Effective skills training: the scientific basis behind the exercises in Pomelo

The exercises in Pomelo are designed on the basis of research into how socio-emotional skills develop best. Research shows that skills training is most effective when the behaviour to be trained is clearly defined, concrete and meaningful.

That is why every exercise includes an explanation of why the behaviour matters and what positive consequences it can bring. When students understand the purpose of an exercise and experience the behaviour as meaningful, their motivation to practise increases.

Each exercise describes a clear behaviour with concrete examples of how it can look in practice and how many times it should be tried. The more concrete examples students are given, the easier it becomes to understand and use the skill.

The most important thing is that the skills are trained in real life. The aim is for students to use what they practise in their everyday lives – in the classroom, during break, at home and in other situations. When a skill is used across different contexts, the chances of it generalising and becoming a natural part of the student's behavioural repertoire increase. That is why the exercises are designed to encourage daily practice in a variety of settings and situations.

The exercises also build on some fundamental principles from research on behaviour change and skills development:

• The skill is trained in the setting where it is expected to be used.
• Training happens in small, achievable steps that increase the likelihood of success.
• The behaviours are structured, clearly formulated and concrete.
• The skills are repeated many times and in different contexts to create lasting change.