SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING-- INFUSING IT INTO SCHOOL CULTURE TO AFFECT POSITIVE CHANGE IN LCAP/LCFF PRIORITIES OF SCHOOL CLIMATE, STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, & STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT 3RD ANNUAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOUNTABILITY POLICY FORUM - NOVEMBER 14-15, 2014 Joelle M. Hood

I’M NOT MAKING THIS STUFF UP!

“GO TO” SOURCES ON SEL CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, & Emotional Learning) Edutopia Greater Good Science Center– UC Berkeley Committee for Children Social & Emotional Learning Research Group – University of Illinois at Chicago National School Climate Center Illinois State Board of Education SEL Learning Standards Daniel Goleman Maurice Elias and so many more…

LOCAL CONTROL FUNDING FORMULA (LCFF) Under the new system, districts will receive a uniform base grant for every district, adjusted by grade level, plus additional funds for students with greater educational needs, defined as low-income, English learner and foster youth students. Districts will get an additional 20 percent of the base grant based on the numbers of these students enrolled in a district, and even more when they make up more than 55 percent of a district’s enrollment. School districts will have more authority than before to decide how to spend their money. But they will also face new obligations to show that their spending improved student performance. Districts must adopt a Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), after soliciting suggestions from teachers, parents and the community, and update it annually. The plan must spell out the district’s goals for improving student outcomes according to eight priorities set by the state, and align spending to meet the goals.

LOCAL CONTROL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN (LCAP) EIGHT PRIORITIY AREAS— THREE KEY CATEGORIES CONDITIONS OF LEARNING Access to Core Services Implementation of Common Core Course Access PUPIL OUTCOMES Student Achievement Other Student Outcomes STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Student Engagement Parent Involvement School Climate

5 KEYS TO SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING SUCCESS

WHAT SEL CAN DO…

SO WHAT IS SEL? The processes through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

SO WHAT IS SEL? SEL is based on the understanding that the best learning emerges in the context of supportive relationships that make learning challenging, engaging and meaningful.

SO WHAT IS SEL? The development of SEL skills and competence is a parallel process for students, teachers, mentors, and administrators.

SEL CORE COMPETENCIES PAIR SHARE-- What is SEL and why would it be important for both students and adults in any school or work environment?

SO WHAT IS SEL? The SOCIAL aspect of SEL indicates a concern for fostering positive relationships with others. This part of SEL reflects INTERPERSONAL development. Merrell, Kenneth W, and Barbara A Gueldner. Social and emotional learning in the classroom: Promoting mental health and academic success. Guilford Press, 2012.

SO WHAT IS SEL? The EMOTIONAL aspect of SEL indicates a concern for fostering self-awareness, especially involving emotions or feelings, but also the cognitions or thoughts connected to our emotions. This part of SEL reflects INTRAPERSONAL development. Merrell, Kenneth W, and Barbara A Gueldner. Social and emotional learning in the classroom: Promoting mental health and academic success. Guilford Press, 2012.

SO WHAT IS SEL? The LEARNING aspect of SEL implies that social and emotional growth can be taught and learned through instruction, practice, and feedback. Merrell, Kenneth W, and Barbara A Gueldner. Social and emotional learning in the classroom: Promoting mental health and academic success. Guilford Press, 2012.

IMPROVING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, SCHOOL CLIMATE, & STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH KEY CHARACTER TRAITS Kindness Empathy Compassion Gratitude Forgiveness Mindfulness Hardwiring Happiness Sense of Purpose

PRACTICE MAKES BETTER PRACTIONERS Continued practice in SEL make great sense because of neuroplasticity– the fact that repeated experiences shape the brain. The more one practices self-discipline, empathy, and cooperation, the stronger the underlying circuits become for these essential life skills.

SURVIVAL OF THE KINDEST

COMPASSION AND COOPERATION… OVER COMPETITION?

