OSPI 2009 Conference
Social and Emotional Learning for
School and Life Success
Sheryl L. Harmer, Ed.D.
Dixie Grunenfelder, MBA
This workshop will:
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Provide an overview of Social and Emotional
Learning (SEL)
Link SEL to improved academic outcomes and
school-wide improvement efforts
Illustrate how SEL fits into what you are already
doing
Outline a plan for implementing SEL in your
school
Provide resources for on-going support.
What do we want for our
students?
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Visualize an ideal school - where optimal
learning occurs - where the well-being of
children is in balance with academic
performance.
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What would you see? What would you
hear? How would you feel?
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Share with neighbor
The Goal of Washington State
Education
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The goal of the Basic Education Act . . . shall be to provide
students with the opportunity to . . . become responsible citizens, to
contribute to their own economic well-being and to that of their
families and communities, and to enjoy productive and satisfying
lives. To these ends, the goals of each school district, with the
involvement of parents and community members, shall be to
provide opportunities for all students to develop the required
knowledge and skills...ESHB 1209, 7/25/93
Washington State Learning
Goals
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Read with comprehension, write with skill, and communicate effectively
and responsibly in a variety of ways and settings.
Know and apply the core concepts and principles of mathematics; social,
physical, and life sciences; civics
and history; geography; arts; and health and fitness.
Think analytically, logically, and creatively, and to integrate experience and
knowledge to form reasoned judgments and solve problems.
Understand the importance of work and how performance, effort, and
decisions directly affect future career and educational opportunities.
RCW 28A.150.210
Education Goals
RAISE
ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE
and IMPROVE CHILDREN’S
WELL-BEING
How Well Are We Meeting Our
Goals?
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What are you currently doing (within the
classroom/ school) to assure that both of
these goals are being met?
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Where is your classroom/school falling
short?
What Students Tell Us: 2006 WA State
Healthy Youth Survey (6th-12th)
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25-30% of youth (8,10 &12th grades) felt so sad and
hopeless for 2 or more weeks in a row that they stopped
their usual activities.
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16-32% (6,8,10,12th grades) had been bullied in the
past 30 days
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8-12% (8,10,12th grades)attempted or made a plan for
suicide
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9-26% of youth 13-17 engaged in binge drinking
2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
2003 Search Institute
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6% of U.S. youth 14-17 years old did not attend
school on one or more of the previous 30 days
because they felt unsafe
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Only 29% of students in 6-12 grade thought
school was caring & encouraging
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7.9% were threatened or injured with a weapon
on school property
Impact of Trauma on Learning
 Academic
Performance
 Classroom Behavior
 Relationships
Academic Performance
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Ability to process oral and written information
Memory
Understanding cause/effect relationships
Identification of emotion
Ability to feel empathy
Setting goals, developing a plan, and reflecting
Transitions
Engagement in learning
Classroom Behavior
Aggression
 Defiance
 Withdrawal
 Perfectionism
 Hyperactivity and impulsiveness
 Rapid and unexpected emotional shifts
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Relationships
Lack of trust
 Difficulty interpreting verbal and nonverbal information
 Poor sense of self and perspective taking
 Difficulty identifying emotions
 Decreased motivation to relate to others
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Essentials for Learning
School Environment
+
Specific Skill Development
Alignment for Success
Improving
academic
RAISE
IMPROVE
performance
by
ACADEMIC
CHILDREN’S
increasing
PERFORMANCE
WELL-BEING
well-being
What can schools do?
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What role can schools play in helping
students address issues related to the
well-being of students?
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Discussion
What is a Compassionate
School?
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A compassionate school enables
children to build caring relationships
with adults and peers, self-regulate
their emotions and behaviors,
achieve in academic and nonacademic areas, and be physically
and emotionally healthy.
Social and Emotional Learning
(SEL)
Climate & Connectedness
Skills & Competence
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Recognize and manage emotions
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Care about and respect others
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Establish positive relationships
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Behave responsibly and ethically
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Handle challenging situations constructively.
What is Social & Emotional
Learning?
