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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Bildung
- Sprache: Englisch
Learn to implement powerful new learning techniques in your classroom experience In The Social Emotional Classroom, celebrated educators and authors Anna-Lisa Mackey and Melissa Ragan deliver an insightful, rigorous, and accessible treatment of social emotional learning in education. Using research from the Theory of Constructed Emotion, the authors highlight the relationship between the new view of neurobiology and Social Emotional Learning. The book connects five key competencies, including self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills, to this new understanding of the brain. You'll also learn from: * Teacher stories included in each chapter * The inclusion of over two decades worth of experience and research in the field of social and emotional learning * Instructions and guides for educators to embed social and emotional learning into their everyday practices Perfect for K-12 educators, principals, superintendents, and other education leaders, The Social Emotional Classroom will also earn a place in the libraries of parents and caregivers who are responsible for young people's day-to-day learning.
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Seitenzahl: 278
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
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Table of Contents
COVER
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
DEDICATION
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: Social Emotional Learning
What Is Social Emotional Learning? (And Why Is It Important?)
Why Is SEL Important?
SEL Programs
Understand the Research
Keeping the “Social” in SEL
Get into a Routine
Be Clear and Aim High
Prioritize
Encourage Connectedness
Stay in Touch
The Importance of Professional Development
CHAPTER 2: Self-Awareness
What Is Self-Awareness?
What Does Current Research Say About Self-Awareness?
Self-Awareness in Action
Self-Awareness Resources: Thermometer Check-ins
Improve Your Practice
Reflect on Self-Awareness
CHAPTER 3: Self-Management
What Is Self-Management?
What Does Current Research Say?
Self-Management in Action
For Teachers
Reflect on Self-Management
CHAPTER 4: Social Awareness
What Is Social Awareness?
What Does Current Research Say?
Social Awareness in Action: A Case Study on the Power of High Expectations
In the Classroom
Resources
Improve Your Practice
Research Community Supports
Reflect on Social Awareness
Note
CHAPTER 5: Relationship Skills
What Are Relationship Skills?
What Does Current Research Say?
Relationship Skills in Action
Improve Your Practice
Reflect on Relationship Skills
CHAPTER 6: ResponsibleDecision Making
What Is Responsible Decision Making?
What Does Current Research Say?
The Theory of Social Construction
Developing Problem-Solving Concepts
Decision Making in Action: Integrating Ethics into SEL
Improve Your Classroom Practice
Reflect on Decision Making
CHAPTER 7: SEL for All Students
Students with Autism
English Language Learners
Extra Enrichment
CHAPTER 8: SEL in Every Content Area
Self-Awareness
Self-Management
Social Awareness
Relationship Skills
Responsible Decision Making
CHAPTER 9: SEL Lesson Plans and Novel Study Ideas
Self-Awareness Sample Lesson
Self-Management Sample Lesson
Social Awareness Sample Lesson 1
Social Awareness Sample Lesson 2
Decision Making Sample Lesson
Relationship Skills Sample Lesson
Novel Studies
Notes
CHAPTER 10: Implementing SEL
Part I: Implementation
A Note About Trust and Confidentiality
CHAPTER 11: Advanced SEL Classroom Skills
Foundational Mindsets
Relationship
Coaching Skills
Using Questions
Powerful Questions
Questions to Avoid
Advanced Coaching Strategies
Paraphrase
Metaphors
Celebrate
Brainstorm
Aspirations
Silence
Visioning
Accountability
Coaching Notes
REFERENCES
Chapter 1 References
Chapter 2 References
Chapter 3 References
Chapter 4 References
Chapter 5 References
Chapter 6 References
Chapter 7 References
Chapter 8 References
Chapter 9 References
Chapter 10 References
Chapter 11 References
RESOURCES
SEL Indicators per Grade Range
SCOPE
STUDENT GOAL TRACKER
SEL LEARNING MODEL
PLC STUDY GUIDE
Chapter 1: Social Emotional Learning
Chapter 2: Self-Awareness
Chapter 3: Self-Management
Chapter 4: Social Awareness
Chapter 5: Relationship Skills
Chapter 6: Responsible Decision Making
Chapter 7: SEL for ALL Students
Chapter 8: SEL in Every Content Area
Chapter 9: SEL Lesson Plans and Novel Study Ideas
Chapter 10: Implementing SEL
FEELINGS JOURNAL
Using the Feelings Journal
My Feelings Journal
EPILOGUE
INDEX
END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Begin Reading
References
Resources
Scope
Student Goal Tracker
Sel Learning Model
Plc Study Guide
Feelings Journal
Epilogue
Index
End User License Agreement
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Praise for The Social Emotional Classroom
“The Social Emotional Classroom provides step-by-step plans and action-oriented activities for the busy educator to use with their students. District administrators will want to make this book a ‘must read’ for all their classroom teachers!”
