NET Scheme News 2025 Spring issue 47

7 NET Scheme News Issue 47 6 NET Scheme News Issue 47 The Hong Kong Student Landscape Hong Kong students face a multitude of pressures, from academic expectations to social anxieties. According to the HK Children Happiness Index, conducted by Lingnan University, primary school students in Hong Kong reported an average happiness score of 6.77 out of 10 in 2022. This suggests that there is plenty of room for improvement in Hong Kong students’ well-being. The Power of Stories as a Bridge In Hong Kong, reading workshops sometimes focus on assessing student understanding through comprehension questions and assignments. Teaching Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) using stories gave us an opportunity to reflect on our approach towards teaching students to read. It created space for students to ‘take a breather’ in an exam-oriented learning environment. In doing so, our students did not just learn to read. Instead, they read to learn, to think, to reflect and to manage their emotions. We selected stories that were relatable to the students’ everyday lives. These stories served as a bridge that led the students to the start of their SEL journey. Integrating SEL into the English Classroom Teachers created two engaging learning experiences that combined English Language learning skills with SEL competencies for P3 students. The units focused on the SEL competencies of self- awareness, social awareness, and self-management. Students learnt to understand the story and analyse the characters’ S peech, T houghts, E ffect on others, A ctions and L ooks (the STEAL literary analysis tool). Throughout the process, they also learnt to identify emotions, recognise coping mechanisms, and explore the impact of one’s actions on others. In addition to STEAL , students learnt to analyse a character’s social and emotional well-being with the help of tools. By strategically‘jumping in and out’ of the stories, students got a chance to actively apply these tools on themselves. Millie Fierce : This unit explored self-acceptance and embracing individuality. Students compared Millie's journey to their own experiences and discussed strategies for expressing themselves authentically. For example, in the unit, students discussed whether Millie was born to be fierce. Then, they were given real-life scenarios in which they had to decide whether to be fierce or not. Finally, they were guided to come to the conclusion that they have a choice whether or not to act in a certain manner. My Mouth is a Volcano : This unit focused on managing impulsivity and expressing emotions constructively. Students analysed Louis' struggles and explored techniques for controlling oneself and communicating effectively. They were asked to imagine themselves in scenarios in which they might lose control and interrupt others. With the help of breathing exercises, students learnt how to slow down and exercise self-control. Positive Impact: Teacher,Parent & Student Reflections This new approach to teaching stories received positive feedback from teachers, parents and students.Through interviewing the students after the project,we learnt that most students found the stories interesting, meaningful and relatable. They enjoyed their learning and the varied engaging activities, especially the chance to interact with their peers. We were pleasantly surprised by the parent survey in which 100% of the parents were supportive of this new approach.They observed the increase in interest among their children to read and learn during these lessons. They also acknowledged that their children were able to learn the SEL concepts in the stories. As for teachers, they simply loved the opportunity to connect to the students through reading. They got to know their students more through this approach of teaching reading. Teachers were inspired and encouraged to see their students’ increased motivation to learn. Continuing the Journey: Whole-School Approach & Learning Hub Building upon this success, our school plans on expanding teaching SEL-themed stories to P1 and P2 while covering a wider range of SEL competencies. We also plan to integrate SEL seamlessly across various subjects and create a dedicated ‘Social and Emotional Learning Hub’ with resources on both SEL and storytelling strategies for teachers and parents. By harnessing the power of stories, we believe we can equip our students with the tools to navigate their emotions, build healthy relationships, and thrive on their personal educational journeys. Katy Siu, English Panel Chair Sham Tseng Catholic Primary School Social and Emotional Learning Developing Students’ Social and Emotional Well-being Through Stories