Module 2: Developing Emotional Honesty in the Classroom
Introduction to (Year 2) Module 2:
This module consists of 6 weeks of learning:
​
Week 1: Introducing the importance of developing emotional honesty in the classroom
Week 2: Exploring approaches to developing emotional honesty.
Week 3-5: Developing Emotional Honesty in Your Classroom
Week 6: Recommendations for Practice
​
The Learn that... and Learn how to statements covered within this module are captured on the ECF Induction Programme mapping document.
Week 1: Introducing the importance of developing emotional honesty in the classroom
This week will focus on exploring the idea of emotional honesty and the importance of developing this in your classroom. We will consider how this might be achieved through engaging with the work of Jo and Tom Brassington and their book, Bottled.
Time his week is focused on evidence and research and reflection and discussion as you will be applying this to practice across week 3-5.
Teachers' Standards:
Evidence and Research:
(EFT & Mindfulness in Education, n.d)
Problems resulting from being unable to share emotions?
If a student is unable to effectively share their emotions the following problems may manifest:
-
Poor behaviour
-
Unwillingness to attend school/truancy
-
Low self-esteem
-
Challenges learning... (EFT & Mindfulness in Education, n.d)
​
Being able to support students in developing emotional honesty and being able to manage their emotions supports not only their ability to learn but also their social and emotional development equipping them to be ale to navigate life more positively.
It also helps to create a more positive classroom climate, improves attendance, improves individual's self-esteem offers the opportunity to give and receive constructive feedback. (EFT & Mindfulness in Education, n.d).
​
Take a listen to the podcast below where Jo and Tom Brassington discuss the importance of Developing Emotional Honesty in Classroom and Schools and how the book Bottled came into being.
​
You have been provided with a copy of this book to use alongside this module and Tom and Jo explain within the podcast how this might be used within your classroom and teaching.
​Tom and Jo also led a webinar around developing emotional honesty in the classroom -take some time to watch this to develop your knowledge and understanding of the idea of developing emotionally honest conversations in your classroom and with your students.
​
Consider how you can develop the language, knowledge and skills, and practice within your own classroom.
Reflection and Discussion
In the podcast (around minute 13) Tom and Jo highlight 6 conversations:
1. Naming emotions
2. Describing emotions
3. How we all have emotions and that sometimes we bottle those
4. Sharing our emotions
5. How we support others emotionally
6. How we can create an emotionally honest place in our classroom
​
In the webinar they talk about language, knowledge and skills and practice.
​
Reflect on how you might embed these elements into your practice and with your class.
​
Take some time to reflect on other areas of the podcast and webinar and note down:
What particularly stood out for you and why?
Do you see a need for developing emotional honesty in your classroom?
What might this look like?
How might you approach this?
References
Bowden Education (2022) Developing Emotional Honesty in Classrooms and Schools (podcast). Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/67eGqVMna3Xq4XQ4K4OiUF
​
Bowden Education (Bottled: Developing Emotional Honesty in Our Classroom and Schools (webinar)
​
EFT and Mindfulness in Education (no date) Why is emotional health and wellbeing important in schools? Available at:https://www.mindfulnessineducation.com/why-emotional-health-in-education.html
Week 2: Exploring Approaches to Supporting the Development of Emotional Honesty
This week will focus on approaches to handling conversations linked to emotions with students. We will explore some approaches to bring into your own classroom and reflect upon how you might use these to enhance your practice in this area.
Teachers' Standards:
Evidence and Research:
Approaches to handling conversations linked to emotions with students.
Take a moment to read this article featured in Harvard Business Publishing - Education that takes a look at how educators should handle emotional conversations with students.
Jo and Tom Brassington advocate using picture books to develop empathy and support emotional honesty.
What the video below to explore how.
Whilst this refers to primary education in the main, how might this apply to your own classroom and how might you use books to explore emotional honesty and develop empathy?
Using emotion wheels can support in developing language around emotions and can be useful when supporting students to identify how they are feeling.
There are three different emotion wheels below that you might want to print out for use in your own classroom.
Emotion Wheel I focuses on high level comfortable and uncomfortable emotions.
Emotion Wheels III - look separately and in much more detail at comfortable and uncomfortable emotions.
