Interpersonal Development

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 1 standards in Interpersonal Development, they interact with their peers, teachers and other adults in a range of contexts. They learn to play constructively together and are encouraged to develop friendships with peers.

Students learn to manage their impulses by developing habits and routines that help them to be a cooperative class member. They develop a vocabulary to describe the emotions they experience when interacting with others.

With teacher support, students begin to identify and develop the skills required to work together in a group, including taking turns, and sharing and caring for equipment and resources. Through supported reflection on their own experiences of working with a partner, in small-group and whole-class situations, students share their thoughts on group collaboration and learn to describe and practise skills that contribute to the formation of positive relationships, and explain why these skills are desirable.

While playing games and participating in classroom activities, students practise listening to others and recording or retelling what others have said. With teacher support, they practise using these skills with their peers in a variety of contexts and begin to identify when it would be useful to apply these skills in other situations.

Students are supported to develop appropriate language to explain what happens and how they feel when experiencing conflict and/or bullying. They begin to understand how their actions affect others. Students learn that some people have special needs and to respect the rights, feelings and efforts of others.

Standards

At this level standards are not organised by dimensions.

Interpersonal Development

At Level 1, students identify the qualities of a friend and demonstrate care for other students. They contribute to the development of positive social relationships in a range of contexts. They use appropriate language and actions when dealing with conflict. Students describe basic skills required to work cooperatively in groups.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 2 standards in Interpersonal Development, they interact with their peers, older and younger students and adults, in a range of contexts. With teacher support, students reflect on personal qualities which contribute to the development and maintenance of friendships. They begin to develop and exhibit appropriate behaviours for maintaining positive social relationships.

Through activities such as reading, discussion and role-play, students learn to recognise and describe the feelings and emotional responses of others. They compare these with their own emotional responses and adjust their behaviour in response.

Students learn to recognise that their actions have consequences for both themselves and others in social contexts. They begin to think in terms of other people’s feelings and needs, especially when resolving conflict or dealing with bullying; for example, by saying sorry or taking another person’s point of view into consideration.

Students learn to work in teams to complete structured activities within a set timeframe (the teacher may select the teams and allocate roles and responsibilities). Students learn to stay on task and share resources fairly. In response to questions and prompts, they learn to reflect on the team’s challenges and successes and their contribution to the team’s effectiveness.

Standards

Building social relationships

At Level 2, students behave appropriately in a range of social situations. They identify the feelings and needs of other people. Students identify and accept that there are consequences for their actions. They take appropriate steps to resolve simple conflicts.

Working in teams

At Level 2, students work in teams in assigned roles, stay on task and complete structured activities within set timeframes. They share resources fairly. With teacher support, they describe their contribution to the activities of the team.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 3 standards in Interpersonal Development, they interact with their peers, older and younger students, and adults in both informal and formal contexts. They develop their skills and strategies for getting to know and understand others within increasingly complex situations. With teacher support, they identify different types of friendships and relationships. They discuss the expectations they have of friendship and relationship groups and acknowledge the expectations that others have of them. They recognise that relationships change and that positive relationships do not depend on always agreeing with one another.

Students are encouraged to think about their values and how these affect their feelings and behaviour. They are supported to develop relationships based on respect and the valuing of individual differences; for example, speaking respectfully about others, listening and responding appropriately and encouraging others’ contributions. They learn to respect other students’ belongings and, when appropriate, to share their own.

Students begin to explore the link between their feelings and their behaviour. They learn about empathy and use this to begin to respond to the needs of others. Using prompts and questions, they develop skills in giving and accepting constructive feedback; for example, praising or making suggestions for improvement.

Students are introduced to a variety of strategies for dealing with conflict and bullying. By articulating the conflict to be resolved, they discuss options and outcomes and work with others to develop plans and procedures to reduce the possibility of conflict, avoid or resolve conflict.

In teams, students work towards the achievement of agreed goals within a set timeframe. With teacher assistance, they develop awareness of their role in the team and responsibilities in various situations, and interact with others accordingly. Students begin to be aware that different points of view may be valid. Using provided criteria, they reflect on the effectiveness of the teams in which they participate.

National Statements of Learning

This Learning focus statement incorporates aspects of the National Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship, Year 3.

Standards

Building social relationships

At Level 3, students demonstrate respect for others and exhibit appropriate behaviour for maintaining friendships with other people. They support each other by sharing ideas and materials, offering assistance, giving appropriate feedback and acknowledging individual differences. They work with others to reduce, avoid and resolve conflict.

Working in teams

At Level 3, students cooperate with others in teams for agreed purposes, taking roles and following guidelines established within the task. They describe and evaluate their own contribution and the team’s progress towards the achievement of agreed goals.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 4 standards in Interpersonal Development, they develop skills and behaviours for connecting with a variety of groups, including peer and community groups. Students participate in a range of classroom activities where they explore the similarities and differences in the values and beliefs of a range of individuals and groups. They begin to reflect on what this may mean for themselves when building and maintaining relationships with a diverse range of people. They explore and discuss behaviours which demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences in their interactions with others.

Students compare their beliefs and values with others, and consider how these influence feelings and behaviour. Through discussion and activities such as role-play, they reflect on inclusion, belonging and tolerance. They consider how it feels to be excluded from a group. They identify examples of bullying in a range of contexts. They explore the impact of bullying on people’s sense of self-worth and are assisted to identify, discuss and use different strategies to reduce, avoid and resolve bullying.

Students begin to recognise and discuss the influence that peers can have on their behaviour and consider response options.

Students explore a range of contexts, both within and beyond school, in which individuals are required to work effectively as part of a team. They discuss appropriate knowledge, skills and behaviours in these contexts and the importance of developing these.

