How can we, as educators, help ourselves and young people to be more resilient and self-confident?
The Weel Approach for Education shows you how, as an educator or a learner, it’s possible to take control of limiting beliefs in order to make positive changes in every area of life.
Through a combination of coaching and personal work, Weel empowers young people with the psychological skills, insights and resources they need to flourish.
In a short period of time they learn the fundamentals of how to manage beliefs, thinking styles, emotions and cognitive processes in order to be happy, confident and resilient, and get the most out of life.
The Weel Approach for Education was born out of our deep conviction that the limiting beliefs we hold about ourselves can be unlocked, aspirations set free and new levels of attainment achieved.
Allowing young people to grow and flourish.
The foundations for emotional intelligence, self-esteem, resilience, happiness and success in life are laid in childhood and adolescence. Schools and teachers can play a significant part in helping young people to establish these foundations for themselves.
Many proponents of emotional literacy believe that schools must set time aside specifically to teach young people strategies for managing their emotional states and developing empathy with others. Others argue, however, that this should not be treated as a separate area of the curriculum, rather developing emotional literacy ought to be a core part of every teacher’s work with young people. (Emotional intelligence – Research summaries – The Journey to Excellence: Education Scotland)
Whatever way schools and educational authorities decide is the best way forward, Weel can help them achieve and deliver these goals. The Weel Approach for Education has been specifically developed for young people. Through the Programme, children and young people are helped towards building an internal locus of control as well as the belief that they have the power to affect what happens to them in their lives. There is also a focus on developing self-esteem and confidence. Research has demonstrated that both locus of control and self-esteem are important to a range of educational, psychological and health related outcomes.
The Weel Approach for Education can be delivered directly to pupils by one of our specially trained consultants or as a sustainable CPD [Continuing Professional Development] to school staff.
Selected Research
A selection of the research that underpins the Weel Programme for Education.
- Abouserie, R. (1994). Sources and Levels of Stress in Relation to Locus of Control and Self Esteem in University Students. Educational Psychology, 14(3), 323–330.
- Allen, C. E. L. (2012). An Investigation into Senior School Students’ Resilience in Response to Academic Failure(Unpublished MPhil Thesis). University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Borman, G. D., & Overman, L. T. (2004). Academic resilience in mathematics among poor and minority students. The Elementary School Journal, 104(3), 177–195.
- Diener, C. I., & Dweck, C. S. (1978). An analysis of learned helplessness: Continuous changes in performance, strategy, and achievement cognitions following failure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36(5), 451–462.
- Dweck, C. S. (2000). Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.
- Dweck, C. S., & Reppucci, N. D. (1973). Learned helplessness and reinforcement responsibility in children. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 25(1), 109.
- Finn, J. D., & Rock, D. A. (1997). Academic success among students at risk for school failure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(2), 221.
- Floyd, C. (1996). Achieving despite the odds: a study of resilience among a group of africa american high school seniors. Journal of Negro Education, 181–189.
- Gale, C. R., Batty, G. D., & Deary, I. J. (2008). Locus of control at age 10 years and health outcomes and behaviors at age 30 years: the 1970 British Cohort Study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 70(4), 397–403.
- Hong, Y., Chiu, C., Dweck, C. S., Lin, D. M. ., & Wan, W. (1999). Implicit theories, attributions, and coping: A meaning system approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(3), 588.
- Jackson, S., & Martin, P. Y. (1998). Surviving the care system: Education and resilience. Journal of Adolescence, 21(5), 569–583.
- Rouse, K. A. G. (2001). Resilient students’ goals and motivation. Journal of Adolescence, 24(4), 461–472.
The Programme
The Weel Approach for Education Core Programme shows you how to build internal locus of control, self-esteem, resilience, self-efficacy, self-awareness, self-regulation, emotional intelligence, motivation, empathy and improve social skills over 3 one day seminars. The 5 Core+ Programmes are of the same duration as the Core Programme with an additional in-depth focus on one of the key elements. Each of the elements may also be taken as a Standalone Shortcourse with a duration of 3 hours.