Click on these to access the larger image.
​
Reflection and Discussion
Take some time to consider your learning and the emotion wheels.
Reflect on how you might use these to support your teaching and the students within the class.
What is new learning for you?
What do you think will change in your practice as part of this learning?
What have you already used previously?
What books might you use to support emotional honesty and the development of empathy?
References
Bowden Education (2021) Using Picture Books to Build Empathy and Support Emotional Honesty. Webinar.
Noll Wilson, S. (2022) How Should Educators Handle Emotional Conversation with Students? Harvard Business Publishing Education. Available at:https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/how-should-educators-handle-emotional-conversations-with-students
Week 3: Developing Emotional Honesty in Your Classroom
This week will you will apply your learning to your practice using the improvement cycle that you were introduced to in the previous module. This week will focus on the ideas and actions and practice and embed phases of the cycle.
Teachers' Standards:
Application and Exploration of Practice and Setting:
You may/will want to access these resources to support you over the next three weeks:
Your stimulus is To develop emotional honesty in your classroom
At the outset of this week, use your learning from weeks 1 and 2 and identify the strategies and approaches that you would like to try within your own classroom.
​
This might be that you take an idea from your learning and adapt this for your own students or plan activities/lessons around the idea of emotional honesty. It might just be an approach you draw upon when you feel it is appropriate e.g. using the emotional wheels to help a students express their emotions.
​
Note down all your ideas - you might want to discuss these with you mentor.
​
From the ideas you have noted down, decide upon 1 or 2 that you would like to focus on embedding over the next three weeks and plan how you will do this.
​
Now put your plan into action and practice and embed your chosen strategies and approaches.
​
You may want to reflect on these as you use them.
​
Enjoy practicing and embedding emotional honesty in your classroom!
Week 4: Developing Emotional Honesty in Your Classroom
This week you will continue to practice and embed your strategies and approaches from Week 3.
Teachers' Standards:
Application and Exploration of Practice and Setting:
This week is time for you to continue to practice and embed the chosen approaches from week3 that develop emotional hinesty in your classroom.
You may want to take time to reflect on the strategies and approaches and may even wish to adapt these.
​
Week 5: Developing Emotional Honesty in Your Classroom
This week you will continue to practice and embed ways to develop emotional honesty into your classroom as well share and develop these strategies through a discussion with your mentor and observing and talking to other colleagues.
Teachers' Standards:
Application and Exploration of Practice and Setting:
Continue to practice and embed your strategies for developing emotional honesty in your classroom.
​
Alongside practicing your approaches take time this week to undertake an observation of a colleague (this only needs to be for a short period of time). Observe ways in which they develop emotional honesty within their classroom.
Reflection and Discussion
Take some time to discuss with a couple of colleagues how they approach the development of emotional honesty within their classrooms, sharing the approaches you are trialling with them.
In your mentor meeting share with your mentor how the strategies you have been practicing have supported the development of emotional honesty in your classroom, what you have learnt from observing and speaking to colleagues and how you are going to refine, adapt or further develop your own approaches as a result.
You might find using Driscoll's reflective model useful to support this process and thinking.
Week 6: Recommendations for Practice
This week you will reflect upon your learning across the term in relation to developing emotional honesty in your classroom. You will consider the feedback from your observation and how you can further develop your strategies and approaches to support the development of emotional honesty in your classroom. You will also make some recommendations for sharing and developing this practice across the school through producing a short report for SLT.
Teachers' Standards:
Reflection and Discussion
This week you will be observed teaching, with a focus on how you are developing emotional honesty within your classroom.
After the observed reflect upon the lesson (segment of the lesson) and be prepared to discuss this in your mentor meeting as part of the post lesson observation professional learning conversation.
The last phase of the improvement cycle is Review.
​
Complete the pro forma below to structure a reflective report to be sent to SLT. This report will capture your learning and impact of the strategies you used to develop emotional honesty in your classroom as well as proposing recommendations to apply and embed this across the school, as Jo and Tom Brassington highlight is preferable.
The sections you need to complete have guidance notes in red.
You may want to discuss your report with your mentor prior to sharing with SLT.
​
