Program Overview

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EXSC106 - Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Young People

Year

2023

Credit Points

10

Campus Offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

Nil

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

Professionals working with adolescents require contemporary knowledge, understanding, and skills to reflect on and engage with issues related to the social and emotional wellbeing of young people. The aim of this unit is to provide students with opportunities to examine the issues that impact on the welfare and health status of adolescents. Students will analyze and develop appropriate strategies and learning activities in raising awareness, providing accurate information, accessing services, prevention, and intervention.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

• Plan and develop creative and engaging teaching and learning activities that promote adolescent social and emotional wellbeing for future practice
• Design and communicate multimedia teaching and learning activities that facilitate the progression and development of knowledge, positive behaviors, and attitudes in the area of social and emotional wellbeing of young people
• Critically reflect upon and analyze the socio-cultural and environmental influences and contexts related to the social and emotional wellbeing of young people
• Engage in and evaluate a range of adolescent social and emotional teaching activities and resources that facilitate learning

Graduate Attributes

The unit contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:

• GA1: Demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity
• GA4: Think critically and reflectively
• GA5: Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
• GA7: Work both autonomously and collaboratively
• GA8: Locate, organize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information
• GA9: Demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media
• GA10: Utilize information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively

Content

Topics will include:

• Introduction to social and emotional wellbeing
• Understanding mental illnesses and challenging stigma
• Celebrating diversity
• Importance of social and emotional wellbeing in young people
• Adolescence
• Impact of marginalization, exclusion, diversity, social justice on the social and emotional wellbeing of young people
• Adolescent brain development
• Social and cultural perspectives
• Mental health and illness concerns in young people
• Drug education
• Behavioral difficulties in young people
• Creating safe and supportive environments and strategies to empower young people
• Teaching pedagogy principles
• Strategies and activities for the classroom
• Reflective writing

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

Student-centered teaching and learning strategies will be the focus in the unit, based on the theory of constructivism. Students will construct new meaning and make sense of what they are learning. These strategies encourage independent and lifelong learning, where students take responsibility for their learning.

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

A range of assessment strategies are used, including:

1. Reflective writing: Written reflection on the social and emotional wellbeing as a foundation for the Teaching Resource File
2. Constructivism strategy: Resource File - create your own teaching/learning activities related to adolescent wellbeing
3. Collaborative Learning: Multimedia team teaching presentation
4. Examination: Requires students to demonstrate their understanding and application of course content

Overview of Assessments

• Assessment 1: Teaching Resource File with a written reflection about the importance and promotion of social and emotional wellbeing (35%)
• Assessment 2: Multimedia and team teaching presentation (Graded Hurdle, 35%)
• Assessment 3: Written Examination (30%)

Representative Texts and References

• Cranston, A. (2022). Creating Social and Emotional Learning Environments.
• Manocha, R. Ed (2017). Growing Happy, Healthy Young Minds.
• Manocha, R. Ed (2017). Nurturing Young Minds.
• Sprenger, M. (2021). Social-Emotional Learning and the Brain: Strategies to Help Your Students Thrive.
• White, R., Wyn, J., & Robards, B. (2017) Youth and Society (4th edition).