The RULER approach is designed to improve the quality of
classroom interactions through professional development
and classroom curricula that infuse emotional literacy
instruction into teaching–learning interactions.
The key principles of RULER, and what the acronym stands for, are:
- Recognising emotions in self and others
- Understanding the causes and consequences of emotions
- Labelling emotions accurately
- Expressing emotions appropriately
- Regulating emotions effectively
The approach is implemented across two key strategies, 'The Anchors of Emotional Intelligence' and 'The Feeling Words Curriculum'.
Learning to identify and label emotions is a critical step toward cultivating emotional intelligence. Using the Mood Meter, students and educators become more mindful of how their emotions change throughout the day and how their emotions in turn affect their actions.
Students learn to expand their emotional vocabulary, replacing basic feeling words with more sophisticated terms. They graduate from using words like ‘ok’ or ‘fine’ to using words like ‘alienated’ and ‘hopeless,’ or ‘tranquil’ and ‘serene.’ By teaching subtle distinctions between similar feelings, the Mood Meter empowers students and educators to recognise the full scope of their emotional lives and address all feelings more effectively.
The Meta Moment helps students and educators handle strong emotions so that they make better decisions for themselves and their community. The Meta Moment is a brief step back from the situation when we pause and think before acting. We ask ourselves, how would my 'best self' react in this situation? What strategy can I use so that my actions reflect my best self? Over time and with practice, students and educators replace ineffective responses with productive and empowering responses to challenging situations. They make better choices, build healthier relationships, and experience greater wellbeing.
How everyone in a school treats each other has a powerful effect on classroom performance and school climate. The Blueprint helps students and educators manage conflict effectively. Using the Blueprint, children and adults consider a disagreement from the other person’s perspective, as well as their own. They develop empathy by considering each other’s feelings and working collaboratively to identify healthy solutions to conflicts. The Blueprint helps repair relationships and build stronger ones, creating safer and more productive schools where students can learn and thrive.
