Enabling student wellbeing and social-emotional learning

The wellbeing of our rangatahi is a notable priority of the New Zealand Government, yet New Zealand ranks 35th of 41 for child and adolescent wellbeing in developed countries (UNICEF, 2020), and ERO (2015) has reported that older primary-aged students are not experiencing the desired outcomes for wellbeing. These outcomes are notably worse for Māori and Pasifika students, as well as those youth who experience social disadvantage.

However, teachers can make a difference in fostering student wellbeing through social-emotional learning (SEL). When teachers engage with SEL practices, both they and their students strengthen relationships that foster empathy, and deepen their understandings of identity, worldviews, and the role of emotions in learning.

In this webinar, Heather Matthews from Hornby Primary School, Raewyn Davis from Hornby High School, and Dr Amanda Denston from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury share the findings from their collaborative research, funded by the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI), around the creation of a culturally and linguistically sustainable framework for socio-emotional learning that supports wellbeing for rangatahi in Years 4 to 8.