—Timothy Hagan, President & CEO, Education Associates
“Teachers have learned well the importance of social emotional learning and this book provides excellent guidelines to navigate this critical area. Well-articulated descriptions, charts for assessing SEL health, and creative and helpful suggestions for the school environment make The Social Emotional Classroom a valuable resource for any educator.”
—Dr. Maria Cleary, President of Readeezy and former school superintendent
“For educators looking to cut through all the noise around SEL, The Social Emotional Classroom provides a straightforward and practical guide to bring SEL into your classroom. Based on extensive research, this guide is easily skimmable to help busy educators get just the information they need when they need it to support their students as well as themselves.”
—Kate Finnefrock, education executive with over 20 years’ experience building products for educators
“This book is rather timely. It comes at a time in history when the world is returning to a new normal after a raging pandemic that has established social emotional learning as a necessity in education. It will empower educators world-wide on how to transform their classrooms into safe, social emotional spaces that cultivate well-being, enable holistic development, and contribute to building a kinder world.”
—Nandini Chatterjee Singh, cognitive neuroscientist, Senior National Program Officer, UNESCO MGIEP
The Social Emotional Classroom
A NEW WAY TO NURTURE STUDENTS AND UNDERSTAND THE BRAIN
Anna-Lisa Mackey M.Ed.
Melissa Ragan
Copyright © 2022 by Anna-Lisa Mackey and Melissa Ragan. All rights reserved.
Published by Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written and when it is read.
Certain pages from this book are designed for use in a group setting and may be customized and reproduced for educational/training purposes. The reproducible pages are designated by the appearance of the following copyright notice at the foot of such elements:
The Social Emotional Classroom. Copyright © 2022 by Anna-Lisa Mackey and Melissa Ragan.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Mackey, Anna-Lisa, author. | Ragan, Melissa, author.
Title: The social emotional classroom : a new way to nurture students and understand the brain / Anna-Lisa Mackey, Melissa Ragan.
Description: Hoboken, Jew Jersey : Jossey-Bass, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022000567 (print) | LCCN 2022000568 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119814320 (paperback) | ISBN 9781119814337 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119814344 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Affective education. | Emotions and cognition. | Emotions in children.
Classification: LCC LB1072 .M34 2022 (print) | LCC LB1072 (ebook) | DDC 370.15/34—dc23/eng/20220215
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022000567
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022000568
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: © Wavebreakmedia/Getty Images; Courtesy of Maria O’Leary; Courtesy of Nicole Mamdani, Face 2 Face photography
For my husband, Glen,and our girls, Faith, Amanda, and Nicole
Anna-Lisa Mackey
~
For my husband Alex, and our children,Sam, Alex, Lucy, and Molly
Melissa Ragan
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Anna-Lisa Mackey is the CEO of PATHS Program, LLC, a publisher and distributor of award-winning social emotional learning programs for students and teachers. Anna-Lisa has worked with children at risk of developing serious behavior problems as well as training and implementing the PATHS® programs throughout the world for over 20 years. She has also spoken about SEL at national conferences including the Innovative School Summit (US), Atlantic Summer Institute (Canada), and Blueprints Conference (US).
