Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) for Everyone!

“One day . . . or day one.” Anonymous   Cherokee Month of the Snow Moon (v s gi ga) SEL:  #1 Self-Awareness   SEL:   #4 Self-Management                    Digital Learner:   #5 Knowledge Constructor I’m amazed when I ask high school students how they learn: visually? Through audio, like my husband the drummer? Tactile methods like playing the piano or keyboards? Logical mathematics? Writing? Verbal or Linguistic? Nature or out of doors?   Audio learning offers many benefits which are: it can increase reading accuracy by 56%, comprehension by 76%, and creates a multisensory experience. It also improves phonics awareness. Audio learning creates a bridge between reading and achievement. Students can choose to listen above their current reading level and it raises interest in new topics allowing learners wider genre choices. It teaches pronunciation, helps in language acquisition, is good for ...

  “One day . . . or day one.” – Anonymous   Cherokee Month of the Snow Moon (v s gi ga)     SEL: #3 Self-Management           #4 Relationship Skills                    Digital Learner:   #6 Computational Thinker                                 #7 Innovative Designer   It took a lot of ingenuity from teachers and tech support staff to resolve issues for students struggling with at-home learning due to COVID-19 restrictions. In particular, math, physics, and chemistry formulas were tricky. One creative teacher taught remotely on the smartboard for only half of the class time.   Remote students logged onto Google classroom. The remote teacher was able to view the entire class from a lapt...

“One day . . . or day one.” Anonymous   Cherokee Month of the Trading Moon (nu da de gua)   SEL:   #2 Social Awareness SEL:   #5 Responsible Decision Making Digital Learner:   #7 Innovative Designer   Winter storms are nothing new near Glacier Park, Montana, USA. When the internet goes down at the high schools, I’ve seen resourceful students look out for others in the student community, both remotely and at the schools. During the COVID-19 quarantine, assignments were on Google classroom. First period: no internet, no physics, no panic. These students did not want to fall behind; scholarships and grades were at stake, and many students held part-time jobs after school. They were good at time management. “Write this down please, Ms. Sub.” I was their guest teacher and wrote, per their instructions, the necessary info to log into a variety of providers for their cell phone data plans. Those without smartphones partnered up with those who were ...

  “One day . . . or day one.” Anonymous Cherokee Month of the Hunt Moon (nv da ga)   SEL:   #1 Self-Awareness     SEL:   #2 Social Awareness   A legal injunction is designed to stop an act or behavior. A psychological injunction like “Buzz off!” will do the same when it is not spoken. Since I am not a brain scientist like Dr. Bruce Perry, I cannot give you the exact patterns and chemistry as to why this tool is effective. Nevertheless, it still works. Sometimes, I find myself in complicated situations not wanting to escalate a power struggle with students, staff, parents, community members, et al., so I silently affirm “Buzz off!” Often, the individual gets a puzzled look on their face as they begin to move away, across the room, or even out the door. Having time to strategize and mobilize, to breathe, to think, and to confer with wise folk can offer solutions to life’s perplexing problems. Aloha love, Carla    ...

    "One day . . . or day one.”   Anonymous Cherokee Month of the Harvest Moon ( du n inv di)   SEL:   #2 Social Awareness In the olden days of the early 1990’s, I did not have a computer in my home to google skunks, so there is no Technology in Education listing for this Blog. In my small Montana town, a skunk got under the deck and sprayed right under my cedarwood closet and bedroom. This was not funny! I had to go to work the next day at school. Every article of clothing I owned was in that room.   We acted fast. All tree branches, fencing, deck posts, and makeshift clotheslines held hangers of clothing, bedding, towels--anything that was exposed to our odoriferous visitor. Our back yard looked like a laundry. I sprayed products on the clothes I had to wear the next day. I got to school early and opened all of the windows. Students often expected strange behavior from substitute teachers, so the stink was well and good with them. One kid tu...

"One day . . . or day one.” Anonymous   Cherokee Month of the Harvest Moon ( du n inv di)     SEL :     #4 Relationship Skills                     Digital Learner:   #4 Creative Communicator   When working with autistic children, picture cards are available to communicate if they cannot speak. I was a guest teacher one day, and a boy kept showing me a picture of fried chicken. I finally figured out this was the lunch menu. Many children respond to music so, I sang that lunch menu 52 times! “We’ve got mashed potatoes, peaches and peas. Fried chicken and a roll!” Having been in musical theater for years, I sang and sang many versions of that menu. He went to lunch a happy boy! It is required by law that assistive technology--whether the mouse, special keyboards, ear phones, pencils, slanted boards, tablets, etc.--are made available to benefit spec...

I am committed to being an effective member of the global digital community by writing children’s picture books on feelings and emotions and social-emotional learning (SEL). These books work to help children understand themselves and their place in the world and to enrich academic development. The 5 SEL Competencies are: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Self-Management, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making. CASEL.org   The 7 Competencies for Technology in Education Empowered Learner: I use technology to set goals, work toward achieving them, and demonstrating my learning. Global Collaborator: I strive to broaden my perspective, understand others, and work effectively in teams using digital tools. Digital Citizen: I understand the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world. Creative Communicator: I communicate effectively and express myself creatively using different tools, styles, ...