Is it possible to transform the mindset of teenagers?
Is it possible to transform the mindset of teenagers?
An interest in social and emotional aspects of learning is nothing new, but recently there’s been a growth in interest in the area, which has resulted in far more attention being paid to social and emotional skills in education.
The question therefore arises: is it possible to transform the attitude and approach of teenagers so that they transform their negative attitudes towards schools and schooling into something a lot more positive?
If the answer is yes, then that transformation will benefit not just yourself in a PSHE lesson, but every single teacher in the school.
To achieve this change we need many students to change their mindsets, moving away from traditional “them and us” views and instead adopting a worldview which suggests that anything is possible if you are willing to work for it.
The fact is that many young people take little or no responsibility for their emotions – and likewise have little motivation or drive towards achievement. Often their parents don’t help much either, suggesting sometimes that what was good enough for them is good enough for their children.
Yet many teachers have found that teenage attitudes and mindsets can be changed – and that the change is not something that ultimately is hard to achieve.
It is in fact something that is dependent not on huge amounts of time or hard work, but on the approach.
The fact is that some approaches to transforming the attitudes and approach of teenagers work, and some don’t – and it is very easy when faced with a number of teenagers with negative attitudes to slip into approaches which simply do not work.
The leading approach in this field is known as SUMO (which stands for Shut Up Move On). The idea of the programme is to build emotional intelligence, thinking skills, relationship skills and confidence. Students who follow this approach as part of their PSHE programme become empowered with a new confidence and find their lives totally changed.
There’s more information about SUMO on www.sumo4schools.co.uk/s4s_sec_benprog.php and for more information you can contact me at secondary@sumo4schools.co.uk or by calling 07590 055336.
If you would like further information on changing mindsets and the difficulties that this can entail, email me at secondary@sumo4schools.co.uk and I will send you a report.
Victoria Taylor