NET Scheme News 2023 Summer issue 44

11 NET Scheme News Issue 44 Incorporating Social and Emotional Learning into English Language Education through the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond Pat Heung Central Primary School, where this was trialled, has long-strived to create a positive and supportive learning environment that nurtures students’ intellectual growth and psychological well-being. A few years into the implementation of positive education, we had created an inclusive school environment that embraced a growth mindset. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic presented staff and students with unprecedented challenges. One such challenge was the frequent switching between face-to- face classes and remote learning. As observed, in the absence of adequate social interaction with peers and teachers at school, students have a difficult time managing their emotions. In light of the above- mentioned concerns, in the 2021/2022 school year, we participated in this reading-based “Seed” Project. In alignment with our school’s Positive Education curriculum, our aim was to enhance students’ SEL competence by equipping them with self-management and social awareness skills. The storybook ‘Lion’s in A Flap’ was selected because it was believed that students could understand the characters easily and relate to the characters and the events. Meanwhile, students could see how the main character changes throughout the story and experiences different attitudes towards the characters. This was an important lesson for the students to learn on a conceptual level. In addition, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we needed to adopt blended learning, conducting face-to-face classes in the morning and online classes in the afternoon. What worried us initially, was how to engage students in mixed-mode learning. Yet, with teachers’ collective growth mindset, we were able to design a series of playful and engaging activities. Firstly, we found reading opportunities so that both ELE and SEL objectives could be integrated into our school’s English language curriculum. The sentence patterns and grammar items were later recycled by students to express their thoughts, be it in speaking or writing. Secondly, by using tailor-made materials, realia (F-A-T Cards and Worry-O-Meter), props (Crystal Ball and Magnifying Glass), and an online platform ( Padlet ) we were able to implement interactive activities synchronously and asynchronously. Through analysing the main character’s changes in different scenarios, students were able to recognise the situations that worry them, the physical signs of worries, how thoughts (T) change feelings (F) and actions (A), and how to use different SEL tools to manage worries.The online sharing journal displayed students’ understanding of the main character’s emotions while the ‘Worry-No-More’ journal served as a powerful tool for students to apply the SEL skills and for teachers to assess students’ SEL. This SEL journey has been fruitful and rewarding. The positive changes that the “Seed” Project made to our students is evident. At the end of the unit, students made significant progress in describing their own feelings, managing negative emotions and navigating relationships with peers and adults. In addition to realising students’ academic potential, the programme has also provided SEL support to improve students’ well-being and develop positive attitudes towards life, not only in the midst of this capricious pandemic, but beyond; into a future of resilience in adapting to a blended learning environment. Zhu Man, LET Pat Heung Central Primary School It has become increasingly apparent that against the backdrop of COVID-19, the emotional turbulence experienced by students has exerted a significant impact on their well-being.In response,the“Seed”Project –‘BuildingCharacter through Characters: Implementing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the English Language Classroom through Stories’ has demonstrated that teachers can use stories to build students’ character and enhance their SEL competence while scaffolding their reading. Social & Emotional Learning