a) Positive emotions (proud, interested, friendly,
excited, relieved)
•
b) Negative emotions (angry, lonely, afraid,
disappointed)

Write the words for the positive emotions on the inside
of one half of the body and the words for the negative
emotions on the other side

Use the space outside the body to draw pictures or
write phrases to describe the experiences that can
cause these emotions

Put the positive images on the outside of the positive
half of the body and the negative experiences on the
negative side of the page
This activity is adapted from the Level 3-4 Building Resilience learning materials (Topic 1: Emotional
Literacy)
Emotional Literacy
EXAMPLE LEARNING ACTIVITY:
3. A rollercoaster of emotions (Level 5-6)
The metaphor of the rollercoaster is used to help students understand emotional
intensity and the way in which experiences can trigger positive or negative
emotions
 Listen to the story. How do the events trigger shifts between positive and negative
emotions, and instances of greater intensity of ‘highs’ and ‘lows’?
 Draw a rollercoaster diagram showing the high and low points of Brian’s day.
 Draw the rollercoaster that represents your own day
This activity is adapted from the Level 5-6 Building Resilience learning materials (Topic 1: Emotional literacy, Activity 4)
Emotional Literacy
EXAMPLE LEARNING ACTIVITY:
4. Hidden emotions (Level 7-8)
The metaphor of the iceberg is used to help students understand the concept of surface
and deeper emotions.
 Draw two icebergs. Map the emotions of Suraj on one and the teacher on the other.
Emotions that are closer to the surface go above the ‘waterline’, and those that are hidden
or deeper go below the ‘waterline’.
• What emotions might Suraj/ Teacher be feeling?
• Which might be the strongest of these emotions?
• Which emotions might he/she be trying to hide?
Scenario: Suraj is in a Science class when
the teacher catches him looking at a post on
his Facebook page. The teacher confiscates
the phone and tells him he will keep it for
the rest of the week. The phone belongs to
Suraj’s grandmother who does not even
know he has borrowed it.
embarrassment
shame
worry
anger
fear
guilt
This activity is adapted from the Level 7-8 Building Resilience learning materials (Topic 1: Emotional literacy,
Activity 4)
Emotional Literacy
REFLECT
• What strategies do you use to build the vocabulary
needed for the lesson?
• What strategies do you use to name the emotions
that students may feel as they encounter various
learning situations?
• What strategies do you model about how to
express and regulate your emotions?
6a. Emotional Literacy
Useful Links
• The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
(CASEL) leads research and innovation in the area of social and
emotional learning (SEL) http://www.casel.org/
Emotional Literacy
References
• Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., &
Schellinger, K.B. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and
Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal
Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432.
• Gardner, H. (1983) Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple
Intelligences
• Goleman, D. (1995) Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More
Than IQ
• Matthews, B., Kilbey, T., Doneghan, C. and Harrison, S. (2002)
Improving attitudes to science and citizenship through developing
emotional literacy, School Science Review, 84(307): 103-114.
• Weare, K. (2004) Developing the Emotionally Literate School. London,
Sage Publications