Family Life Education Programs Addressing Socioemotional Topic Essay

Introduction

Processing and responding to emotions has a considerable part to play in a child's education by affecting their socioemotional and cognitive development. There is a growing number of people advocating for the use of socioemotional learning on a much larger scale for the fruits to be fully realized. Some of the programs have been in use in some schools and have given encouraging and impressive results. Socioemotional programs such as PATHS, 4Rs, and RULER have been evaluated extensively and seen to bring positive impacts to both the students and the teachers.

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PATHS Program

Purpose: The PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) program entails promotion of socioemotional competencies as well as the improvement of the target group's tendencies for aggression and other problems associated with behavior.

Target population: It is used as an education program for school going children at the elementary level, grades K-6.

Structure: PATHS curriculum comprises separate lesson volumes tailored for various grade levels including pictures, photographs, charts, posters, and other relevant materials. The program is organized into five concepts hierarchically integrated into lessons at every level. The conceptual domains include self-control, emotional understanding, positive self-esteem, relationships, and skills to solve conflicts. PATHS focuses on the dynamic relationship between real-life situations and cognitive-affective understanding. Each unit may focus on one skill domain or more but in a way, all five fields are integrated into each, and the preceding unit is analyzed and built upon (Bracket & Rivers, 2014).

Length of program: It is designed for teaching at least two times per week with daily activities to help support ongoing behavior.

Objectives: The goals of the program are to help children to use verbal thoughts to regulate themselves, enhance knowledge of language and communication, to analyze and solve issues using cognitive and linguistic skills acquired and encouragement of self-control and emotional understanding.

Assessment of PATHS

Effectiveness: The PATHS program has seen several tests and studies to determine its effectiveness in the emotional development of elementary school children. The studies involve the evaluation of not only regular schools but deaf/hearing impaired schools and other forms of special schools. The ability of the program to focus on interpersonal skills as well as personal skills is commendable especially because character and emotions are derived from this domains (Malti et al., 2012).

The program shows a remarkable improvement in the ability to control aggressiveness reduced ADHD compared to the control group. The follow-up studies seven and nine years after the starting period found a significant decrease in deliquescent adolescents. The study found that compared to control students, those subjected to PATHS received improved ratings in socioemotional character (Averdijk et al., 2016). The most significant effects of PATHS is on danger and safety where improvements were recorded in solving social problems, controlling oneself and emotionally understanding oneself and others. There were also improvements in socializing with peers and social school functioning (Malti et al., 2011; Averdijk et al., 2016; Malti et al., 2012).

Components for effectiveness: The success of is mainly due to its simplicity making it easy for children to grasp. Even the parents can be able to understand the teachings and help further develop their children. The children are through the actual process of decision making.

Analysis of PATHS

Strengths: One of the most encouraging facts about the program is that it can be used even in special schools. Also, it has been observed that it improves performance in school. Studies have also shown that different races conform to the goals of the survey (Averdijk et al., 2016; Malti et al., 2011).

Weaknesses: However, the program is only devised for only elementary level children and cannot be put to use by older students and adults. Also, the effects of parents on the character of the children are not in consideration in the program. Reports of dissatisfaction by teachers indicates a problem in its implementation.

Alterations: The program though looks effective from the results obtained and coupled with other programs such as FAST track would integrate the stakeholders, child, teacher, family, and community. Teachers should also be at discretion to modify the program as the needs arise.

4Rs Program

Purpose: The Reading, Writing, Respect & Resolution (4Rs) Program focuses on the development of school culture with a focus on fostering care and good behavior through academics. The program is geared to train teachers in the use of literacy-based curriculum which teaches conflict resolution, differences in culture and cooperation.

Structure: The 4Rs involve a combination of particular instructions, technical skills, and positive social norms. The teacher implements the program weakly following the curriculum to cover topics such as community building, handling emotions, Listening, assertiveness, diversity, and cooperation.

Target population: The program designing was done for children ranging from pre-K to middle school.

Length of program: consists of a 7-unit, 21 to 35 lessons and 25 hours of teacher training. The program has a minimum contact of 12 per annum.

Objectives: Key objectives for 4Rs are improved academic performance, positive behavior, reduced emotional stress and an improvement to socioemotional performance (Bracket & Rivers, 2014).