Recognizing one’s emotions and
values as well as one’s strengths
and limitations
Managing
emotions and
behaviors to
achieve
one’s goals
Selfawareness
Selfmanagement
social &
emotional
learning
Social
awareness
Showing understanding and
empathy for others
Responsible
decisionmaking
Making ethical,
constructive
choices about
personal
and social behavior
Relationship
Skills
Forming positive relationships,
working in teams, dealing
effectively with conflict
SEL Conceptual Framework for
Improved Behavior and Academic
Performance
Positive Social
Behavior
• SEL Instruction
• SEL Skills
• Safe,
supportive,
participatory,
environment
• Attitudes
• Climate
Conduct
Problems
Emotional
Distress
Academic
Performance
Skill Development
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Inter- Intrapersonal communication
Self-regulation
Risk assessment
Consequential thinking (if-then)
Assertiveness
Empathy
Perspective taking
Emotion knowledge
Skill Development continued:
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Attention regulation
Goal setting
Conflict resolution/ respectful disagreement
Negotiation
Specific and general social problem-solving
Emotion management/ coping
Friendship
Why Does SEL Matter?
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Emotions affect how and what we learn
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Schools are social places - relationships provide foundation
for learning
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Reduces barriers to learning such as stress
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Increases school connectedness and essential skills
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Aligns with the academic agenda of schools
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Critical to success in school and life
Social Interaction
“Our social interactions play a role in reshaping our brain, through
“neuroplasticity”, which means that repeated experiences sculpt the
shape, size, and number of neurons and their synaptic connection.
By repeatedly driving our brain into a given register, our key
relationships can gradually mold certain neural circuitry. In effect,
being chronically hurt and angered, or being emotionally nourished
by someone we spend time with daily over the course of years can
refashion the brain.”
Daniel Goleman
Stress and Learning
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Strong emotions affect learning and memory
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High cortisol levels affect the hippocampus-a
key learning center in the brain
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Acute or prolonged stress releases hormones that
disrupt learning and memory processes
suppress electrical activity
decrease efficiency
reduce new cell growth.
Amygdala over function (acute emotions) can
hijack Hippocampus function (memory)
Neuroplasticity and Learning
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The brain responds to environmental factors and
produces experience-dependent changes in brain
structure and function.
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The prefrontal cortex acts as a convergence zone for
integration of affective and cognitive processes.
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Qualities such as patience, calmness, cooperation, and
kindness are all regarded as skills that can be trained.
Richard J. Davidson, University of Wisconsin Waisman Center and Laboratory for
Affective Neuroscience
Positive Learning Environments
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Challenging and engaging curriculum
Safe, supportive learning community with respectful
relationships and trust
Evidence-based SEL classroom instruction
Infusing SEL concepts throughout the regular academic
curriculum
Engaging students actively and experientially in the
learning process during and outside of school
Opportunities for participation, collaboration, and
service
Involvement of families and surrounding community
What Does Research Say?
Improvement in:
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Attitudes (motivation, commitment)
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Behaviors (participation, study habits)
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Performance (grades, subject matter)
What Does Research Say?
Attitudes:
 Stronger sense of community
 Higher academic motivation and educational aspirations
 Better understanding of consequences of behavior
 Better ability to cope with school stressors
 Increased positive attitudes toward school and learning
What Does Research Say?
Behaviors:
Participate in class more
Demonstrate more pro-social behavior
Have fewer absences and improved attendance
Show reductions in aggression and disruptions
Are on track to graduate and are less likely to drop out
Are more likely to work out their own way of learning
What Does Research Say?
School Performance:
Improved math, literacy, and social studies skills
Higher achievement test scores (+14%) and grades (+11%)
Improved learning-to-learn skills
Better problem solving and planning ability
Use of higher level reasoning strategies
Improvements in reading comprehension
Meta-analysis Results
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9% decrease in conduct problems, such as
classroom misbehavior and aggression
10% decrease in emotional distress, such as
anxiety and depression
9% improvement in attitudes about self, others,
and school
23% improvement in social and emotional skills
9% improvement in classroom behavior
11% improvement in achievement test scores
Results Dependent Upon
Full, high quality implementation
according to how the program was
designed
 Classroom teachers were the primary
implementers (as opposed to
researchers)
 Programs were S.A.F.E.