Melissa Ragan is a former high school English teacher, and for the past 15 years she has written and delivered professional development resources. She has written for companies including Scholastic, co-created a family engagement program for HMH, and authored a high school transition and social emotional learning curriculum for an ed-tech startup. Melissa has spoken at national conferences on topics focused on English learners, parent engagement, and special education.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would not have been possible without the input from the hundreds of teachers and administrators who spoke with us fearlessly and honestly, including Priti Ahuja, Katie Bruce, Danny Lackey, Terri-Anne Larry, Ann McGreevey, Katie Suriano, and Michelle Thompson. We're so grateful for the work you do every day.
We are also grateful for the guidance of the team at Wiley, especially Amy Fandrei, our amazing editor, Pete Gaughan, Sunny Collins, Selvakumaran Rajendiran, and Evelyn Wellborn.
Finally, we couldn't have done it without the support of our families who encouraged us through the entire development process.
Anna-Lisa Mackey and Melissa Ragan
INTRODUCTION
In 2019, we began our work on a brand-new social emotional learning curriculum for middle school students. In 2020, within a month of going to print with our new program, we discovered the work of Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett and her book How Emotions Are Made. Dr. Barrett's new research changed everything we thought we knew about emotions. As we learned more, we made the decision to literally stop the presses so we could update the pedagogical approach of our new curriculum with the latest research and innovations on emotions and the brain; here's why.
You are probably familiar with the classical view of emotions and the brain, which has informed Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to date. This view posits that there are specific areas of the brain that are involved in emotions (specifically the prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, and the amygdala). These areas of the brain work in concert. The amygdala reacts to the emotion that we are experiencing and sends a signal to the hypothalamus, triggering a physical response. This release of hormones is responsible for the body's response, specifically in instances of fear, such as an increased heartbeat or dilated pupils. This theory, often referred to as the “fight or flight response” was first identified in the 1920s.
While this theory was first thought to help people to perform better in stressful situations, one caveat is that it is not always accurate. It's easy for your brain to get tricked. For instance, walking through the woods and spotting a branch that you mistake for a snake.
In addition, this theory doesn't take into account human variation. Specifically, the fact that all people are different. What makes one person feel scared, such as visiting a haunted house, may make another person feel exhilarated. What makes someone feel happy, like celebrating a birthday, can make another feel sad.
Cultural differences also play a part. We could write an entire book about how different cultures view emotions and about culture display rules, but suffice to say, while emotions might be universal, expressing and interpreting emotions can differ by culture. In fact, some cultures have words for emotions that we don't even identify in English. We'll go into more detail on this in Chapter 2, “Self-Awareness.”
The classical theory says that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for thinking, problem-solving, and planning. The main job often ascribed to the prefrontal cortex is to calm the amygdala in these fight or flight situations. The ability to calm oneself is called self-regulation. The classical view suggests that people have difficulty exercising self-control, that their emotions can hijack their behaviors. However, we now know that people can, in fact, maintain control of the way they react to their feelings and emotions. This ability to exert control over your emotions is a learned behavior and one that can be taught. When an individual is able to exert this self-control over their emotions, they can be more successful in life.
The classical view of the brain also holds that there are specific facial expressions and body language that correspond to various emotions and that they are universal in nature. In order to truly be effective in interpersonal interactions, it is our responsibility to learn how to “read” these expressions and understand their meaning. This understanding of the brain and how it works comes from the science of neurobiology. Based on a large meta-analysis of the research, we now know that there is little evidence to support this classical view of emotion. There are several reasons—inability to replicate the results of previous research, faulty assumptions, and inconsistencies. In addition, with the advent of improved imaging with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), this classical view of the workings of the brain has been shown to be based on stereotypes, misinterpretation of research results, and/or faulty research design.
