What CATS can tell educators<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\nCATS has found that there\u2019s a strong link between health and wellbeing, student disengagement, and academic performance.<\/p>\n
At the helm of the study is George Patton, Professorial Fellow in Adolescent Health Research from the University of Melbourne and the Murdoch Children\u2019s Research Institute. He has found that students who report \u2018being sad, unhappy and anxious\u2019 are \u2018not learning as well as their peers\u2019.<\/p>\n
“In terms of year 7 NAPLAN scores, we looked at how many years of numeracy kids with those more persisting emotional problems lost between grade 3 and year 7. We were astonished to find that the kids with more persisting emotional problems lost a year in learning across those four years in terms of numeracy, and they lost about six months in terms of reading.”\u00a0Professor George Patton<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
Professor Patton says it\u2019s the first time a study has demonstrated in a predictive way that emotional problems have a profound effect on learning. He cites loss of interest in school work, falling academic performance and fatigue as some of the tell-tale signs that a student is having emotional problems.<\/p>\n
What’s worrying students?<\/h3>\n
Since 2012, Professor Patton and his research colleagues have collected data from 1200 students for the study. What CATS has found is that as relationships with parents, teachers and peers change during this transition period, students start to worry about all manner of things. Many emotional problems can begin at this age.<\/p>\n
\n\u2018They’re worried about managing the work, losing their friends, finding their way around a big school. So, it can be a range of things,\u2019 states Professor Patton.<\/p>\n
Social isolation, bullying and victimisation during this developmental period, he says, puts students at high risk of emotional problems.<\/p>\n
“It’s the kids who are socially isolated, lonely, don’t have good friends, who are bullied and victimised, who are most likely to develop these emotional problems.” Professor George Patton<\/h4>\n
Peer relationships at school \u2018become really important\u2019 during this time, as they can determine the trajectory of a student\u2019s future progress, both socially and academically.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the risk of emotional problems in the middle years?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
With around 20 per cent of students having persistent emotional problems from years 3 to 5, one of the risks according to Professor Patton is that \u2018if they get behind in learning, it becomes very hard to catch up\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n\u2018You develop a self-image, which is, I’m no good at school. For boys at this age, if they’re failing academically, they’ll find another identity.\u2019<\/p>\n
Professor Patton says that in some cases this can lead to disruptive and anti-social behaviour.<\/p>\n
There are also other long-term risk factors such as obesity, depression and anxiety. Professor Patton says, \u2018We’re certainly seeing more emotional problems during these years than we ever have\u2019.<\/p>\n
Puberty marks a point of transition and risk, giving rise to mental health problems that students could continue to grapple with later on in life.<\/p>\n
“The best data that we have is that around 50 per cent of all adult mental disorders begin by the age of 14 years and mostly between the ages of 7 and 14.”\u00a0Professor George Patton<\/h4>\nHow can educators can give students a healthy start to adolescence?<\/h3>\n
Professor Patton believes there’s a great opportunity for classroom teachers, and educators overall, to promote a better transition from primary to secondary school. \u2018Teachers are very good at identifying the kids who are not going to make it or not going to thrive in secondary school.\u2019<\/p>\n
Next to parents, Professor Patton declares, teachers \u2018are the most important people in the lives of kids\u2019. He explains: \u2018They are the first line of response to those little problems. Responding well to those little problems as they emerge, is going to be the best approach to prevention\u2019.<\/p>\n
Professor Patton emphasises that \u2018it\u2019s at this early point where interventions are going to be most effective\u2019, and he believes there are \u2018ways that you can reshape that classroom environment \u2013 make it a welcoming, inclusive, safe place for kids to be\u2019.<\/p>\n
While individual schools have adopted successful strategies and evaluation methods to identify children at risk, Professor Patton says what\u2019s lacking is a systemic approach and evidence-based strategies. He believes that, for school improvement, \u2018there\u2019s an awful lot more that we could be doing\u2019 and that preparation should begin at a young age.<\/p>\n
“It probably needs to begin before grade 6. One of the things that one is wanting to do through this transition is maintain a kid’s engagement with school. That’s engagement with the work, but it’s also engagement with the people, with the teachers, and with the peer group.”\u00a0Professor George Patton<\/h4>\n
According to Professor Patton, one way to achieve this could be through the creation of an action team that forms \u2018an alignment of curriculum, alignment of pedagogy, and alignment of those social and emotional contexts in a better way than we currently do\u2019.<\/p>\n
\nListen to the podcast<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/files\/2019\/08\/Capture-271x277.png\" "\\"\u00a9Commonwealth")
<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nThis article was first published on Student Wellbeing Hub<\/a> which has been developed by Education Services Australia for the Australian Government Department of Education. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Once considered a latent period, the transition from primary school to secondary school is now thought to be critical in the health and emotional development of students. Listen to the podcast and\/or read the interview with Professor George Patton. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":156,"featured_media":3331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,5270],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-research"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/156"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3321"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3335,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3321\/revisions\/3335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
