Our approach
DNA-V
DNA-V stands for four skills (Discoverer, Noticer, Advisor and Values) and, in Connect, children learn to use these skills in relation to how they see themselves and their social world.
Meet the family
Click a character to find out more about them...
Discover
The Discoverer skill is about trying new behaviour, especially behaviour that’s consistent with values, and reflecting on how that behaviour works for us.
Noticer
The Noticer skill is about getting better at recognising, naming and describing our feelings.
Advisor
The Advisor skill is about relating flexibly to our inner voice, which is motivated to keep us safe.
Values
The Values skill is about figuring out what’s important in our lives.
The Six Ways to Wellbeing
What makes Connect really unique is that the termly themes are derived from the psychological wellbeing literature, and specifically the work of Dr Geetanjali Basarkod. Dr Basarkod’s PhD thesis expanded on the work of the New Economics Foundation by empirically showing that psychologically healthy people tend to engage in 6 behaviours, and our curriculum is built around them.
Find out more...
Click an icon below to find out more about each ‘way to wellbeing’...
Connecting with others
This involves having healthy social relationships.
Challenging oneself
This involves continually trying to improve via learning.
Giving to others
This involves spending time and resources helping our fellow human beings.
Exercising
This involves engaging in physical activity.
Embracing the moment
This involves mindfully interacting with our thoughts and feelings.
Self-care
This involves looking after oneself, such as through healthy eating and improved sleep quality.
How they work together...
In Connect, children use their Discoverer, their Noticer, their Advisor and their Values skills to help them to bring the Six Ways to Wellbeing to their lives, and to help them to flourish.
