1 Supporting Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): Teachers’ Matter Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, Ph.D. University of British Columbia Learning Forward and DLC May 17, 2012

In referring to important characteristics in school culture... “among the most salient are the quality of relationships among students, the quality of students relationships to teachers and their relationship with the school.” ( Higgins- D’Alessandro & Sadh, 1997, p. 556)

School & Community Context; District, State & Federal Policy Healthy Relationships Effective Classroom Management Instructional Support Effective SEL Implementation Academic, Achievement, Behavioral, and Emotional Health CASEL Five Core Domains of S-E Competence Self-Awareness Responsible Decision- Making Self- Management Social Awareness Relationship Skills Social and Emotional Competencies Classroom Context: Climate and Interactions Teacher Social and Emotional Competence & Pedagogical Skills CASEL Heuristic Framework

The Prosocial Classroom: A Model of Teacher Social and Emotional Competence and Classroom and Child Outcomes Healthy Teacher/Student Relationships Healthy Classroom Climate Effective SEL implementation Teachers’ Social & Emotional Skills & Well Being Student Social, emotional & academic outcomes Student Social, emotional & academic outcomes Effective classroom management skills School/Community Context Factors Jennings & Greenberg, 2009

The Burnout Cascade Emotional ExhaustionDe-personalizationLack of Accomplishment 50% leave within first 5 years of teaching (NEA, 2006)

Depression and stress disorders at work account for more than 30% of all disability recorded at major Canadian corporations (2002)

Evidence supports the need for specialized professional development that promotes teachers’ social and emotional competence (SEC) and well-being to improve teachers’ emotional resilience and prevent emotional stress, thus reducing burnout and attrition and improving teachers’ capacity to provide well organized and instructionally and emotionally supportive classrooms, especially in high risk settings (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009).

Enhance regulatory processes that buffer against psychological distress Promote flexibility and self-reflection Overcome the tendency to make automatic, reactive appraisals of student behavior that contribute to emotional exhaustion Improve SEL program implementation quality Supporting Teachers

SMART Only: Positive Effects on Teaching Made me more compassionate and kinder to little kids. More encouraging [to students]; before wasn’t aware of present moment. Try to think and realize what I need to do and pick one goal and accomplish that in the classroom. 14

SMART Only I have noticed if I’m calm, my students are also calm. If students are really hyper, I just ask them to take 5 deep breaths. Students tend to be a lot calmer. Before I was more stressed; now, I deal with it and slow down; it impacts how the kids respond. 15

Cultivating Awareness Resilience Education

CARE for Teachers 30 Contact Hours over 4 weeks + booster Emotion awareness –Didactic lessons on nature of emotion –Emotions in relation to teaching & learning –Experiential exercises to promote emotional awareness Mindfulness Practice Empathy & Compassion for self and other –Caring practice –Mindful listening exercises Applications of these to teaching through discussion and role plays

Self-Regulation/De-centering “I’m much more calm. Even when I’m at home, drinking coffee, my mind’s not racing in a thousand different places, I’m just liking my coffee. I’ve learned how to just take things for what they are and not keep everything on my shoulders all the time. And because I’m not doing that anymore, that allows me to treat my kids better and address their needs better and try and teach them to be that way through my example.”

Teacher Education Programs at UBC

Program Options Bachelor of Education Program Options Elementary 12-Month Program Elementary 2-Year Program Middle Years Program Secondary 12-Month Program Secondary – Dual Degree: Bachelor of Science (Bsc) and Bachelor of Education (Bed) Native Indian Teacher Education Program (NITEP)

UBC Teacher Ed. Program Elementary Cohort Options for 12- Month Program Arts-Based Community of Inquiry in Teacher Education (CITE) French Specialist French Language and Global Studies (FLAGS) Generalist Generalist Generalist - Intermediate KG and Primary Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Teaching English Language Learners (TELL) – July Start Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) Teaching from the Heart – July Start Teacher Education Programs at UBC Elementary Cohort Options (Cont’d)

26 Fostering Resilience in Students: The Mindset of Teachers Fostering Resilience in Students: The Mindset of Teachers “The assumptions educators possess about themselves, their role as teachers, and their students’ capabilities play a significant role in determining expectations, teaching practices, and ultimately student happiness and success.” (p. 1) 48 Brook s& Goldstein (2008). Canadian Journal of School Psychology

27 Fostering Resilience in Students: The Mindset of Teachers (Cont’d) Fostering Resilience in Students: The Mindset of Teachers (Cont’d) The Mindset of Effective Educators 49 Brook s& Goldstein (2008). Canadian Journal of School Psychology

Looking Ahead Implications for Practice Future Directions