Working in different teams, students are provided with opportunities to complete tasks of varying length and complexity. In doing so, they learn to identify the characteristics of members in effective teams and to develop descriptions for particular roles such as leader, recorder and participant. Students contribute to the development of and use criteria for evaluating their own and the team’s effectiveness in team work.

National Statements of Learning

This Learning focus statement incorporates aspects of the National Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship, Year 5.

Standards

Building social relationships

At Level 4, students demonstrate, through their interactions in social situations, respect for a diverse range of people and groups. Students describe the impact of bullying. They accept and display empathy for the points of view and feelings of their peers and others. They identify and use a variety of strategies to manage and resolve conflict.

Working in teams

At Level 4, students work effectively in different teams and take on a variety of roles to complete tasks of varying length and complexity. They work cooperatively to allocate tasks and develop timelines. Students accept responsibility for their role and tasks. They explain the benefits of working in a team. They provide feedback to others and evaluate their own and the team’s performance.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 5 standards in Interpersonal Development, they develop positive relationships through understanding and respecting others. They participate in activities which enable them to identify the differing values and beliefs held by individuals in local, national and global contexts, and reflect on the impact these may have on relationships.

They learn how to manage their emotions and behaviour in their relationships, especially with peers. They consider the needs of others and ways of responding with appropriate sensitivity, learning to adapt their behaviour and language to suit different settings. Exploring appropriate scenarios, students learn that while they need to value friendship and respect confidentiality, in certain circumstances confidentiality may need to be breached. They manage their impulses to encourage harmonious collaborations and relationships.

In a variety of forums, students investigate various forms of bullying and the consequences for the bully and the victim. They also explore other forms of conflict in both local and broader contexts. Through experience and reflection, students come to understand the need for empathy for others. They develop and practise appropriate skills in conflict resolution. Students explore how peers may influence the way they respond to others. They continue to identify strategies to build and maintain positive social relationships; for example, by acknowledging and celebrating the diversity of individuals, recognising peer influence on their own behaviour, showing sensitivity to cultural diversity, recognising and accommodating others’ strengths and weaknesses and acknowledging the existence and possible implications of different values and beliefs.

Students work in teacher- and student-selected teams to complete short- and long-term tasks of varying complexity. When selecting team members, they are encouraged to recognise differing capabilities and are increasingly able to select a team which acknowledges the advantage of including students with a variety of learning and thinking styles.

In their teams, students gain experience in a variety of different roles and reflect on those roles which they prefer. They participate in tasks which require them to build knowledge cooperatively to achieve a shared purpose, and reflect on the contribution they have made and how it could be improved. They also consider how the effectiveness of the team could be improved.

National Statements of Learning

This Learning focus statement incorporates aspects of the National Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship, Year 7.

Standards

Building social relationships

At Level 5, students demonstrate respect for the individuality of others and empathise with others in local, national and global contexts, acknowledging the diversity of individuals. They recognise and describe peer influence on their behaviour. Students select and use appropriate strategies to effectively manage individual conflict and assist others in resolution processes.

Working in teams

At Level 5, students accept responsibility as a team member and support other members to share information, explore the ideas of others, and work cooperatively to achieve a shared purpose within a realistic timeframe. They reflect on individual and team outcomes and act to improve their own and the team’s performance.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 6 standards in Interpersonal Development, they develop their knowledge of local and global values and beliefs and consider the idea of values as social constructs and principles. They explore barriers to achieving positive relationships, especially between groups with differing values and beliefs, and discuss the importance of empathy. They explore strategies that they and others could use to overcome these barriers, and practise using such strategies and reflecting on their effectiveness.

They learn to consider feelings and behaviour in a broader context that is influenced by social conventions and cultures. They understand individual and group behaviour in the context of motivating factors when students participate in activities, including role-plays, which allow them to explore the impact of peers on relationships. They explore strategies to manage peer influence and to develop positive relationships with a wide range of peers, gaining confidence in stating clearly their own views and opinions, and the rationale for these. They develop specific skills and a variety of strategies to prevent or resolve conflict, and explore the nature of conflict resolution in a range of contexts. They learn to recognise when conflict, including conflict in workplaces, is likely to occur, and learn to be proactive in initiating strategies to avoid and/or resolve it.

Students take opportunities to work in diverse teams within and beyond school, including the workplace, to complete tasks with several interrelated components. Some of these tasks are managed by the team, with limited teacher input. This allows students to take responsibility for selecting a team that is likely to function effectively, allocating tasks, assigning and taking leadership roles, determining timelines and action plans, and monitoring and evaluating task achievement. Where required, students initiate strategies to deal with any problems they encounter. They assess their own contribution to the team and provide useful feedback to peers. Students also reflect on the success of team management and learning in achieving agreed goals.

Students may be involved in acting as peer mediators for younger students with minimal guidance once initial training is completed.

National Statements of Learning

This Learning focus statement incorporates aspects of the National Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship, Year 9.

Standards

Building social relationships

At Level 6, students demonstrate awareness of complex social conventions, behaving appropriately when interacting with others. They describe how local and global values and beliefs determine their own and others’ social relationships. They evaluate their own behaviour in relationships, identify potential conflict and employ strategies to avoid and/or resolve it.

Working in teams

At Level 6, students work collaboratively, negotiate roles and delegate tasks to complete complex tasks in teams. Working with the strengths of a team they achieve agreed goals within set timeframes. Students describe how they respect and build on the ideas and opinions of team members and clearly articulate or record their reflections on the effectiveness of learning in a team. They develop and implement strategies for improving their contributions to achieving the team goals.