Kids Are Returning to Schools, But Will They Be Returning to Learning?

By Life Skills Group

Published 25 January 2023 14.18 PM

Looking back on the two-year long race to vaccinate populations against Covid19, it is clear that Australian states have faced significant challenges. Researchers at UNESCO (2021) have estimated that over 70% of students around the world were affected by lockdowns and school closures during the pandemic. As we reflect on the past two years, it is important to acknowledge the negative impacts of prolonged closures and fluctuating restrictions on the mental health and social-emotional learning of students and educators, which in many instances we are only now seeing present themselves.

During the pandemic, many students, particularly those from vulnerable socio-economic and intellectual backgrounds, fell through the cracks of remote learning. These students faced digital exclusion, lack of technology access and skills, prolonged withdrawal from school activities, and increased prevalence of mental health conditions. Additionally, students with social anxiety disorder (SAD) faced difficulties with treatment and diagnosis, as schools often serve as the primary location for delivering mental health services. 

The effects of the Covid years is still to be fully realised, and there is little doubt that students will continue to present behaviours stemming from these issues. 

As we look toward the start of a new year of learning, it is important to acknowledge the potential consequences, such as heightened anxiety and conflicting emotional states, which can lead to an ineffective and disruptive learning environment. Teachers, who are already dealing with increased workloads and emotions, will have the added task of reconnecting, responding to, and nurturing students as they settle back into in-school learning.

To ensure a successful reintegration and promote the social-emotional wellbeing of each child, it is important to implement evidence-based strategies. These strategies should include measuring and caring for the social-emotional wellbeing of each child, and providing educators with the necessary support and tools to do so.

Strategies for effective integration

  • Monitor, report and teach wellbeing

    Being able to track and assess how students are feeling and learning SEL skills will be vital for nurturing learning. Life Skills GO is an online, digital platform that teaches, measures and reports the wellbeing of all students. To ascertain classroom data of how their students are feeling, teachers can use the Weather Report function, which allows each student to record their emotional state. This, alongside our 150+ curriculum aligned wellbeing lessons, are graphed, making it easy for teachers to identify escalating behaviour and introduce mindfulness intervention. You are also able to see how your school is faring as a whole, with the Executive Report assessing the whole-school wellbeing program, which enables consistent management and revision.
  • Training for teachers

    To care for your teachers as they navigate chaotic and new classroom environments, Life Skills Group provides tailored Professional Development courses. Combining interactive, practical and theory based learning, our CEO Nikki Bonus delivers holistic training that fosters:
    • Tools to flourish in all aspects of your life, not just the classroom
    • Learn how to shift your brain's hardwired negativity bias to a positive one
    • Uncover the power of positive self-talk and how adopting a growth mindset can be transformative
    • Learn how to befriend stress and use it to become a healthier, more resilient and compassionate person
    • Develop an appreciation for the foundations of neuroscience, mindfulness, emotional intelligence and how applying these can enhance individual and community wellbeing

Support Your Students in Their Transition Back to School with Life Skills Group Student Wellbeing Programs

Assist your students with the transition from home to school. Our 4-week Back to School Transition helps students manage emotions and rebuild key social skills. This program focuses on key SEL topics to support students in adapting to the changes and disruption. A 14-day free trial of our online platform Life Skills GO allows you to conduct daily check-ins on your students' wellbeing, with additional resources to continue teaching SEL.

 

LEARN MORE

 

Professional Development Tailored for Your School

 

Want to learn more about how to book Professional Development Programs for your school? Check out our website for more information!

Additional Resources



 

References

Dimitropoulos, G., Cullen, E., Cullen, O. (2021). ‘“Teachers Often See the Red Flags First”: Perceptions of School Staff Regarding Their Roles in Supporting Students with Mental Health Concerns’. School Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09475-1

Evans, Y., Hutchinson, J., & Ameenuddin, N. (2021). ‘Opportunity, Challenge, or Both? Managing Adolescent Socioemotional and Mental Health During Web-Based Learning.’ JMIR mental health, 8(9). https://doi.org/10.2196/26484

Idoiaga, N., Berasategi, N., Eiguren, A., & Picaza, M. (2020). ‘Exploring Children’s Social and Emotional Representations of the COVID-19 Pandemic’. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(1952). doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01952

Pelaez, M. & Novak, G. 2020. ‘Returning to School: Separation Problems and Anxiety in the Age of Pandemics’. Behaviour Analysis Practice, 13(1), 521–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-020-00467-2

Morrissette, M. (2021). School Closures and Social Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(1), 6–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.436

Ravens-Sieberer, U., Kaman, A., & Erhart, M. (2021). Quality of life and mental health in children and adolescents during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: results of a two-wave nationwide population-based study. European Child Adolescent Psychiatry https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01889-1

Stein-Zamir, C., Abramson, N., Shoob, H., Libal, E., Bitan, M., Cardash, T., Cayam, R., & Miskin, I. (2020). A Large COVID-19 Outbreak in a High School 10 Days After Schools’ Reopening, Israel. Eurosurveillance, 25(29).

UNESCO. (2021). Adverse Consequences of School Closures. Viewed at: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/consequences

Want to find out how Life Skills GO can help your school understand and achieve your wellbeing goals?

 


BOOK A DEMO WITH OUR TEAM

Book a personalised meeting with our product specialists, to will show you how Life Skills GO can help you achieve your school's wellbeing goals. We will guide you through a short interactive demo and answer any questions to help you determine if Life Skills GO is right for your school. 

And get started with your FREE TRIAL today

 

Start collecting valuable, student driven data with Life Skills GOan easy-to-use emotion and wellbeing data collection tool, designed in collaboration with educators, that measures student readiness to learn, and is supported with a comprehensive library of evidence-based and curriculum aligned resources and adaptive lessons to foster wellbeing and social and emotional literacy.

 


Additional Resources

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About Life Skills Group

Our mission is to globally empower educators to prioritise, support and measure the development of social, emotional and physical literacy for our next generation of leaders. We provide curriculum-aligned, evidence-based and measurable social, emotional and physical education solutions which enable children to thrive in their academic, personal and professional lives.

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