Self-directed social-emotional learning to support student wellbeing in remote learning
Teenage student wellbeing can take a big hit during enforced remote learning. It is important to ensure your secondary phase Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) can be delivered effectively remotely. Self-directed learning activities that help students develop life skills to bolster their wellbeing during these challenging times, and beyond, are an essential element in the mix.
21-Dec-21
By Dr Leila Khouja Walker (Chief Product Officer) and Pete Read (CEO)
Student wellbeing in remote learning
Governments and schools around the world are considering precautionary measures or even restrictions in light of the dangers posed by the COVID-19 Omicron variant. It seems likely that in some countries, schools will choose or be forced to move more learning to a remote setting, and/or possibly teach in larger groups as teacher absences affect resourcing or protective 'bubbles' are created.
Persona Education offers an online platform that can be used to support students in developing key life skills and competencies such as their understanding of themselves and others, communication skills – both online and in real life – and collaborative working.
Building these social-emotional life skills has been proven to increase wellbeing, which our students need right now, more than ever. And with greater wellbeing comes increased academic attainment, as well as greater employability in the longer term. So it’s a win, win!
Personality insights and life skills
Persona Life Skills is an online Social-Emotional Learning platform from Persona Education, with a unique personality insights framework at its heart, that helps to improve student wellbeing in remote learning and beyond, by developing life skills.
With the help of this social, practical and memorable framework, students learn to improve social-emotional skills that are even more important than usual in a remote learning situation, such as active listening, verbal communication skills, stress management and resilience.
Relationships are at the heart of good teaching and learning. Lockdowns during 2020 and 2021 emphasised this, as teachers and school leaders initially struggled, then got to grips with the technology, tools and new approaches required to foster these relationships, alongside delivering the curriculum or managing the school.
The Persona Life Skills e-learning platform is perfectly placed to support students in developing skills and competencies that bolster relationships, improving communication and collaboration by prioritising understanding of self and others, using its unique personality insights approach.
Self-directed learning
Persona Life Skills, which has been designed specifically for secondary schools and colleges, engages students in a way that lends itself wonderfully well to self-directed learning and blended learning, flipping the remote classroom.
Students can easily be set up to work their way through the online curriculum, known in Persona parlance as the ‘Archipelago’. Learners can progress through a series of over 20 scaffolded, age-appropriate modules – ‘Islands’ representing different life challenges, for example dealing with unplanned life changes, or how to be your own best friend.
Students can also choose from over 40 shorter modules – ‘My Guided Tours’ – building up their knowledge and application of Persona’s 22 life skills associated with improved wellbeing, such as staying positive, willingness to change and perseverance.
Teachers are also able to lock and unlock modules for their Group – or even for individual students if desired – enabling them to create learning journeys, or encourage students to focus on certain skillsets. They can then gather groups together in a video call when a module or set of modules has been completed, to discuss the learning. They may also use video call tools such as polls, break-out rooms or online chat boxes to increase interaction during this synchronous teaching time.
Importantly, Teachers can very easily remotely monitor each student’s progress, either visually in their own ‘Group’ screen or statistically in the school dashboard, enabling them to stay on top of who's doing what, and who might need some guidance.
Persona Education currently offers free access to much of its Persona Life Skills online learning platform for secondary schools and colleges interested in developing their pupils’ social-emotional life skills, to boost wellbeing and employability.
