Planning for Leadership and Collaboration: Social and Emotional Learning Teachings

 

Project Purpose 

The purpose of this project is to introduce the topic of social emotional learning (SEL) to a classroom of sixth grade students, fostering their growth and needs. Over the course of the school year, it has been observed by their teachers as well as myself that they have become disconnected from each other and disengaged from their learning. For example, students use negative language with each other and on two occasions mean notes have been shared. In addition, students have a hard time feeling confident in their work, often seeking teacher reassurance, and they are not fully participating in class as they once did. 

 

While my job description is specific to assisting a particular student in the classroom, it has evolved to support others’ academic needs as well. This project is timely in that it allows me to further support them in their emotional and social needs. With a counselling background, tending to the whole child, versus just the academic side, appeals to me greatly.

 

It is also timely because early adolescence is a crucial transition time in a child’s academic years. Firstly, the transition from elementary to middle school can be a challenge for many students, but in the case of IB schools, it also involves a change in curriculum approaches and a decrease in academic performance. Secondly, this is the time they are focusing more on the types of interaction they are having with their peers and negative peer interactions are detrimental to children’s academic success. Research shows that students who carry more social and emotional skills will have better academic performances. Social, emotional and academic skills develop interconnectedly and because of this, it is important to support all three skills, rather than just focusing on one specific skill.

 

Project Objective

The main goal of the project is to motivate students in a positive way to participate in class more and to raise self-esteem so they feel comfortable with each other both in and out of the classroom. Creating a more positive classroom environment will lead, I hope, to students feeling more attached to their learning. The focus will be to emphasize the importance of understanding one’s own emotions and introduce new ways that the students can interact with one another.

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Project Impact 

The school this project will be taking place in has an emphasis on reaching all of the students and making sure every student has the tools they need in order to prosper academically. The IB is a rigorous program and the school works hard to make sure that no one is falling behind; implementing programs to make sure students are keeping up with their academic work and becoming invested in their education and futures. For example, teachers run the homework club, the math clinic, and writing lab. The school is “built on an atmosphere where intellectual growth, personal reflection and international mindedness are the core concerns. Our primary goal is to prepare our students for higher education as we also prepare them for life.”

 

By keeping the sole focus on academics, the school is missing the education of the whole child. Education of the whole child includes fostering the social and emotional skills necessary for students to be able to successfully navigate their daily lives. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that they do strive to ensure students are learning more than just academic topics. For example, students participate in weekly advisory classes that sometimes focus on non-academic topics such as friendships, digital citizenship, equality, to name a few topics. They participate in service as action projects and clubs to support their school community as well as causes in the local community and globally. 

 

As such, by promoting social and emotional learning in the classroom, educating the whole child, I believe it aligns with what this school wants to teach their students. They hope to make their students engaged in their learning, promote a positive school climate, and student achievement, especially when looking towards their students’ futures. It is my wish that the positive impact on the grade six students - raising their self-esteem and creating a positive classroom environment that allows students to feel more comfortable to participate - will spread these teachings and ideas of SEL to the entire school site.

 

Project Description 

This project idea is to foster the growth and needs of a single classroom; tending to the problems this particular class faces. This classroom needs help in building their self esteem, feeling comfortable participating academically in their class, and engaging more positively with one another. 

I hope to teach skills to help build those needs. In particular, I am looking at perseverance and encouragement, what they mean to the students and engaging them in activities that foster these skills. I am collaborating with Andrew Maier, the pastoral care coordinator for the middle school program however, due to scheduling conflicts, I will be implementing the project on my own.

 

Project Implementation Plan & Timeline

Ideally, an SEL program is more effective when its teachings and ideas are incorporated into the daily curriculum and continuously engaged throughout the school year. However, due to time constraints and access to this particular grade 6 class, the project is condensed into a four-week lesson plan.

 

This will give the students an overview of what SEL is, what SEL looks like in a classroom and why it is important to learn SEL teachings. The SEL project will take place between weeks 17 - 20. Week one will be used as an introduction to these new ideas. Weeks two and three will focus on two specific SEL skills. Week 4 will focus on concluding everything that has been presented to the students.

 

Tools for Measuring Success

To gauge the students’ growth and understanding of SEL I will compare the students' answers from their pre-assessment quiz to the post assessment quiz. The success criteria will also include my observations of the students between the first and fourth lesson. For example, I will observe how many students share during the class discussion; how students interact with one another; the words students use with one another. In their subject classes, teachers can observe if they notice a difference, are students supporting each other instead of being negative, are they participating in class and engaged? In addition, if the administration is happy with the outcome of the project, they may look to branch these teachings out throughout the entire school site.

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I can't wait to get started!