Social Emotional Learning and Peacemaking

1. Social Emotional Learning and Peacemaking An Introduction training designed by Peace Games www.peacegames.org

2. Goals • To introduce Social Emotional Learning (SEL) using a combination of theoretical foundations and practical application • To improve our “fluency” in communicating the what, why, and how of SEL to partners and allies • To build our community and motivate

3. Why Does SEL Matter?

4. Why Does SEL Matter? Imagine this scene… It is 10 years from today. You are in a grocery store, pushing your shopping cart down the aisle, when you hear someone call your name. You look up and you see a student that you used to teach. They were the one you would go home at night thinking about, wondering how on earth you would ever be able to reach them. They are walking toward you, smiling. You smile back and then, almost disbelievingly, you ask them, “So, how are you?”

5. Why Does SEL Matter? What kind of people do you hope your students will become, 10 years from now? What will they have accomplished? What qualities will they have? How will they respond when you ask them how they are?

6. SEL Matters • According to a report by the Children’s Defense Fund, every day in the United States 10 children are murdered, and 186 children are arrested for violent crimes.[1] • In 2002, more than 877,700 young people ages 10 to 24 were injured from violent acts; approximately 1 in 13 required hospitalization.[2] • Students ages 12-18 were the victims of approximately 186,000 violent crimes in schools; nearly 500,000 witnessed violent acts outside of school.[3] • One-quarter to one-third of young children are perceived as not being ready to succeed in school, with many affected by social and emotional issues.[4] • Only 29% of students in 6th through 12th grade thought their school provided them with a caring, encouraging environment.[5] • 42% of Chicago high school students report having been in at least one physical fight in the 12 months prior to being interviewed.[6] • 1 in 10 Chicago high school students missed at least one day of school in the last 30 days preceding the survey because of concerns for their safety.[7] [1] Calculations by the Children’s Defense Fund from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, and Division of Vital Statistics (unpublished 2000). [2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004. [3] GAO, Child Trauma and Mental Health Services Report, 2002 [4] National Center for Children in Poverty, 2000 [5] Search Institute, 2003 [6] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005 [7] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005

7. SEL Matters Young people deserve: • To live past adolescence • To grow into lives that are comfortable, happy, and fulfilling – with jobs and relationships that sustain them • To have someone listen to them – because they have important, serious, and often thoughtful things to say And much, much more.

8. Outcomes, Impacts, and Effective Practices

9. Outcomes, Impacts, Effective Practices Outcomes Researchers at the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) have summarized more than 20 years of research and determined that most effective SEL programs*: • Reduce risky behaviors, especially in the areas of substance abuse and interpersonal violence • Improve academic motivation, performance, and outcomes • Improve the climate of schools and community programs • Create a consistent and unified framework for schools and community programs • Meet a number of key goals covered by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation • Connect with character education and civic engagement frameworks and programs • Equip young people with the skills they need to improve their schools and communities …but what are some of those skills…? * CASEL, Safe and Sound, 2005

10. Outcomes, Impacts, Effective Practices Five Core Competencies • Self-Awareness • Social Awareness • Self-Management • Relationship Skills • Responsible Decision Making

11. Outcomes, Impacts, Effective Practices But how to teach…? • Self-Awareness • Social Awareness • Self-Management • Relationship Skills • Responsible Decision Making

12. Applications

13. SEL Goes Beyond Students CASEL identifies ten characteristics of an effective schoolwide program: • Grounded in research and theory • Teaches children to apply SEL skills and ethical values in daily life • Builds a connection to school through caring, engaging classroom and school practices • Provides developmentally and culturally appropriate instruction • Helps schools coordinate and unify programs that are often fragmented • Enhances school performance by addressing the affective and social dimensions of academic learning • Involves families and communities as partners • Establishes organizational supports and policies that foster success • Provides high-quality staff development and support • Incorporates continuing education and improvement

14. Working With Students • Opening Rituals • Community Circles • Cooperative Games • Discipline structures • Community Days • Assessment and Evaluation

15. Working With School Staff • Shared goals and expectations • Staff training and professional development • Structures for cross-site or regional meetings • Classroom resources and lesson plans

16. Working With Families • Fact sheets and newsletters for peacemaking at home • Parent support workshops • Inclusion of families on site-based leadership teams

17. Working With Climate • Posters and art work that publicize peacemaking • School site beautification • Behavior expecta-tions that focus on positive outcomes • Young adult volunteers and mentors

18. Working With Small Groups • Social skills groups using team activities, games, and dialogue • Book club that focuses on core peacemaking skills • Friendship pairs

19. What Are We Doing Already

20. How Will CH+A Support SEL? Over the next several years, CH+A work with Peace Games and other partners to integrate SEL frameworks and skills into all of our community schools programs.

21. How Will CH+A Support SEL? Year One Goal: • Equip community school staff with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to create safe learning environments for all of our students, using Social Emotional Learning frameworks and skills as a foundation.

22. How Will CH+A Support SEL? Year Two Goal: • Provide opportunities for students to learn and practice positive social emotional skills that will empower them to create safe and comfortable learning environments Year Three Goal: • Provide opportunities for our school partners to integrate positive social emotional learning skills and practices into the school day

23. “Work like the future of this country depends on what you do. Because it does.” • Pedro Noguera, • speaking to educators