One of the underpinning fundamentals of this behaviour programme, is its ability to provide opportunities for adults to work with children appropriately, building self-esteem, self-awareness, self-belief and self-government. The latter is why this programme spends so much time, and puts so much store on validating feelings and self, yet offering alternative, hopefully more positive, pathways through any challenge or situation.
Understanding that children often do not have the tools to manage their emotions is a big step forward in realising that we, as teachers, need to fill that gap in their knowledge. Often, however, it seems that our advice is not welcome and that they "are who they are", but that statement is built on a false premise - all of us are able to change, for better or for worse! Children will attempt to make us feel we are wasting our time but, as adults, we need to be persistent in our quest. Minimising the negative paths and reinforcing the positive ones is a matter of changing the patterns and this takes time.
"Emotional Intelligence is a way of recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn; it allows us to set priorities; it drives many of our daily actions." Freedman
"Emotional intelligence is the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, connection, and influence." Dr. Robert K. Cooper
"Like all learning, the development of emotional intelligence comes from building new patterns in the brain. These new patterns develop when we have experiences that we can link to background knowledge. The learning is integrated by experiencing cause and effect, and through practice." Freedman
"It is essential for students to recognize that they have choice about their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Generally, it is hardest for them to accept that they have this choice. Only from this understanding, though, can they learn real accountability." Karen McCown
Don't forget to look at the support materials available from the Standards Site
The Pupil Attitude to Self and School (P.A.S.S.) Rating Scale was developed over 8 years in collaboration with three U.K. universities and piloted with more than 100 schools to measure specific aspects of children's attitudes towards themselves as learners and their attitudes towards school. It was designed initially as an educational profiling tool - meaning that it allows preventative early identification of pupils and schools "at-risk". This can sometimes be in advance of attitudes translating into behavioural outcomes.