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Social and emotional learning hikes interest and resiliency

tutorial notes
Course

Promoting Positive Learning Environments (6732)

13 Documents
Students shared 13 documents in this course
Academic year: 2012/2013
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University of Canberra

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Social and Emotional Learning Hikes Interest and Resiliency Students can really relate to teaching that addresses their concerns. By Kathy Beland From Principal Leadership W HAT situations could stress out Romeo and Juliet, asks ninth-grade English teacher Amy Corvino. Hands shoot up, and the students are off and running. "Juliet's fighting with her parents." "Her father says he'll disown her if she doesn't marry Paris." "Their families are enemies." "They get married." "Romeo is being banished." "Juliet's nurse has betrayed her." "They're living in chaos." "Death of a family member, her cousin Tybalt." "Mercutio dies; he was Romeo's best friend." Fighting with one's parents, marriage, the deaths of a family meniber and a friend—all are items that score high points on the Recent Life Changes Questionnaire for Teens, a survey of stress factors which has been recently adapted for use with adolescents. The students had completed the questionnaire for themselves the previous day, lecirning how cumulative stress can affect their physi- Kathy Beland (kbeland@school-connect) is Executive Director of SchoolConnect, Bethesda, Maryland. Condensed from Principal Leadership, 7 (March 2007), 16-21. Published by the Natior)al Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), from which related educational materials are available by contacting NASSP. 24 eddigest Social and Emotional Leaming cal and emotional health as well as their judgment. Now they are ai> plying the questionnaire to the protagonists of one of Shakespeare's seminal works, and it is clear that, on some level, the students can relate to Romeo's and Juliet's lives. Confident that her students had completed the assigned reading— the first three acts of the play— Corvino moves on to the focus of the day's discussion: comparing and contrasting students' written answers to two questions: What makes you happy? and What gives you deep satisfaction? Looking at their lists side-by-side, the students quickly pick out clear commonalities in their answers. Things that make them happy are fleeting pleasurable experiences, such as hanging out with friends or seeing a good movie, and those that provide deep satisfaction often involve hard work or transformative experiences, such as reaching a sought-after goal or developing a deeper understanding of someone or something. What about Romeo? Is he continually chasing pleasurable experiences (and new highs) by carousing with his friends and falling in and out of love (first Rosalie, then Juliet), or does he operate on a deeper level? Is Romeo on a hedonic treadmill with love? What evidence can they find in the verses for their viewpoints? The students have no problem digesting a new psychological term. and again they're off and running. The boys, especially, are weighing in, something their teacher rarely saw during the first semester or when she taught the play previously. Things hadn't always been this easy. In August 2004, Corvino found out that her freshman English classes would meet daily for a two-period block because of a districtwide effort to improve student scores on an upcoming, must-pass writing exam. Seeking Challenges Fortunately, she liked challenges. Although only in her third year of teaching, she already was chair of ninth-grade English at a large, diverse high school in Greenbelt, Maryland, and had overseen the selection of new English textbooks the previous spring. She also liked students who were challenging, choosing to teach those who had previously earned mostly Cs and Ds in their classes. At first, Corvino thought about all she and her students could accomplish by doubling their time together. But by November, she was worried. Students often came to class unprepared, forcing her to use precious instruction time reviewing assigned reading so they could peirticipate in discussions emd follow-up activities—and her students didn't like to write. The other ninth-grade English teachers were having similar difficulties using the May 2007 25 Social and Emotional Learning comparing and contrasting, pre-' dieting, and finding evidence in the text. She could easily use many of the short stories in the new English textbook to address the remaining competency areas—relationship building cmd responsible decision making—and make the literature more relevant and interesting to students. Implementing SEL is not only about integrating the competencies with academic content, it also has to do with the way class is conducted and how students relate to one another. Corvino's first order of business was to create a classroom environment where students felt emotionally safe to speak up, especially about the sensitive issues that were raised in the literature. House was full of many hot points: labels and stereotypes, sexual intimidation, and the difficulty of empathizing with people who are different. The opening session addressed both content and process. Using a Koosh ball to identify a speaker, students took turns defining emotional intelligence and its importance in life. They purposely said how they were "adding on" to one another's ideas or if and how they were "thinking differently" and suggesting a new idea. This process helped them listen to what each person had to say, and it made it safe to disagree. Rather-than talking directly to the teacher in a question-and-answer format, students were encouraged to speak to one another in a classroomwide conversation. Next, they used a think-pairshare technique to reminisce about a classroom from the past that they had especially liked and why. What was the environment like? How did they feel in class? This lead to a group discussion about student and teacher behavior that helps or hinders class functioning. Norms to Use Once again, students used the "adding on" and "thinkingdifferently" language. When students had a picture of how they wanted class to be, they created clcissroom guidelines in small groups and later merged and purged their lists until they had a set of "norms" to which everyone could commit emd adhere. Providing opportunities for student voice and choice increases students' motivation to learn in addition to improving classroom climate. Students actively build their understanding, rather than passively receive information, and teachers facilitate learning, rather than impart knowledge. Student autonomy was evident in the publishing party the class held at the end of the unit on TTie House on Mango Street In small and Icirge groups, students read aloud from novellas they wrote about themselves, their families, the community in which they live, their May 2007 27 THE EDUCATION DIGEST important life experiences, and their hopes for the future. Contrary to Corvino's early concerns that SEL might be another usurpation of time spent on academics, she found that her classes actually moved more quickly. Because students were coming to class better prepared and participating more in discussions, it was much clearer when they grasped material and were ready to proceed further and less time was lost on addressing off-task student behavior. As school administrators know, grade nine is a watershed year for students. In transitioning from middle level school to high school, adolescents encounter a more populated and impersonal environment, increased academic rigor, and fewer emotional supports. For the first time, their grades and discipline record will have a direct iinpact on their post-high school options. Many entering freshmen are ill prepared for these challenges and fail to earn the credits which they need in order to pass into the next grade level, thus swelling the ranks of grade nine. Many of the students who repeat freshman year eventually drop out. Low grades also render many students ineligible to participate in school clubs and interscholastic sports—the very activities that might help them connect to school. Engaging students in learning and helping them connect to teachers and peers are key at this junc- 28 ture. Learning itself is considered a social process. Students learn best in collaboration rather than in isolation. Research that correlates school-connectedness—a sense of belonging in school—with academic motivation and achievement underscores the social foundation of learning. As much as learning is social in nature, it is also an affective process in that it draws on the emotions and internal resources of the individual. To perform well, students need to feel motivated to seek challenges, persevere in the face of obstacles, manage anxiety, and find interest and joy in discovery and achievement. When students repeatedly display these attributes, it is more likely they will become self-directed, lifelong learners. Freshman Seminars For jumpstarting social and emotional learning, integrating SEL with academic courses is not the only route to take. Many high schools are addressing the special needs of ninth-grade students by implementing semester-long freshman seminars. These seminars provide an opportunity to jumpstart SEL and set the tone for students' high school experience. In seminars, students can explore their strengths and attitudes about learning, set personal and academic goals, and practice skills—both personal (e., identifying and managing emotions, ad- eddigest

