Over the summer we had 16 staff members attend a training to implement a program called Social Emotional Learning. The gist of Social Emotional Learning is that as educators, our job is to teach many academic skills but most importantly, we need to teach social emotional skills so that students can grow and communicate effectively. Over the past three days I have started to see the skills from this program being put to use. and so far I have been amazed by the early implementation and results.
This program is not your standard teaching approach, the teacher does not tell you and explain what it looks like. The process involves a lot of open ended questions where students answer with their experiences and thoughts. These are not yes and no questions but questions that encourage thinking and the answers require explanations.
Each month we focus on a different skill. For September we are focusing on Self Awareness. Self awareness involves several pieces including recognizing your strengths and using them to better the class, knowing what makes you happy/sad/angry/excited, and understanding how your emotions can impact you and your classmates.
Beyond the structured skills lessons there are a number of class activities designed to create a team environment and get students talking productively. These are the most common lessons I have seen this week as teachers are focusing on developing individual and group relationships. This sense of team is helpful in many aspects but most of all, students who work together are better prepared to learn.
Seeing this program being implemented has been a learning experience and one I am proud of. Each day, during our announcements we have been highlighting some of this. Ask your students about it over dinner tomorrow.
Thanks to all who have been reading. If you would like to be a part of this and share something you have learned email me and we can set it up. We have ad a great start tot he year and our educational adventure is moving along.
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