New strategies aim to teach P.E.I. students 'critical' life skills

Island elementary school teachers will bring new strategies to classrooms next year meant toteach students to be successful, well-balanced members of society.

The new curriculum will formalize and track something called social-emotional learning.

Maribeth Rogers-Neale, the kindergarten to Grade 12health and physical education leader with the Department of Education, said social-emotional learning covers arange of topics. Thoseincludeteaching kids how to understand and manage their emotions, maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions.

"Having the ability to seek out healthy relationships and knowing what that really means and maintaining healthy relationships," she said.

"Knowing that your family, and your school, and your community are resources of support to you."

She said the curriculum also helps teach students how to manage stress in healthy ways and better understand their own strengths and limitations and how those align with their ability to succeed in school.

'Critical elements'

Rogers-Neale said the skills students are going to be learning will be important when they are looking for jobs and when they start working.

"Research shows that these are the same competencies they need to navigate the workforce," she said.

"People who can set goals, prioritize work, work with a team, you know, have communication skills. So pretty critical elements."

Rogers-Neale said students will use tools like journal writing, role playing and completing self-reflection assignments to demonstrate their understanding of the curriculum. Butshe said the strategiescan be integrated into all kinds of classroom learning.

"It's something that's happening all the time through those integrated units of study, which then could transfer to a literacy unit where students are looking at characters and text and recognizing those skills around social-emotional learning," she said.

"Or it could cross over into math where they're working in groups and they're fostering teamwork skills."

A pilot program in grades 1 to 3happening this yearwill be implemented at schools next year.

There are also plans to roll out a pilot project for grades 4 to 6 the following year.

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