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S.A.F.E.
S= Sequenced set of activities: step-bystep
 A= Active forms of learning such as role
play and behavioral skill rehearsal
 F= Focused attention on SEL - at least 8
sessions on skill development
 E= Explicitly targeted lessons to address
clear outcomes
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Key Components of Schoolwide SEL
Learning Environments
 Opportunities for participation, collaboration, and
service
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Safe, supportive learning community with respectful
relationships and trust
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Support and validate individual strengths
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Opportunities for bonding and connectedness
Schoolwide SEL continued
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Emotionally safe and motivating
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Hold common expectations for adults and
students
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Encourage coaching and mentoring
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Model empathy and perspective taking
Schoolwide SEL continued
Curriculum
 Evidence-based SEL classroom instruction
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Challenging and engaging curriculum
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Infusing SEL concepts throughout the regular
academic curriculum
Involvement of Families and Surrounding
Community
Integrating SEL into the Regular
Academic Curriculum
Reading
 Math
 Social Studies
 Science
 Health
 Art
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What Does Schoolwide
SEL Look Like?
Hallways
Front Office
Playground
Bus
Teacher’s Lounge
Sporting Events
SEL
School
Lunchroom
Classrooms
Afterschool/
Extracurriculars
Parent/teacher conferences
Bathrooms
SEL in Action
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In what ways is Ben Franklin Middle
School preparing students for school and
life success through SEL?
Learning Environment
 Curriculum
 Community Connections
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QuickTime™ and a
H.264 decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Resources
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CASEL - Collaborative for Academic, Social
and Emotional Learning
Safe and Sound - CASEL casel.org
Building Academic Success on Social and
Emotional Learning - Teacher’s College Press
Committee for Children - cfchildren.org
CASEL Implementation Training Sustainable Schoolwide Social and Emotional
Learning (SEL) - (Toolkit)
SEL Implementation and Sustainability Process
A. Provide
ongoing
professional
development
F. Communicate
w/stakeholders
(marketing)
1. Principal
commits
to schoolwide SEL
2. Engage
stakeholders
and form
steering
committee
3. Develop
and articulate
shared vision
SEL School-wide
10. Continue
cycle of
implementing
and improving
B. Monitor
and
evaluate for
continuous
improvement
4. Conduct
needs and
resources
assessment
Leadership
9. Expand
instruction
and integrate
SEL schoolwide
E. Nurture
partnerships
with families &
communities
5. Develop
action plan
8. Launch SEL
instruction in
classrooms
7. Conduct
initial staff
development
D. Integrate
SEL
framework
school-wide
6. Select
evidencebased
program
C. Develop
infrastructure
to support
SEL
Planning for Schoolwide SEL
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Learning environments
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Professional development
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Curriculum
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Involvement of families and community
What is Happening with
SEL Nationally?
Anchorage
 Texas
 New York
 Illinois
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No Child Left Behind
Under NCLB, schools must establish
plans for:
 Being safe and drug-free
 Closing the achievement gap
 Preventing at-risk students from dropping
out of school
 Implementing programs that are research
and evidence-based
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What Employers Want
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration
Research Project-Skills employers most look for in potential
employees:
1.
Learning-to-learn skills
2.
Listening and oral communication
3.
Adaptability: creative thinking and problem-solving
4.
Personal management: self-esteem, goal-setting, self-motivation
5.
Group effectiveness: interpersonal skills, negotiation, teamwork
6.
Organizational effectiveness and leadership
7.
Competence in reading, writing, and computation.
The Illinois Social and Emotional Learning:
What Students Should Know and Be Able to
Do:
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Goal 1: Develop self-awareness and self-management
skills to achieve school and life success.
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Goal 2: Use social-awareness and interpersonal skills
to establish and maintain positive relationships.
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Goal 3: Demonstrate decision-making skills and
responsible behaviors in personal, school, and
community contexts
What is Happening with SEL in
Washington State?
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Representative Mary Lou Dickerson
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Legislative bills
Public-Private Partnership
 OSPI Compassionate Schools
 Mental Health Transformation Grant
 Individual classroom, schoolwide, and
district efforts
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