Look, Listen, Link: Creating an engaged, caring
and resilient learning community
Shaun Young
Me in a minute!
• Over 3 years in community education – preparedness and response• Over 700 hours in Emergency Management and Response in the last 12
months.- 1300 people given access to safe water, washing facilities and toilets- Over 50 emergency activations with the State Emergency Service- 13 activations with Red Cross (providing material aid and psycho-social
support)• 10 years in security (Phys-sec) and risk assessment for government and the
private sector• A trained solicitor – with experience in mediation and conciliation • A lecturer in non-violent activism
Put your hand up if you think…
• You don’t see or hear about all of the difficulties your students have
• Students often wait too long before seeking assistance with problems
• Students could improve core language skills to be effective communicators in their day to day lives
• They could use more/better skills to increase autonomy/ practical problem solving
https://healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au/building-resilience
What can we do as Educators?
Encourage students to actively manage their studies by
• Provide a simple communication framework to enable students to support each other and seek help when needed.
• Model effective language, communication skills to facilitate access to professional services when needed.
• Remove, reduce and mitigate social/cultural barriers to learner autonomy
• Providing classroom experience that encourages reflection on effective learning/time management strategies.
The Role of Student Services
• Student Engagement Team• Coordinator drop in sessions
• Counselling
• ILC drop in sessions
For more info: Check out Megan’s talk this afternoon!
Have you ever wanted to help a friend but didn’t know what to say?• What’s the difference between a friend that doesn’t know what to do
and one the responds effectively to a difficult situation?
• Experience?
• A trained/practiced course of action… A conversation.
Promoting Resilient, Responsive learners
What this IS
Teachers helping students to listen to each other
to feel safe, connected to others
Feel able to help themselves
To be calm and hopeful
access physical, emotional and social support when needed
www.redcross.org.au/.../Psychological_First_Aid_An_Australian_Guide.pdf
Look
• Empower students to see they are in a great place to be there for one another.
• Encourage them to look out for one another.
• How: Trust your feelings/gut, if you think something is not ok, have a conversation and ask “How are things going?”
www.redcross.org.au/.../Psychological_First_Aid_An_Australian_Guide.pdf
Activity: 1
• When you notice that your friend seems upset or sad, what do you do?
What things would you think about to choose
• Where would be a good place to chat to a friend for a while?
• When might be a good time?
Am I ready to ask my friend “how are they doing?”
• Am I feeling ok?
• Am I willing to genuinely listen?
• Can I give as much time as needed?
Do I understand that if I ask how someone’s going, the answer could be: “No, I’m not”?Do I understand that you can’t ‘fix’ someone’s problems?Do I accept that they might not be ready to talk? Or they might not want to talk to me?
https://www.ruok.org.au/how-to-ask
What does it look, feel and sound like to be understood?
Activity 2
Listen - Be a human mirror!
“Deepest craving of human nature is to be appreciated.” William James
• “There’s nothing so powerful as a well phrased question”
• Closed ended yes/no – usually to clarify facts.
• Open ended questions - allow people to tell their story, their way.
• Reflective questions “sounds to me like” “What I’m hearing is” “So what I think you’re saying is that” or “ Tell me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like” (Natural delivery/normal conversation is key = practice)
Active listening
Attentive Body language
Showing you are focused on the person
Nodding occasionally
Eye contact
CONSIDER mirroring to build rapport
Reflecting skills
Restate the feeling/content with understanding and acceptance
Paraphrasing: occasionally checking you’ve got the facts
straight
Summarizing: major concerns or issues
Following skills
Minimal encouragers: Hmm, yes etc
Infrequent questions
Attentive silences
Danger: Avoid empathy blockers!
Activity 3
• Mirroring: body, emotion and content (reflective listening)
• Just listen!
• Groups of 3• Speaker
• Listener
• Observer
Some role plays for active listening
• I’m so tired! I just can’t get any work done, and concentrating on this class is soooo hard!• I’m really sad because I just broke up with my
partner, and I can’t even think about studying English!• I love the parties in Melbourne. My friends are
great, but getting to school by 0800 is terrible and my attendance is low.
Link
• Students linking with each other and social support networks
• Linking with support services
• Empowering them to take action.
• Be an active agent in pursuing their wellbeing
• Interpersonal support/connectedness is the single biggest factor in predicting resilience.
• Activity 4 – Encourage action and link your friend with people who can help!
What if they don’t want to talk?
• If they don’t want to talk, don’t criticise them.
• Tell them you’re still concerned and you care about them.
• Avoid a confrontation.
• You could say: “Please call me if you ever want to chat” or “Is there someone else you’d rather talk to?”
https://www.ruok.org.au/how-to-ask
How to promote a culture of connectedness?Roleplay! (Putting it all together)
The good friend The Terrible friend
http://www.timothytiah.com/2014/11/14/8-signs-of-a-bad-friend-2/http://comedymood.com/dont-make-friends-make-good-friend/
Sum up
This is
• A simple conversation to bring students together
• A proactive
• Language focused
• Community building
• Strengths based approach
[Encourage learners to be]“Resilient and support others to take responsibility for their own safety and wellbeing.” – Bronwyn Drake 11/07/17
www.redcross.org.au/.../Psychological_First_Aid_An_Australian_Guide.pdf
https://ixquick-proxy.com/do/spg/show_picture.pl?l=english&rais=1&oiu=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.skillshare.com%2Fuploads%2Fproject%2Fbbe89db365def6d1cbd8f722a84c61f6%2F4ebaee92&sp=6c20a73ff6d2fad73732fd79f7b11c5a
