Tim Shriver, the Chairman of the Special Olympics, closed our Collaborative Classroom Convening in 2015 by sharing this very important reminder with us—the head and the heart are connected. They both come into our classrooms in the bodies of students needing to be cared for and nurtured. To this end, Tim charged the audience with the mission to “keep this social and emotional work going.”
It is now three years later, and the SEL work is really “going” strong! Are you curious about what people are saying and writing about SEL work now? If so, check out some of these helpful resources:
- Interested in resources to support your instruction? Check out Larry Ferlazzo’s blog. He offers a weekly update on the best social and emotional learning resources every Friday.
- Eager to better understand CASEL’s five SEL competencies? If so, you should watch Edutopia’s video on the SEL competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making.
- Do you want to think more deeply about how to measure SEL skills in your district? Then, ASCD’s latest article by Krachman, LaRocca and Gabrieli titled Accounting for the Whole Child is right up your alley. The authors describe the importance of measuring SEL skills. If this is an interest for you, you might also take a peek at our online SEL assessment.
- Is your school or district exploring SEL programs? If so, Stephanie Jones and her colleagues at the Harvard Graduate School of Education have authored a guide for you. It is called: Looking Inside and Across 25 Leading SEL Programs. It is a great resource and highlights Caring School Communities as a strong program.
- Want to learn more about the latest research from districts committed to SEL instruction? Check out this AIR Policy Brief: When Districts Support and Integrate Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
- Curious about a large district’s integration of SEL across the district? Edutopia’s latest blog The Big Picture: Integrating SEL across a District about the 168 schools in Nashville who collaborate to bolster school culture and instruction with social and emotional learning.
- Thinking about the connection to academic curriculum? The Aspen Institute’s Putting It All Together calls for curriculum that addresses both the academic and social/emotional needs of students—they highlight Collaborative Literacy as one of the programs they recommend!