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Social and emotional learning hikes interest and resiliency

Course: Promoting Positive Learning Environments (6732)

13 Documents
Students shared 13 documents in this course

University: University of Canberra

Was this document helpful?
Social and Emotional
Learning
Hikes Interest
and Resiliency
Students can really relate to teaching
that addresses their concerns.
By Kathy Beland
From Principal Leadership
W
HAT situations could
stress out Romeo and
Juliet, asks ninth-grade
English teacher Amy Corvino.
Hands shoot up, and the students
are off and running.
"Juliet's fighting with her par-
ents."
"Her father says he'll disown
her if she doesn't marry Paris."
"Their families are
enemies."
"They
get married." "Romeo is being ban-
ished." "Juliet's nurse has betrayed
her." "They're living in chaos."
"Death of a family member, her
cousin Tybalt." "Mercutio dies; he
was Romeo's best friend."
Fighting with one's parents, mar-
riage, the deaths of a family meni-
ber and a friend—all are items that
score high points on the Recent
Life Changes Questionnaire for
Teens, a survey of stress factors
which has been recently adapted
for use with adolescents.
The students had completed the
questionnaire for themselves the
previous day, lecirning how cumu-
lative stress can affect their physi-
Kathy
Beland (kbeland@school-connect.net)
is
Executive
Director of
School-
Connect,
Bethesda,
Maryland.
Condensed
from Principal Leadership,
7
(March
2007),
16-21. Published by the Natior)al Association of Secondary School
Principals
(NASSP),
from which related educational materials are available by
contacting
NASSP.
24
www.eddigest.com

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