CATS has found that there\u2019s a strong link between health and wellbeing, student disengagement, and academic performance.<\/p>\n
At the helm of the study is George Patton, Professorial Fellow in Adolescent Health Research from the University of Melbourne and the Murdoch Children\u2019s Research Institute. He has found that students who report \u2018being sad, unhappy and anxious\u2019 are \u2018not learning as well as their peers\u2019.<\/p>\n
“In terms of year 7 NAPLAN scores, we looked at how many years of numeracy kids with those more persisting emotional problems lost between grade 3 and year 7. We were astonished to find that the kids with more persisting emotional problems lost a year in learning across those four years in terms of numeracy, and they lost about six months in terms of reading.”\u00a0Professor George Patton<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
Professor Patton says it\u2019s the first time a study has demonstrated in a predictive way that emotional problems have a profound effect on learning. He cites loss of interest in school work, falling academic performance and fatigue as some of the tell-tale signs that a student is having emotional problems.<\/p>\n
What’s worrying students?<\/h3>\n
Since 2012, Professor Patton and his research colleagues have collected data from 1200 students for the study. What CATS has found is that as relationships with parents, teachers and peers change during this transition period, students start to worry about all manner of things. Many emotional problems can begin at this age.<\/p>\n
\u2018They’re worried about managing the work, losing their friends, finding their way around a big school. So, it can be a range of things,\u2019 states Professor Patton.<\/p>\n
Social isolation, bullying and victimisation during this developmental period, he says, puts students at high risk of emotional problems.<\/p>\n
“It’s the kids who are socially isolated, lonely, don’t have good friends, who are bullied and victimised, who are most likely to develop these emotional problems.” Professor George Patton<\/h4>\n
Peer relationships at school \u2018become really important\u2019 during this time, as they can determine the trajectory of a student\u2019s future progress, both socially and academically.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the risk of emotional problems in the middle years?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
With around 20 per cent of students having persistent emotional problems from years 3 to 5, one of the risks according to Professor Patton is that \u2018if they get behind in learning, it becomes very hard to catch up\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018You develop a self-image, which is, I’m no good at school. For boys at this age, if they’re failing academically, they’ll find another identity.\u2019<\/p>\n
Professor Patton says that in some cases this can lead to disruptive and anti-social behaviour.<\/p>\n
There are also other long-term risk factors such as obesity, depression and anxiety. Professor Patton says, \u2018We’re certainly seeing more emotional problems during these years than we ever have\u2019.<\/p>\n
Puberty marks a point of transition and risk, giving rise to mental health problems that students could continue to grapple with later on in life.<\/p>\n
“The best data that we have is that around 50 per cent of all adult mental disorders begin by the age of 14 years and mostly between the ages of 7 and 14.”\u00a0Professor George Patton<\/h4>\nHow can educators can give students a healthy start to adolescence?<\/h3>\n
Professor Patton believes there’s a great opportunity for classroom teachers, and educators overall, to promote a better transition from primary to secondary school. \u2018Teachers are very good at identifying the kids who are not going to make it or not going to thrive in secondary school.\u2019<\/p>\n
Next to parents, Professor Patton declares, teachers \u2018are the most important people in the lives of kids\u2019. He explains: \u2018They are the first line of response to those little problems. Responding well to those little problems as they emerge, is going to be the best approach to prevention\u2019.<\/p>\n
Professor Patton emphasises that \u2018it\u2019s at this early point where interventions are going to be most effective\u2019, and he believes there are \u2018ways that you can reshape that classroom environment \u2013 make it a welcoming, inclusive, safe place for kids to be\u2019.<\/p>\n
While individual schools have adopted successful strategies and evaluation methods to identify children at risk, Professor Patton says what\u2019s lacking is a systemic approach and evidence-based strategies. He believes that, for school improvement, \u2018there\u2019s an awful lot more that we could be doing\u2019 and that preparation should begin at a young age.<\/p>\n
“It probably needs to begin before grade 6. One of the things that one is wanting to do through this transition is maintain a kid’s engagement with school. That’s engagement with the work, but it’s also engagement with the people, with the teachers, and with the peer group.”\u00a0Professor George Patton<\/h4>\n
According to Professor Patton, one way to achieve this could be through the creation of an action team that forms \u2018an alignment of curriculum, alignment of pedagogy, and alignment of those social and emotional contexts in a better way than we currently do\u2019.<\/p>\n
Listen to the podcast<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This article was first published on Student Wellbeing Hub<\/a> which has been developed by Education Services Australia for the Australian Government Department of Education. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Once considered a latent period, the transition from primary school to secondary school is now thought to be critical in the health and emotional development of students. Listen to the podcast and\/or read the interview with Professor George Patton. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":156,"featured_media":3331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,5270],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-research"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/156"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3321"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3335,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3321\/revisions\/3335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.rch.org.au\/cah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/p>\n
\n