Here are answers to some questions we are often asked. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for please get in touch
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) and The Heroes’ Programs
Social & Emotional Learning
What does this area of learning cover?
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a term for for how children acquire social and emotional skills. It includes things like managing emotions, making responsible decisions, handling stress, setting goals, and building healthy relationships (childmind.org). By teaching these skills explicitly from early childhood, children have the opportunity to lay down healthy habits of emotional self-management and social engagement, which will impact on every area of their life, including increased academic achievement and greater understanding of themselves and others.
Highway Heroes and Little Highway Heroes
Are the programs aligned with Australian educational standards?
Yes, Highway Heroes – for Yr 1 – 6 is aligned with the Personal & Social Capabilities Stream of Physical Health and Education in the Australian National Curriculum
Little Highway Heroes for Early Years Education – Kindergarten, Prep/Pre-Primary – is aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework.
What is the theoretical base of both programs?
Little Highway Heroes and Highway Heroes are based on the following:
Positive Psychology: Helping children to flourish and function optimally in their peer relationships, by incrementally building key social and emotional skills that help the to deal positively with ever day challenges. Fostering a positive and optimistic mindset about the capacity to achieve goals and deal with life events.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Introduction to the connection between thoughts, mood and behaviour illustrated through experiential exploration of common peer scenarios e.g., getting into games, being refused entry, responding to setbacks and dealing assertively with nasty behaviour.
Social Learning Theory: This theory advocates for experiential learning – role plays, direct instruction, observation and modelling – and forms the foundation of both programs. At least one form of experiential learning occurs in every lesson.
Evidence & Auditing
The above three theories have been the subject of a multitude of research to prove their effectiveness in skill development for adults and children. For research relating to Little Highway Heroes and Highway Heroes please refer here (link to Evidence).
Both programs have been extensively audited by Be You under the auspices of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Victoria. See http://www.beyou.edu.au/: Programs Directory for further details.