Musings

Understanding Strengths

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What are Strengths? Strengths can be defined as “a pre-existing capacity for a particular way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is authentic and energizing to the user, and enables optimal functioning, development and performance” (Linley, 2008, p.9). According to this definition, strengths are way of thinking, feeling and behaving that come naturally and easily […]

Musings

Friendships, Social Development and Outdoor Adventure Education

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I have found that in this environment, people are more willing to listen with the intent of understanding – female participant Existing research has demonstrated that participating in OAE has a noteworthy effect on the learners’ reported social skills such as group cooperation, prosocial behaviour and communication competencies (e.g., Furman & Sibthorp, 2013; Richmond, Sibthorp, […]

Musings

Emotional Literacy

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Understanding Emotional Literacy: Emotional literacy (EL) is used to explain the ability to understand and express feelings, that is being able to identify, appreciate, manage and appropriately express emotions and to distinguish, comprehend and appropriately respond to the expressed emotions of others. EL is useful in developing good communication skills and enhancing our relationships with […]

Musings

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

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SEL originates partly from Mayer and Salovey’s (1997) emotional intelligence (EI) theory (made popular by Daniel Goleman, 1997). EI refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. Salovey and Mayer proposed a hierarchical model that identified four different factors of emotional intelligence i.e. emotional perception, being able to a) perceive emotion, b) reason […]

Musings

Outdoor Adventure Education and Psychosocial Skills

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There is an increasing appreciation that, in order to prepare learners for success in life, they require a holistic education that not only guarantees learning basic academic skills, but also social emotional competencies that prepare them to become responsible adults. Recent research highlights the importance of non-cognitive skills and behaviours e.g. resilience, grit, social skills […]