How to gather information for and complete one of our Connect Profile tools and utilise this in a Nurture Class setting.

The first few sessions focused on likes and dislikes. Short, linked activities were planned and the information from these recorded in Emotion Works Getting to Know You profiling documents.

Pancake Toss:

Children played a “toss the pancake” game. The paper “pancake” had the word like and symbol on one side, and the word dislike and symbol on the other. Staff and children took it in turns to throw the “pancake” up in the air. When it landed showing the like symbol, they were prompted to say a something they would like to have on the top of a pancake. When it landed showing the dislike symbol, they were prompted to do the same with something they would not want to have on their pancakes. (Options were limited to food, at this point.) This opened a great discussion of likes and dislikes amongst the group which was continued into snack time, where the group shared pancakes with a variety of toppings, chatting about their food likes and dislikes, as they ate.

“The Disgusting Sandwich”

Staff read pupils “The Disgusting Sandwich”, by Gareth Edwards. The following day, staff read the same story and discussed the main character’s likes and dislikes. The Symbol Folder was used to support discussion and a collective list of likes and dislikes was created. (Likes/dislikes are triggers for positive/negative emotions, but they were not named as such during the lesson.)

The story was read again later in the week. Staff led a discussion on pupil likes and dislikes, using the orange Emotion Words symbol prompts for “like” and “dislike”. In keeping with the story, ideas weren’t limited to food. Children were encouraged to study the yellow triggers section of the Symbol Folder for ideas of likes or dislikes, and to describe these in more detail.

Children used these ideas to complete a planning sheet of their own “disgusting sandwich” and “delicious sandwich”, which they later created with arts and craft materials. Adults worked alongside pupils to create their own “sandwiches”, discussing both their likes and dislikes, building positive connections and getting to know the pupils better.

“I am Amazing”

In a separate lesson, staff worked individually with pupils, focusing on pupil strengths and positive emotion triggers. These were recorded for display using a simple template and later transferred to profiling documents.

Get to Know Me Profile Tool

These lessons took place over a period of a month. From each of these activities – the stories, the discussions, the snacks, the artwork – staff and pupils built connections and confidence. The information was recorded during and at the end of each session in individual pupil Connect Profiles. Parents and Teachers were also invited to contribute.

Profiles were shared with pupils during lessons and children were invited to contribute, giving them ownership of the document. Older pupils were encouraged to independently add or complete any information they wished. While older learners enjoyed completing the document itself, younger learners and those with learning difficulties, found it less engaging.

Display

At the end of the first month of Nurture Class, the Connect Profiles were displayed in the classroom. These were very much working documents and staff continued to observe and discuss likes and dislikes with individual pupils, reflecting on and editing the content for each child, as necessary. The children were also encouraged to reflect and edit, as they wanted. Staff also completed profiles on themselves and displayed these alongside the pupil profiles, an important part of connecting and showing openness and honesty.

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