SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) DEFINED

• “A SET OF SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND CHARACTER SKILLS THAT SUPPORT SUCCESS IN SCHOOL, THE WORKPLACE, RELATIONSHIPS, AND THE COMMUNITY” (AS CITED IN FREY, FISHER, & SMITH, 2019, P. 2)
• OFTEN DESCRIBED AS ‘SOFT SKILLS’

SEL COMPETENCIES

• RECOGNIZE AND MANAGE EMOTIONS
• SET AND ACHEIVE POSITIVE GOALS
• APPRECIATE THE PERSPECTIVE OF OTHERS
• ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS
• MAKE RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS
• HANDLE INTERPERSONAL SITUATIONS CONSTRUCTIVELY (AS CITED IN FREY, FISHER, & SMITH, 2019, P. 4)

BENEFITS OF SEL PROGRAMS

• SCHOOLWIDE GAINS IN SEL SKILLS, ATTITUDES, BEHAVIOR, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
• BULLYING PREVENTION
• PREDICTOR OF FUTURE OUTCOMES FOR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS
• POSITIVE LASTING IMPACT AND CONNECTIONS
• RETURN ON INVESTMENT $11/ $1
• (SECOND STEP, 2019)

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A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

SCHOOL-WIDE SEL

• Town Meetings
• Theme Weeks (Red Ribbon, Stomp Out Bullying, etc.)
• PBIS & Panther P.A.W.S.

INTENSIVE SUPPORT

• Small Groups based on Needs Assessments of teachers
• Mentor Program & 1:1 check-ins
• 1:1 support as needed for trauma and behavior support

BEST PRACTICE FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLS

• “Both the promotion of mental health in children and the treatment of mental disorders should be made public health goals” (as cited in Adelman & Taylor, 2010, p.10).
• Promotes SE development, prevents problems, enhances resilency
• Enhances mental health of students, staff, and families
• Addresses barriers to learning
• Addresses stress factors that affect mental health
• Develops a continuum of school-community interventions
• (Adelman & Taylor, 2010)

POSSIBLE BARRIERS TO MENTAL HEALTH

• Home life: poverty, violence, drugs and substance abuse, mobility, inadequate provisions, conflict, poor models
• School: peers, teachers, quality of education
• Personal: illnesses, psychological, temperament, nutrition, developmental delays
• (Adelman & Taylor, 2010)

BEST PRACTICES: ENGAGEMENT

• Behavioral Engagement: participation, persistence, rules
• Emotional Engagement: reactions to teachers, peers, school, classwork; feelings & relationships
• Cognitive Engagement: effort, flexibility, problem solving
• (Adelman & Taylor, 2010)

BEST PRACTICES: MOTIVATION

• Motivational readiness
• Motivation of ongoing process
• Minimizing negative motivation & avoidance reactions
• Enhancing intrinsic motivation

BROADENING OUR PERSPECTIVE

• Defining Mental Health
• Enhancing collaboration among schools, communities, homes
• Equity & resources
• Interventions

EFFECTS OF TRAUMA

• “What neuropsychologists have found is that traumatic experiences actually can alter children’s brains. In times of great stress, or trauma, the brain activates its deeply instinctive, “fight, flight, or freeze” responses, while dialing down the areas of the brain where learning, especially around language, takes place” (Flannery, 2016, Para. 8).

TRAUMA-RELATED SUPPORT

• Comfort Zone: a safe place for students
• Movement breaks & Fidgets
• Strategies for changes in routine
• Visualizations for directions
• Mindfulness exercises & yoga
• Welcoming students daily & time for chat
• Focus on breathing- yours and theirs
• Understand the brain/ stress-response system and help students to as well
• Meet them where they are- focus on growth
• Be aware of triggers- theirs and yours
• Provide choices for students

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COLLABORATION WITH COMMUNITY & FAMILIES

• Effective Communication to coordinate and integrate resources with shared goals
• Formation of groups (collaboratives) for interventions
• A comprehensive vision to establish working relationships and bridge schools and community
• Sustain connections over time
• Decision-making reflects ALL stakeholders
• Produce actions and results through productivity and data analysis

How to Make Collaboration Effective

• Encourage all stakeholders to participate
• Focus on positive, proactive supportive approaches
• Celebrate positive outcomes
• Ensure empathy, respect for all
• Assume time is needed for best outcomes
• Work as a group of active listeners

REFERENCES

• Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L. (2015). Mental health in schools: Engaging learners, preventing problems, and improving schools. Skyhorse
• Berger, T. (2020, September 23). How to Maslow Before Bloom, All Day Long. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-maslow-bloom-all-day-long
• Bailey, B. (2014). Conscious discipline: Building resilient classrooms expandedand updated edition . Loving Guidance
• Desai, P., PhD. (2020, May 06). How Teachers Can Use Trauma-Informed Mindfulness Practices to Support their Students. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://www.mindfulschools.org/inspiration/trauma-informed-mindfulness-prac...

REFERENCES, CONT’D

• The Editorial Team. (2020, June 12). Trauma-Informed Strategies to Use in Your Classroom: Resilient Educator. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/trauma-informed-strategie...
• Flannery, M. E. (2016). How trauma is changing children’s brains. NEA Today.
• Frey, N. Fisher, D., & Smith, D. (2019).All learning is social and emotional: Helping students develop essential skills for the classroom and beyond. ASCD
• Second Step. (2020). Research. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://www.secondstep.org/research