Social-Emotional Learning
Social-emotional learning is the ability to recognize and manages one's own emotions, solve problems, and build positive relationships with others. In the classroom, this looks like daily check-ins, reflections through art and writing, collaborating, sharing, and understanding, and community building games and activities. The teacher should use student-centered discipline practices, be supportive and inviting, set high and attainable expectations, and encourage responsible decisions.
Activity Examples:
- Dail Check-ins: This could be written, a wall-chart, or even a google survey.
- Calm Down Corner: Choose a secluded area, add visual supports, and refocusing activities (breathing exercises, stuffed animals, coloring book, journals, calming bottles)
- Calming Bottles: This is a great bonding activity for the entire class! All you need are bottles of some sort and things to fill them with!
- Morning Meetings: This can include greetings, sharing, activities, GoNoodle, and routine rundowns.
Conscious Discipline
Conscious discipline gets rid of reward and punishment. This type of discipline allows teachers to address the emotional and social issues of their students. Instead, it includes empathy, composure, choices, positive intent, consequences, composure, assertiveness, and encouragement. An example of this being used within the classroom is the "Time Machine" method. To begin this method, have students "roll back time" by rolling their hands and wish each other well to set positive intent. Then, ask the students if they are willing to go back and solve the problem at hand. Have them take some calmin breaths and use conflict resolution sentence starters to begin the process of solving the problem.
Apps:
- Superbetter- sets goals, uses games to progress healthy behavior
- Smiling Mind- guided meditation
- Peekapak- four-week curriculum to help build self-regulation and empath
- Avokiddo- learn essential emotional skills through dressing and taking care of characters