SEL FOR COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS The SCANS report from the U.S. Dept. of Labor identified the ability to communicate effectively, work in teams, solve problems creatively, and adapt to changing conditions as more important than content knowledge and technical expertise in one’s field. The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (1991). What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America Washington, DC: US Department of Labor

THE IMPORTANCE OF SEL FOR ADULTS WORKING WITH YOUTH Gain self and social awareness. Recognize and manage their own emotions as well as understand how their emotional responses impact others. Build strong, supportive relationships with students, colleagues, and parents, deal effectively with conflict, set firm but respectful boundaries, and regularly demonstrate kind, helpful behavior to those around them.

SEL IMPROVES POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE

BACK TO BACK ACTIVITY Stand up Move to the music (Let’s see some dance moves!) When the music stops, and I say “Back To Back”, get back to back with the person closest to you that you do NOT know very well. Wait for further instructions.

WORDS TO THINK ABOUT… “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” --Aristotle “If you have a child's heart, you have his head.” --Flip Flippen

WORDS TO THINK ABOUT “Classroom teachers give young people what they sometimes get nowhere else in society – a sense that they have promise, that they have talents, that they are special. If you’re a young person who is not quite sure that you welcome in this society, one of the most important people in your life could be a teacher who accepts you.” --Parker J. Palmer

WORDS TO THINK ABOUT “A community has the power to motivate its members to exceptional performance. Community can set standards of expectations for the individual and provide the climate in which great things happen.” --John W. Gardner, Former Professor, Stanford University

SEL IMPROVES LEARNING Teaching students skills like empathy, self- awareness, and how to manage distressing emotions makes them better learners. Because of the way our brains are wired, our emotions can either enhance or inhibit our ability to learn. (Richard Davidson, neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin)

LOWERING TRUANCY AND SUSPENSIONS… THROUGH MEDITATION? YES.

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS? Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment.

WHY TEACH MINDFULNESS? Mindfulness is good for our bodies: A seminal study found that, after just eight weeks of training, practicing mindfulness meditation boosts our immune system’s ability to fight off illness. Mindfulness is good for our minds : Several studies have found that mindfulness increases positive emotions while reducing negative emotions and stress. Indeed, at least one study suggests it may be as good as antidepressants in fighting depression and preventing relapse. Mindfulness changes our brains : Research has found that it increases density of gray matter in brain regions linked to learning, memory, emotion regulation, and empathy. Mindfulness helps us focus : Studies suggest that mindfulness helps us tune out distractions and improves our memory and attention skills.

WHY TEACH MINDFULNESS? Mindfulness fosters compassion and altruism : Research suggests mindfulness training makes us more likely to help someone in need and increases activity in neural networks involved in understanding the suffering of others and regulating emotions. Evidence suggests it might boost self-compassion as well. Mindfulness helps schools : There’s scientific evidence that teaching mindfulness in the classroom reduces behavior problems and aggression among students, and improves their happiness levels and ability to pay attention. Teachers trained in mindfulness also show lower blood pressure, less negative emotion and symptoms of depression, and greater compassion and empathy. Mindfulness helps prisons : Evidence suggests mindfulness reduces anger, hostility, and mood disturbances among prisoners by increasing their awareness of their thoughts and emotions, helping with their rehabilitation and reintegration.

PROMOTING KINDNESS

CREATING A CLIMATE CHANGE

PRO-KINDNESS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES SYNERGY DAYS!

HAPPINESS SPRINKLING PROJECT

WHAT IS EMPATHY? The term “empathy” is used to describe a wide range of experiences. Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.

