SEL at School
What does Social-Emotional Learning look like at school?
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SEL Curriculum
Second Step is taught in every classroom at IRE - Transitional Kindergarten through 5th grade. Classroom teachers teach lessons once a week, with ways to reinforce the lesson throughout the week. The four units covered are 1) Skills for Learning 2) Empathy 3) Emotion Management and 4) Conflict Resolution.
Explore more about Second Step here.
The Brain in the Palm of the Hand
Part of Second Step is teaching kids what is going on in their brain when they are experiencing strong emotions. The picture on the right shows a fist, where the tops of the fingers represent the thinking part of our brain and the thumb underneath represents the feeling part of our brain. When people experience strong emotions, we call it a "flipped lid" because when people are feeling really angry, scared, sad, etc., they are no longer thinking clearly and are more likely to behave with their emotions driving them. Maybe you have seen this with your own child where they are so upset that they're not communicating clearly or respectfully, they're showing unkind behaviors or aren't listening to any reasoning. This is because before they are able to think about communicating and problem-solving, they need to first calm down. This video with Mrs. Mullett is helpful for family members and students to watch so we can be more understanding of how our brains react during strong emotions.
Calming Down (Self-Regulation)
Self-regulation, or the ability to calm oneself, is a skill necessary to build resilience, meaning the ability to bounce back and recover from difficulty. This learning is important because not only does it help kids make and keep friends, but it also helps them thrive academically! When students are emotionally aware and able to regulate their emotions, they are more likely to be able to learn, problem solve, and think clearly.
In order to help teach students emotional awareness and self-regulation, we have a “Safe Place” in every classroom, where students can go when they are experiencing strong emotions. There are specific steps in the Safe Place that guide students to calm themselves, recognize how they are feeling, choose a teacher-approved activity to regulate, and then problem solve before rejoining their class. It is another learning space in the classroom, where students are learning and practicing how to self-regulate.
The concept of the Safe Place comes from Conscious Discipline. It teaches a five-step process for self-regulation. In short, the five steps for self-regulation are:
I Am- Becoming aware that something has triggered an emotion
I Calm- Breathing deeply and noticing emotions without judging them
I Feel- Identifying and naming the emotion (Name it to tame it)
I Choose- Accepting the feeling and choose a calming activity to help self-regulate
I Solve- Now in a calmer state, solve the problem that originally triggered the emotion
Self-regulation is a skill that needs to be supported in children because it is key to their overall success and happiness. Children who can cope with stress, anger, disappointment, and frustration are more able to do well in school, with friends, and at home. Remember that the more children practice regulating themselves, the easier it will become for them to cope with and adapt to change.
To read more about Conscious Discipline, visit their website here.
Safe Place Visuals
Problem Solving
Conflicts and problems are a natural part of living in a community together and adults play an important role in kids’ lives in teaching them the skills necessary to solve problems in a way that is respectful and kind. At IRE, we use two problem solving visuals to guide our conversations with kids. The first one comes from our Social-Emotional Curriculum, Second Step. It is helpful when there is a conflict between two students. Students 1) Say the problem without blame, 2) Think of solutions together, 3) Explore consequences of each solution (Will everyone be happy with that solution? Is it safe and respectful?) and then 4) Pick a solution to try.
The second visual is helpful when talking to kids about small, medium and big problems. We see problem solving as a muscle that kids can grow, the more they use and practice their skills. With small and medium-sized problems, we encourage kids to choose 2 solutions to try before an adult steps in. There are times that a student might have trouble picking a solution. The staff member goes over the visual with the student, and points out a few possible solutions. They then ask the student which one they would like to try. Sometimes the adult is present when the child tries their solution or they practice ahead of time, before the student approaches their peer.
We make it clear that when there is a big problem - like when safety is involved - kids should come to an adult right away. We work on making sure kids can identify an adult at school that they trust, like recess monitors, teachers, principles, and counselors. Adults in the classroom, at recess, in the lunchroom and around the school are here to support these problem-solving conversations, as well as kids growing in and practicing these skills.
