www.tocpractice.

com

8th International Conference of the

TOC Practitioners Alliance - TOCPA

26-27 October 2013, Moscow

The Magic Key:

How do we support each and every student
to find the Magic Key that unlocks their
inherent ability to develop?
Debi Roberts MA Ed, UK, TOCFE,
Hertfordshire County Council
2013

Debi Roberts MA Ed.

Director of TOCFE UK
Head of Goldratt Social Applications
Educational author
Youth support officer in charge working with
three local youth town councils.
Project Officer for Hertfordshire County
Council
I have a Masters in Education specialising in
emotional literacy in educational settings. I
have worked with children and parents for
nearly 20 years, predominantly looking at
ways of supporting thinking skills and
facilitating awareness of how emotions
influence our thinking.

debiroberts@hotmail.co.uk

Lev Vygotsky

Galina Dolya

copy right Debi Roberts 2013

1.

Do your children bicker?

2.

Does the prospect of a

long summer holiday
resolving their squabbles
fill you with dread?

3.

Do you want your

children to learn how to
make responsible
choices, and resolved
conflicts peacefully?

THE STORY OF TWO DONKEYS

Copyright Debi Roberts 2012

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

d=Wants
b = Needs

To eat a
good meal

a = Common objective

To eat
Little Red
Riding Hood
wolf

Do they share
something they can
agree on?
They share a desire to

Little Red
Riding Hood

live happily in the woods

To stay
alive

c = Needs

Not to be
eaten by
the Big Bad
Wolf
d =Wants
Copyright Debi Roberts 2012

Jasmine, the Dried Mango and

the Big Bad Wolf

copyright Debi Roberts 2012

Jasmine, the Dried Mango and

the Big Bad Wolf

copyright Debi Roberts 2012

copyright Debi Roberts 2012

Research conducted in the UK during

2009-2010 as part of the requirements
for an MA Ed asked....
Can an emotional literacy programme
that includes
TOC thinking processes and story,
enhance the emotional development of a
year five class group?
copyright Debi Roberts 2010

Why ask this question?

How are TOC thinking processes

relevant to emotional literacy skills?
copyright Debi Roberts 2010

Research group 23 children aged 9-10 years (year 5 primary)

Religion

Gender

Free School Meals

no religion

11

christian

muslim

Ethnicity

Female

No

jewish
12

Yes
12

11

Male

18

Family Position
British
Irish

1
1
1
1

1 1

Caribbean
Polish

16

First Child

Second Child

Swedish

Third Child

New Zealand

Fourth Child

Gypsy Roman
Asian

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

12

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

An emotionally literate pupil has.

Empathy
Self-Motivation
Good self-awareness
Ability to manage relationships with others.
Able to manage emotions (self and others)

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

The overlap between critical

thinking and emotional literacy...

Monitor
emotional states
Analyse that
state and its
cause

However

Which is built
from
Self reflection
Self monitoring
Thoughtful analysis
of links between life
events and emotional
states

Cognitive effort and

efficiency
LANGUAGE to
articulate thought to
oneself and to others
Which requires

this requires

emotional literacy

copyright Debi Roberts 2010

Symbiotic relationship between emotion

and cognition

Emotion
Language

all effected by
Mirror neurons .

Cognition

copyright Debi Roberts 2010

copyright Debi Roberts 2010

copyright Debi Roberts 2010

Emotional Feedback
Language Skills
Human Development
Cognition (problem solving)

copyright Debi Roberts 2010

Young children have the innate ability to consider, what if ?

Alison Gopnik, The Philosophical Baby 2009

copyright Debi Roberts 2010

I WANT
I NEED
To eat a
good meal

To eat
Little Red
Riding Hood
wolf

To live
happily in
the woods
Do they have
something in
common that
they both can
agree on ?

Little Red
Riding Hood

To stay
alive

THEY NEED

Not to be
eaten by the
Big Bad Wolf

THEY WANT

No words?

(To live happily in

the woods together)

No Problem!

(eat LRRH)

(Eat a good meal)

eat a good
meal

To live
happily in
the woods
the wolf
needs to

copyright Debi Roberts 2012

To eat a
good
meal the
wolf
must

because
What had
he
Assumed?.

Win-win solutions

Can you imagine how

severe the world must
seem if you believe that for
someone to win, someone
else must lose?
copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

Win-win solutions
for me to win - you must lose

neither side has to lose. Both sides can in fact get what they need.

copyright Debi Roberts 2010

copyright Debi Roberts 2012

Categories of Legitimate Reservation

Predicted Effect?

Additional cause?

then this
Entity reservation?
And this

But also this

Sufficiency reservation?

If this

Cause
copyright Debi Roberts 2012

Stress
This research highlights that
children aged 10 attending regular
school can routinely suffer high levels of stress.
It is very stressful when you feel judged, or when
you judge yourself not to be doing well

copyright Debi Roberts 2010

hippocampus

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

Using causality reservations to

critique each others work

Presenter

Pick flowers take flowers to Reds house and say sorry

Objection from
students

No, Red and her mum wont open the door to the wolf
they will be too scared

Teacher

Can you re phrase your objection so it becomes a

question?

Causality
Reservation

Do you think Red will be too scared to open the door to

the Wolf?
copyright Debi Roberts 2010

Assessments Used
1. NFER Nelson: Emotional Literacy assessment.
Southampton Psychology Services.
2. Researcher designed bespoke TOC Assessments
3. Goodmans: Strengths and Difficulties
Questionnaire.
4. Walter Mackenzie: Multiple Intelligence
assessment.
5. Chislett & Chapman Multiple Intelligence
Assessment.
copyright Debi Roberts 2010

Self Awareness

The quantitative data suggests this

intervention had the greatest impact on selfawareness.
Self-awareness is recognised as the basis
through which emotional literacy can
flourish.
copyright Debi Roberts 2010

A = Overall Stress
B = Hyperactivity and Attention Difficulties.

Average Improvement from Pre-Post

1.6
1.4
1.2

Teacher
Assesment

1
0.8

Student
Assesment

0.6
0.4
0.2
0

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

Perceived value of positive change after

intervention by pupils and their teacher
35

30

25

Pupil
Teacher

20

15

10

Overall stress
5

Hyperactivity
And Attention

A
copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

UK Riots 7 Aug

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

Perceived value of positive change after

intervention by pupils and their teacher
35

30

25
Pupil
Teacher

20

15

10

Overall stress
5

Hyperactivity
And Attention

0
A

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

Qualitative Data from the staff.....

The
The content was stimulating
stimulating

Our observations have been that

this intervention greatly supported
all of the children to manage their
behaviour and improve social skills
and interactions with others.

This programme is suited to whole class PSHE*

work especially with a challenging class.
* Personal , social, health education
copyright Debi Roberts 2010

?
?
copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010

copyright Debi Roberts MA Ed 2010