ABSTRACT
This chapter by editor Jean Gross provides a theoretical context for the practical chapters which follow. It describes the different reasons why children’s behaviour may be challenging, and what the evidence shows about how to improve behaviour by explicitly teaching social and emotional skills. Social and emotional skills include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. The chapter summarises good evidence that the programmes which explicitly develop these, lead to long-term improvements in behaviour and learning. It describes how they can be developed in school through the curriculum, through everyday classroom teaching and learning and through the environment. The chapter explores the neuro-science of emotion regulation and ways of helping children learn to manage strong feelings, including an approach called ‘Zones of Regulation’.
