New platform content: ‘Talking About Emotions’ Island learning module

Persona Life Skills e-learning now includes a new Island learning module, 'Talking About Emotions', in which students learn social-emotional life skills to help them express their feelings sensitively and with confidence.

10-Dec-21

By Dr Leila Khouja Walker, Chief Product Officer

In the Persona Life Skills social-emotional e-learning platform, 'Talking About Emotions' is a new 45-60 min Island learning module, where students learn how to express their feelings sensitively and with confidence. This new module is part of a growing library of Islands covering different aspects of Healthy Relationships, including Self Love, Friends, and Dating. 

Students are taken on a journey through different aspects of recognising and talking about emotions, learning how talking about their feelings is important for their wellbeing. They are given tips, and opportunities to reflect upon the best ways to communicate their emotions effectively to others in a natural way.

Questions and activities in this Island help students develop three social-emotional life skills, through a personality insights lens:

• Empathy – Understanding others' thoughts and feelings and considering their points of view
• Speaking Informally – Using the correct language and tone to get myself heard
• Managing Feelings – Being aware of a range of emotions, and managing how they impact me and others

In the 'Get Your Bearings' warm-up, students find out about the importance of recognising and acknowledging emotions, and the positive outcomes that result from talking about them. Importantly, they learn that their feelings are real, and never 'wrong'.

In the 'Explore' knowledge acquisition section, students are provided with tips to help them express their own emotions authentically, sensitively and with confidence. They are also guided on how to show empathy towards other people when they are talking about their feelings. Students learn how everyone’s Persona – their unique mix of personality styles – affects the way they manage and communicate emotions, and think about the possible impact of their words, and how best to talk to different people.

As students reach the 'Viewpoint' plenary at the end of the Island, they are asked to reflect upon the importance of talking about feelings, and why this can sometimes be difficult. They consider which tips they might like to try in future, to become better at talking about their emotions.

Talking About Emotions is part of the Discovery Islands curriculum – the Persona Life Skills life challenge learning modules. Teachers with a free account can play through this module. A subscription is required to make it available to students. 

Persona Education offers free access to its Persona Life Skills e-learning platform for secondary schools and colleges interested in developing their students’ social-emotional life skills, to boost wellbeing and employability. To request a live demo of the platform please get in touch – we would love to talk to you!

About the author: Dr Leila Khouja Walker has been working in the education sector for 25 years. An ex-teacher and pastoral deputy head, she is now a respected edtech and pedagogy thought leader, leading development of the personality insights life skills e-learning app Persona Life Skills, at the Bristol based edtech company Persona Education Ltd. www.persona-life.com