Despite common misconceptions, emotions do not have markers or specific, recognizable, universal facial features. Take the experience of “happy” for instance. Sometimes we smile, sometimes we cry, sometimes we show nothing on our face to indicate to others how we feel. When we say we are happy, we are not experiencing all the kinds of happiness that can be experienced on the happiness spectrum. We are experiencing one example of happiness, or an instance of the emotion happy. To say that happiness is experienced in only one way is, by instinct, incorrect because we have felt happy in many different situations. What instance of happiness do you feel at your birthday party? What instance of happiness do you feel at someone else's birthday party? Are they the same or different? In both these examples, the brain is predicting the sort of happy concept that it thinks is appropriate in the moment. And it does it so rapidly that we do not perceive this guessing game at work.
Constructionism is not necessarily a new theory. It is based on ideas dating back to ancient Greece. However, today's Constructionist approach comprises several ideas. One, that variation is the norm not the exception. And two, that our experience of emotion or our emotion concepts are based on our social context. There are three aspects of constructionism that also participate in the theory of constructed emotion: social construction, which focuses on how we interact with the world; psychological construction, which focuses on our thoughts and feelings; and neuro construction, which contributes to our understanding about how the brain is wired. These new findings have led to a new view of emotions and the brain called the theory of constructed emotion. This theory, coined by neuroscientist Dr. Feldman Barrett, holds that the entire brain as well as the body is involved in emotion!
Learning emotions is similar to language acquisition. Even before birth, the brain begins to receive information based on experiences. In every experience, the brain perceives sensations from the body, and it attempts to categorize this information. As we grow and have more experiences, we continue to categorize them and/or add new information to these categories. These categories are called concepts. Remember the scene in the Disney/PIXAR movie Inside Out where the emotions are in Riley's memory vault? You can think of all those marble-like capsules as concepts.
The information that the brain receives from the body is called interoception, which is information from the senses that the brain interprets into concepts. Language is an important part of concept formation, which, as we learned, represents past experiences. As more concepts are formed, the brain begins to make predictions based on the interoceptive information and the context or situation in which you find yourself. These concepts are how the brain makes meaning of all the sensations and input it receives. Sometimes, the prediction of meaning results in an emotion like happy, sad, mad, etc. Sometimes, these predictions can be wrong.
Meanwhile, there's another important influence in how your brain's predictions are made—your body budget. The entire purpose of the brain is to keep you alive. To do so, the body must be healthy, which means it has to be kept in balance—not too cold, not too hot, not too hungry, not too thirsty, etc. This is referred to as the body budget. Your body budget can have a significant impact on your emotions. Have you ever tried having a difficult conversation when you're hungry? Or overreacted about something because you were not feeling well? The effect of an unbalanced body budget's impact on your brain's predictions can't be overlooked.
These new findings have significant consequences for social emotional learning in the classroom. With the new interest and focus on including SEL in schools, it's now more important than ever to understand the new science and research!
In this book, we'll discuss the new research of the brain and emotion in connection with social emotional learning in education. We will connect this new understanding to the five SEL domains (as defined by CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) to help teachers explicitly embed social emotional learning into their everyday practice while simultaneously improving their own knowledge.
In each chapter, you'll learn about the SEL competencies, the constructionist theory, as well as new research on the subject. You'll also find plenty of real-world examples you can put into practice, gain resources to put the practice into action, and finally reflect on what you've learned. We look forward to hearing your questions, feedback, and success stories. Please feel free to contact Anna-Lisa Mackey at [email protected] and Melissa Ragan at [email protected]
Note: Some of the resources shown or mentioned in this book are available for download, from the book’s web page at http://www.wiley.com/go/socialemotionalclassroom.
CHAPTER 1Social Emotional Learning
What Is Social Emotional Learning? (And Why Is It Important?)
Social emotional learning (SEL) is a lot like politics. Everyone has an opinion about it, and everyone thinks they are right. While there is some gray area in the realm of SEL, some of the ideas people have about SEL simply aren't accurate. Part of that is due to common misunderstandings, but many people also are not aware of the new information and research that is available and can be used to inform their understanding of SEL.