WHY ENCOURAGE EMPATHY? Increases helping behaviors Reduces prejudice and racism Deepens intimacy and boosts relationship satisfaction Reduces bullying Promotes heroic acts Fights against inequality Enjoy better health Managers who demonstrate empathy have employees who are sick less often and report greater happiness

CULTIVATING EMPATHY

WHAT IS COMPASSION? Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering. Compassion is not the same as empathy or altruism, though the concepts are related. While empathy refers more generally to our ability to take the perspective of and feel the emotions of another person, compassion is when those feelings and thoughts include the desire to help. Altruism, in turn, is the kind, selfless behavior often prompted by feelings of compassion, though one can feel compassion without acting on it, and altruism isn’t always motivated by compassion.empathyaltruism

WHY TEACH COMPASSION? Compassion makes us feel good: Compassionate action (e.g., giving to charity) activates pleasure circuits in the brain, and compassion training programs, even very brief ones, strengthen brain circuits for pleasure and reward and lead to lasting increases in self-reported happiness. Being compassionate—tuning in to other people in a kind and loving manner— can reduce risk of heart disease by boosting the positive effects of the Vagus Nerve, which helps to slow our heart rate. One compassion training program has found that it makes people more resilient to stress; it lowers stress hormones in the blood and saliva and strengthens the immune response. Brain scans during loving-kindness meditation, which directs compassion toward suffering, suggest that, on average, compassionate people’s minds wonder less about what has gone wrong in their lives, or might go wrong in the future; as a result, they’re happier.

WHY TEACH COMPASSION? Feeling compassion for one person makes us less vindictive toward others. Employees who receive more compassion in their workplace see themselves, their co-workers, and their organization in a more positive light, report feeling more positive emotions like joy and contentment, and are more committed to their jobs. More compassionate societies —those that take care of their most vulnerable members, assist other nations in need, and have children who perform more acts of kindness— are the happier ones. Compassionate people are more socially adept, making them less vulnerable to loneliness ; loneliness has been shown to cause stress and harm the immune system.

COMPASSION IN ACTION

WHY IS SEL ESSENTIAL FOR YOUTH AND ADULTS? SEL skills and the supportive learning environments in which they are taught contribute to the resiliency of ALL children — those without identified risks and those at-risk for or already exhibiting emotional or behavioral problems and in need of additional supports. Merrell, Kenneth W, and Barbara A Gueldner. Social and emotional learning in the classroom: Promoting mental health and academic success. Guilford Press, 2012.

WHY IS SEL ESSENTIAL FOR YOUTH AND ADULTS? Up to one out of every five students in a typical classroom may experience mental health problems in the course of a school year, but only a few of these students receive appropriate intervention services. SEL provides an alternative approach for delivering preventative classroom-based mental health services that will reach ALL students. Merrell, Kenneth W, and Barbara A Gueldner. Social and emotional learning in the classroom: Promoting mental health and academic success. Guilford Press, 2012.

WHY IS SEL ESSENTIAL FOR YOUTH AND ADULTS? Just as we can’t take it for granted that our students will learn to read without instruction, we can’t assume that they will learn the social emotional skills they need to navigate the world in a positive way. We must teach them. Social-emotional Resilience should become the fourth R. Merrell, Kenneth W, and Barbara A Gueldner. Social and emotional learning in the classroom: Promoting mental health and academic success. Guilford Press, 2012.

INFUSING CARE INTO COMMON CORE In schools where students feel respected and thought their teachers wanted to be there and cared about one another, bullying and other forms of school violence were much less prevalent. Maurice Elias stresses that if we really want to help our students achieve Common Core mastery, our first objective should be promoting the social- emotional competence of the young people in our care.

INFUSING CARE INTO COMMON CORE ELIAS’ PEDAGOGY OF POSSIBILITY By attending to what we know about students’ social-emotional and character development, we can create a “ pedagogy of possibility” as a hallmark of school culture and climate. The orientation is not “what I cannot do,” but rather, “what I can do, and what I will do next.”

TABLE TALK Social Emotional Learning is no longer a “MIGHT DO”… Social Emotional Learning is a “MUST DO” in schools. It is a MUST for improving school climate, student engagement and student achievement. What are your thoughts?

WORDS TO THINK ABOUT “I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in my classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de- humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.” --Haim G. Ginott

SEL—CREATING A POSITIVE CLIMATE CHANGE

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