WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION The George Lucas Educational Foundation
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Blogs on Social and Emotional Learning

Social and Emotional Learning

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Find out how you can develop or support learning that teaches collaboration, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.

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To Improve School Climate, Examine Recess
Jill VialetApril 11, 2013
Tags Mental Health, Primary (K-2), , Upper Elementary (3-5), Physical Education

As we look at ways to create environments that allow teaching and learning to thrive, it's time to take a long, hard look at the critical role of recess in our schools. Recess has the potential to transform schools, and groups are finally speaking out about the powerful role it has in the school day, including the American Academy of Pediatrics which, earlier this year, released a policy statement to this effect.

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21
How More Social and Emotional Learning (and Less Academics) Actually Builds Academic Success
Scott McFarlandApril 5, 2013
Tags Classroom Management, Primary (K-2), , Student Engagement, Upper Elementary (3-5), Maine

With all of the high-stakes testing in our schools, and the resulting judgments and consequences for students and teachers, it is no wonder that schools are taking time away from activities like recess, breaks, art, music... to spend more time on academics. Yet I believe, based on what I have seen in schools, that we should move in the opposite direction, and take time out of academics in the early elementary years to focus on making students feel safe, secure, and confident in the classroom, in other words making them ripe for learning.

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2
Another Person's World: Ed Reform Through True Understanding
Lori DesautelsApril 4, 2013
Tags Community Partnerships, Education Reform, Service Learning, , Urban Schools

Anthropologist and humanist Ashley Montagu stated: "Love is profound involvement in the well-being of others." Several weeks ago, I experienced this kind of love in West Humboldt Park, an impoverished, gang-and-violence-infested inner city Chicago neighborhood.

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A Year at Mission Hill: Love and Limits and The Eye of the Dragon
Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)April 2, 2013
Tags Arts Education, Mental Health, Primary (K-2), , Special Education, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), Massachusetts

The most recent video releases in the A Year at Mission Hill series have generated lots of attention; in part because of the controversial topics of full-inclusion classrooms and how to get students engaged in the curriculum. If you're new to the series, start with Mark Phillips' blog post about the ongoing documentary project, and you can see chapters two and three in this post. New videos are released every two weeks, and the series website offers theme-based resources of all kinds to sync up with the topic in each. I'm pleased to share chapters four and five here.

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9
Building Social and Emotional Skills in Elementary Students: Emotional Management
Randy TaranMarch 12, 2013
Tags Classroom Management, Mental Health, Primary (K-2), , Upper Elementary (3-5)

In this nine-part series, we will look at important factors that influence the happiness and social and emotional learning of elementary school age children. These are very useful in helping students learn, manage emotions better and increase empathy. Each blog features one letter of the acronym HAPPINESS:

  1. H = Happiness
  2. A = Appreciation
  3. P = Passions and Strengths
  4. P = Perspective
  5. I = Inner Meanie/Inner Friend
  6. N = Ninja Mastery
  7. E = Empathy
  8. S = So Similar
  9. S = Share Your Gifts

In this post, we will explore Ninja Mastery, a.k.a. learning emotional management.

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Filling in Thought Holes: An Invaluable Social and Emotional Learning Lesson
Renee JainMarch 8, 2013
Tags Mental Health, , All Grades

"I didn’t get invited to Craig's party . . . I'm such a loser."

"I missed the bus . . . nothing ever goes my way."

"My math teacher wants to see me . . . I must be in trouble."

These are the thoughts of a high school student named Jeremy. You wouldn't know it from his thoughts, but Jeremy is actually pretty popular and gets decent grades. Unfortunately, in the face of adversity, Jeremy makes a common error; he falls into "thought holes." Thought holes, or cognitive distortions, are skewed perceptions of reality. They are negative interpretations of a situation based on poor assumptions. For Jeremy, thought holes cause intense emotional distress.

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2
Standing Up to Bullies
Robert IngramMarch 6, 2013
Tags Bullying, Mental Health, , Middle (6-8), Physical Education

I was born with a cleft palate and lip. Due to the scars and constant surgeries, school was very difficult. Children seemed to really enjoy hurting me. Whether it was verbal, physical or emotional didn't seem to matter as long as they each got a turn at picking on the "flat nose."

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1
A Teaching Moment: The Peace Corps as a Source of Inspiration
Maurice EliasMarch 6, 2013
Tags Global Education, Service Learning, , All Grades

Do you know how the Peace Corps got started? And do you know why it's important to know how? Since this month is the 52nd anniversary of the Peace Corps, let's take a moment to find the answers.

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A Year at Mission Hill: Beginning of the Year and Making it Real
Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)February 28, 2013
Tags Primary (K-2), Student Engagement, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), Massachusetts

You may have read Mark Phillips' blog post about the ongoing documentary project A Year at Mission Hill. A month after the launch of the video series, the buzz has only grown. With a fantastic and artful Prezi about the series, new videos released every two weeks, and resources tailored to each episode from orgs around the world including Ashoka's Start Empathy project, What Kids Can Do, Responsive Classroom, Learning Matters, and more, this is shaping up to be a new kind of Web resource for those interested in education reform on a grassroots level. I'm excited to share episodes two and three here.

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After the Cheering Stops
Mark PhillipsFebruary 21, 2013
Tags Mental Health, , Middle (6-8), High (9-12), Physical Education

I grew up loving basketball, and Alan Seiden was the best high school basketball player I've ever seen. He was also my neighbor and a classmate at Jamaica High School in New York City. One of the most indelible memories from my youth is watching Alan hit one beautiful jump shot after another at Madison Square Garden as he helped lead our team to the city championship. The New York Times compared him favorably to the basketball legend Bob Cousy. He went on to St. John's, became one of the greatest stars in the history of that university's basketball team, and was a two time All-American. He also played briefly in the pros.

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