For this book, we surveyed hundreds of educators all over the world. Our goal was to gain a better perspective of how teachers, administrators, counselors, and other education professionals understand and view social emotional learning (SEL). Their responses did not surprise us. In fact, it illustrated why this work is so important. For example, if you ask ten different people, you'll get ten different definitions for SEL.
While there are no current national standards for social emotional learning, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is considered the leading authority for SEL in the United States. They define SEL as: “The process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”
CASEL has established five core domains and connected competencies for social emotional learning: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, decision making, and relationship skills. Throughout this book, we'll review each competency, and explain how the new constructionist view of the brain impacts teaching the SEL practice in the classroom. You'll also find examples of SEL practices in action for each domain from teachers like you, learn practical SEL activities you can implement in the classroom, see SEL lesson plans in every subject area, and reflect on what you've learned.
Why Is SEL Important?
Believe it or not, social emotional learning is controversial!
One Facebook ad about an SEL curriculum, for example, led to comments such as: “Keep that social justice crap to yourself!” At least one large research organization has called SEL “kooky” and “Orwellian.” Another called it a “fad” and “faux psychology.” And parent groups in some states have worked to ban SEL because its goal is to “divert all educational resources toward political activism and indoctrination” and linked it to critical race theory.
One blogger accused schools of using SEL to “tell children how to think and feel” and in one state, SEL was compared to “dystopian behavior control” by its education leaders. However, SEL doesn't tell students how to think or feel. It teaches them how to regulate their emotions when they feel uncomfortable as well as appropriate behaviors for some emotions and feelings.
Some parent groups have expressed concern over what content will be included in the SEL lessons. Other parents wonder aloud why these skills have to be taught in schools, asking: Aren't these skills being taught at home anymore? Other parents feel that this is something that should be their responsibility and do not want any school involvement in this area.
Despite what some may think, SEL isn't new. Teachers have always taught social skills. Yet it seems social emotional learning is everywhere you turn these days. Although the term “SEL” first entered mainstream education around 1994, helping students develop prosocial behaviors has always been a focus in schools. Still, it makes sense that it's in the forefront now. The challenges facing today's students are unparalleled. Constant access to technology, skyrocketing mental health issues, bullying, poverty, drugs, violence, and increased obesity rates plaguing today's youth have been compounded by a global pandemic.
Despite the controversy, research shows that helping students build their social emotional learning skills has many benefits. According to CASEL, it can improve students' academic achievement by 11 percentile points, improve classroom behavior, and reduce stress and depression. And these results have been shown to have long-term (up to 18 years) benefits according to a 2017 meta-analysis.
While those results cost money that schools may be reluctant to spend (social emotional learning curriculum and training isn't free), a study from Columbia University shows that every dollar invested in SEL yields an $11 return.
SEL Programs
The important thing to consider when choosing an SEL program or curriculum is ensuring that it is CURE: Comprehensive, Uniform, Research-based, and Effective. As a result of the pandemic, there has been a rush to implement SEL in schools and there is no shortage of programs from which to choose. Simply selecting a program because the price is right or because it has online asynchronous activities for students learning remotely doesn't mean it will provide the expected results or meet the needs of students and educators over the long term.
Comprehensive:
There are hundreds of SEL programs available, with new ones emerging all the time. But many programs offer a singular narrow focus, ranging from mindfulness to yoga. A strong SEL program is one that develops students' skills across all five SEL domains: self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, decision making, and social awareness.
Uniform:
Well-designed SEL programs offer structure and uniformity. They help build a common vocabulary and include developmentally appropriate lessons that are taught in a specific sequence to help teach skills like self-regulation and problem-solving strategies to name a few, so that staff school-wide are on the same page and can repeat and reinforce strategies.
Research-based:
Evidence-based research looks at a variety of outcomes for all kinds of students to evaluate the success of SEL programs. Resources such as Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development, CASEL, and What Works Clearinghouse are good places to search for scientifically proven SEL programs. For more on understanding research, see the following page.
Effective:
When reviewing research, look for program efficacy. Some SEL programs can improve students' social and academic skills while also improving individual outcomes, creating a positive classroom environment, and improving the school climate overall.