Assessment of 4Rs

Effectiveness: Studies in randomly chosen 18 schools with 82 classes showed that the program indeed achieves its objectives by impacting social and emotional climate at the schools. The level of interaction between the teacher and the students was one of warmth with support from both parties without being angry or hostile. The test sample showed increased teacher integration to the ideas presented by students, response to the students' query and needs, and a keen interest in the learning (Jones, Brown, & Aber, 2011). Professionals in education quality found that student-teacher interaction was top notch and after two years of learning students were rated as socially competent, able to listen attentively, and their aggression was low as compared to other classrooms (Brown et al., 2010).

Components responsible for effectiveness: The program's effectiveness is mainly due to being centered on peer interactions, use of topics which the children can associate with and integration into everyday learning. The children can assess themselves and each other and with the help of the teacher.

Analysis of 4Rs

Strength: 4Rs program has the advantage of being more practical since the students' prior experiences to the literacy books are used to solve conflicts and to handle emotions with their peers. Another strength derived from this program is that it has a family connection. Lessons are part of the curriculum, and the program is age specific.

Weaknesses: However, there is very low involvement of the community. The program is also time intensive requiring between 25-30 hour training. The program experiences various methodological challenges limit the quality and generalizability of the knowledge base

Alteration: The program would work better if the local community is involved more because they have a significant impact on children's behaviors. 4Rs should also be used in conjunction with other programs.

RULER Program

Purpose: The RULER (Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing and Regulating) program is aimed at helping children to recognize emotions, understanding their cause and consequences, labeling the emotions correctly, appropriately expressing the feelings, and effective regulation of the same.

Structure: The program utilizes two phases to achieve its outcome. It requires the teacher to be trained, equipped with implementation strategies and making sure he/she can teach the program to other teachers. Phase one has four elements known as anchors of emotional intelligence, i.e., chatter, mood-meter, meta-moments, and blueprint. Chatter is a class contract setting forth how people want to be treated and to feel, behaviors that allow the treatment and feeling. Then, common goals are set, and the class is held to account. The mood-meter is used by students to identify and rate their emotions over time as their self-awareness improves. Dealing with extreme emotions uses meta-moment strategy. The strategy encourages students to analyze the situation and make the decision as their best self would. Blueprint strategy considers a conflict from both sides which encourages healthy resolutions. Phase 2 adds to what was learned in phase 1. It encourages teaching across the curriculum and introduces the feelings word curriculum. The feeling word curriculum aims to instill the vocabulary of emotional adjectives, identifying and labeling of emotions and effective ways to communicate emotions. This ensures age-appropriate lessons aligning with core subjects and curriculum (Bracket & Rivers, 2014).

Target population: Usually, RULER is for K-8 graders, but it has found increasing use in pre-K and even in High Schools.

Length of program: It is a two-year program that is self-perpetuating after that. Each phase requires 3-day teacher training. Although it has a linkage to the language arts curriculum, it is also possible to use in other learning environments.

Objectives: It aims to improve the entire school's emotional climate with a focus on individuals, empathy, and taking of perspective.

Assessment of RULER

Effectiveness: RULER has seen adoption by many schools, and thus its effectiveness is being evaluated rigorously. Test students in middle school were found to have higher end-year grades and higher socioemotional ratings than the comparison students (Brackett et al., 2012). Rivers, Brackett, Reyes, Elbertson, & Salovey (2012) did a study to test RULER and concluded that after a year, students demonstrated higher levels of warmth, connectedness, autonomy, less bullying, and increased leadership.

Components making the program effective: include its basis on classroom interactions, infusion of the program into the curricula and the use of role models in practicing and encouraging students.

Analysis of RULER

Strengths: RULER has many strengths including benefit to both adults and children, and it also offers a way in which behavior can be measured. There is family involvement which in turn improves the emotional environment, intelligence, and academic achievements.

Weaknesses: However, the program is school-based thus very minimal community context is availed. Such factors that can affect emotional balance are not therefore given effective considerations. Secondly, the program is more extensive and may be difficult to understand and practice. RULER is also a costly program requiring hefty price tags in training of teachers and other expenses.

Alterations: I would only recommend that the program should consider having the parents and members of the community trained on their use to effectively bolster students' improvements. Also, it should be designed to cover all levels of academic learning up to college.

Over the years many socioemotional learning programs have been developed, disseminated and evaluated across the US and other countries. The benefits the programs have brought for students and teachers are well documented. There is, therefore, a need for the government to make them mandatory in everyday school practices and provide funding for the same. Otherwise keeping the programs separate from other academics are doing a disservice...