Eastwood Heights Public School is implementing the You Can Do It! Education program to support and promote the social and emotional well-being of our students.
"You Can Do It! Education's core purpose is the development of young people's social and emotional capabilities, including the five foundations: confidence (academic, social), persistence, organisation, getting along, and emotional resilience."
All classes K-6 will be learning about these 5 key skills throughout the year. The main focus of each term will be:
Term 1: Getting Along
Term 2: Confidence
Term 3: Organisation and Persistence
Term 4: Resilience
You Can Do It! Education (YCDI) is a system for helping all children achieve to the best of their ability and to develop social-emotional-behavioural well-being. Through a set of educational programs, YCDI supports the development of every child's potential.
What Is Needed to Succeed?
The founder of You Can Do It! Education is Dr Michael E. Bernard. Dr. Bernard's work is based on research which identifies the following 4 Foundations as necessary for all children to possess in order for them to achieve and experience social-emotional-behavioural well-being:
- Confidence,
- Persistence,
- Organisation, and
- Getting Along.
His own research has isolated 11 positive Habits of the Mind that support and nourish these 4 Foundations including:
Self-Acceptance ("Accepting Myself"),
Risk Taking ("Taking Risks"), Independence ("Being Independent"),
Optimism ("I Can Do It"),
Internal Locus of Control for Learning ("Giving Effort"),
High Frustration Tolerance ("Working Tough"),
Goal Setting ("Setting Goals"),
Time Management ("Planning My Time"),
Tolerance of others ("Being Tolerant of Others"),
Reflective Problem Solving ("Thinking First"), and
Tolerance of Limits ("Playing By the Rules").
Michael Bernard refers to the 4 Foundations and supporting 11 Habits of the Mind as a child's "Positive Mindset."
Michael Bernard has also identified what he calls 4 Blockers that contribute to poor psychological health, under-achievement and disaffection
- Low Self-Esteem-Anxiety,
- General Work Avoidance,
- General Disorganization, and
- Rebelliousness-Anger.
According to research, these 4 Blockers are supported and nourished by 11 negative Habits of the Mind including:
Self-Depreciation ("Self-Downing"),
Perfectionism ("Need to Be perfect"),
Need fro Approval ("Needing Approval"),
Pessimism ("I Can't Do It"),
Low Frustration Tolerance ("I Can't Be Bothered"),
External Locus of Control for Learning ("Giving Up"),
Poor Goal Orientation ("Having No Goals"),
Poor Time Management ("Planning Time Poorly"),
Intolerance of Others ("Being Intolerant of Others"),
Impulsive Problem Solving ("Acting Without Thinking"),
Intolerance of Limits "Being Intolerant of Limits").
Michael Bernard refers to the 4 Blockers and supporting Habits of the Mind as a child's "Negative Mindset."
The relationship of a child's positive and negative mindset to positive and negative outcomes is illustrated in the diagram below.