Working as a Team
Overview
One of the most essential components in education is teamwork. The Weel Approach to Working as a Team introduces you to why successful teams and teamwork are important for productivity and mental wellbeing. It includes discussion around the roles of individuals in a team, what a team is, systems and processes for effective teamwork and communication, and methods for addressing team conflict. This approach is an introduction to teamwork skills for all disciplines that will help you improve your own performance and that of your team.
Outcomes
- In-depth knowledge about teams – types of teams, lifecycle of teams, and what makes a team high performing.
- How to be an effective team member – commitment, team roles, leadership, listening, and communication.
- Systems and processes for building high performance teams.
- How to understand and resolve conflict within and between teams.
Resilience
Overview
Having a high level of resilience enables you to flourish in the face of setbacks and stressful situations at work and in your personal life. The Weel Approach will allow you to learn about your capabilities, skills, and self-care practices that contribute to resilience. This will enable you to build up your own resilience so you’re ready to meet challenges at work and in your personal life.
Outcome
- An overview of resilience and why it’s important
- Know how to become resilient
- Build your emotional intelligence
- Build resilient self-care practices
- Build resilient values and engagement
Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Overview
The ability to be in tune with yourself and your emotions, as well as having sound situational awareness, can be a powerful tool for leading a team. The act of knowing, understanding, and responding to emotions, overcoming stress in the moment, and being aware of how your words and actions affect others, is described as emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence consists of these five attributes: self-awareness, self-management, empathy, relationship management, and effective communication.
The Weel Approach to Emotional Intelligence will help you to have a better understanding of how to make healthy choices based on the ability to identify, understand, and manage your own feelings and the feelings of others.
Outcome
- Understand the role and impact of emotion at work.
- Understand the source and impact of your emotions.
- Strategies and tactics for managing emotions at work.
- Finding a trusted mentor to keep you on track.
- Greater awareness of emotions and the impact of emotion on self and others.
- Understand how to manage those emotions in yourself and others.
- Development of a range of tools for dealing with emotion in others.
- Understand how to increase your wellbeing.
Leadership
Overview
Emotional intelligence is a key component of effective and successful leadership; having the ability to know yourself as well as recognise and understand your emotions. Knowing, understanding, and responding to emotions, not becoming overwhelmed, being able to control your anxiety and stress, as well as being aware of how your words and actions affect others, is described as emotional intelligence. Weel Leadership consists of; self-awareness, self-management, empathy, relationship management, effective communication and much more.
Outcomes
- Know what Emotional Intelligence is and how to recognise it in yourself and others.
- Gain an awareness of your own emotional quotient or ‘EQ’.
- Use emotional intelligence to increase personal and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Understand different leadership styles.
- Know how to use your new knowledge to become an effective leader.
- Build your confidence and ability as a leader.
Attainment
Overview
Learning to manage beliefs, thinking styles, emotions and cognitive processes in order to be happy and confident. Helping young people to flourish, grow, develop and succeed regardless of environment. We’re all aware of learners we’re working with who feel out of control, who lack confidence and are anxious and stressed. Being in this prolonged state of anxiety affects not only our emotional and mental wellbeing but it also impacts on our physical health. The Scottish Government acknowledges the importance of mental and emotional wellbeing in raising attainment for all. It’s never been more important for all those working with young people to work out how to teach them to think they can, rather than think they can’t.
The Weel Approach can show how to raise attainment by improving mental wellbeing, raising confidence, building self-esteem, strengthening resilience and allowing the learner to take control of the way they think about themselves. If they ‘believe they can and if they believe they can’t, they are right’.
Outcome
- Understand the importance of a locus of control and how to change from a fixed to a growth mindset
- Understand where self-esteem comes from and how to move from external to internal self-esteem
- Know how to build resilience
- Build self-efficacy in the learner