While the global pandemic and other issues facing today's schools have caused many to turn to SEL programming, don't just check the box. Look for high-quality programs that will provide a CURE, which will pay off in the long run.
Understand the Research
When reviewing the research about comprehensive social emotional learning programs, it's important to note that not all research is the same. There's a difference between actual research on a particular program and “research informed” programs. While we won't go into too much detail (such as the difference between a randomized trial versus quasi-experimental or qualitative versus quantitative), here are some questions to consider:
Who conducted the research?
Independent evaluation is important!
Where was the research published?
Peer-reviewed research journals are most reliable.
What did the research measure?
Understand what was being measured, how it is defined, and how they measured it.
What type of research was done?
The quality is in the design; experimental design studies offer the strongest evidence about impact because they show a causal relationship.
What was the sample size?
Size matters, but how the sample was collected is more important. You want to make sure that findings from a sample can be generalized to a larger population.
How many times were the results from the study replicated?
One study is not enough!
Keeping the “Social” in SEL
We understand the realities of trying to teach during a pandemic when schools have a variety of situations to deal with (hybrid, remote, in-person, etc.). When social emotional learning was first introduced in the classroom in the early 1990s, most schools were not tech-savvy, and paper-and-pencil curriculum were de rigueur in the classroom. The pandemic forced many schools to look at remote learning options for their students, including teaching social emotional learning.
While we believe that the best way to teach social emotional skills is still in-person, we know that the needs of our educators and students have had to adapt quickly. Despite this, there is a way to teach social emotional skills without abandoning the social aspects of instruction.
After several decades of research, we also know what works with kids when it comes to teaching SEL skills. For maximum benefit, students should be explicitly taught social emotional learning for a minimum of 20–30 minutes 2–3 times per week, using a high-quality and developmentally appropriate curriculum. So how do we deliver systematic, developmentally based lessons, materials, and instruction to facilitate emotional literacy, self-control, social competence, positive peer relations, and interpersonal problem-solving skills if you can't be face to face?
Here's how!
Get into a Routine
Even in the best of times, kids crave structure and order. During times of uncertainty, sticking to routines can help students to feel less anxious and worried. As much as possible, try to keep your classroom routines intact when teaching remotely. If your week typically starts with a Monday Meeting activity, try to find a way to still have that time together virtually. If you are using an SEL curriculum, try to maintain the routines that they suggest – morning meetings, problem solving meetings, and any other overarching routines that are recommended by the program.
Be Clear and Aim High
We're all still learning how to adapt to remote or hybrid teaching and learning, but that doesn't mean we have to lower our expectations. You know your students best, and you know the kind of work they are capable of. Don't let them take advantage of the situation to turn in work that wouldn't fly if you were in the actual classroom. You can achieve this by making your assignment expectations clear and providing guidelines in simple bullet-point format so that they're easy to understand. Behavior can, and should, be part of those expectations. You can use this opportunity to share a self-regulation strategy or the problem-solving steps with families and encourage students to use the self-regulation strategies at home. This may be especially invaluable to families who are spending a lot of time together in close spaces and are having to negotiate differences!
Prioritize
You may not cover everything you hoped to cover during the school year. That's okay. Decide what is most important and focus on those things. One thing that should be included in your instructional priority list is social emotional learning. Teaching students the specific words to identify the emotions they feel, the understanding that these feelings are okay, and appropriate responses for unpleasant feelings may help students navigate through these uncertain times.
Encourage Connectedness
It's important for students to feel connected even if they can't be physically part of the community. Social emotional learning doesn't occur in isolation, so we need to provide opportunities for students to work together on projects and learn how to be part of a team while working at home. Project-based learning is one way for students to continue to practice these important skills. You can help facilitate that connection by trying to find assignments that students can work on together, such as virtual science fair projects or book clubs. Some of the other grade-level activities include identifying a community service problem to solve together as a classroom. Check out the Buck Institute for Education's PBL Works free resources at: www.pblworks.org/.
