Overview
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is an umbrella term that refers to the wide array of skills and mindsets that are vital for success in school and beyond. These skills and mindsets include, but are not limited to, self-awareness, relationship building, goal setting, conflict resolution, and community building. This work is a component of a whole child approach, honoring the humanity of educators and students alike, and creating environments of belonging and connection. ANet supports educators with their own SEL journey as well as helps to ensure academic conditions are built in a way that allows students to thrive. The resources below are a starting point for building a toolkit of holistic and equitable student support. To dig deeper, reach out to your ANet coach.
Put District Level Structures in Place
Resource | Description | Tips for Implementation |
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Integrating Social and Emotional Learning throughout the School System WestEd |
Compilation of resources to support system leaders with implementing integrated SEL structures. |
When implementing the “Plan, Do, Study, Act” framework, make sure you are including staff, families and especially students in the process. |
Casel |
Framework with several activities for creating and maintaining a successful SEL foundation across a district. | If you’re new to SEL work, try the questionnaire to evaluate needs in your district and get paired with recommended activities. |
Put School Level Structures in Place
Resource | Description | Tips for Implementation |
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Casel |
Framework with several activities for creating and maintaining a successful SEL foundation within a school. |
Leaders, make sure you are mindful of creating inclusive spaces for staff and students to design and implement SEL and Whole child practices systematically. |
Integrating Social, Emotional and Academic Development Aspen |
An action guide for school leadership teams that includes research, equity connections, guiding questions, vignettes, and suggested action steps. |
Leaders, when designing Professional Learning experiences, refer to this guide for headlines of research and equity implications to ground the vision. |
Assembling a Whole Child Team <Coming soon!> ANet |
Chart with guidance on building a Whole Child Team, focused on balancing the strengths of each member. |
Leaders, use this chart before the implementation of any plan begins. Different lenses reviewing and influencing the plan will make for a more robust launch. |
TransformEd |
Toolkit including a presentation, resources and mini-modules designed to support educators with their own well-being. |
In a PLC, try exploring one mini-module per session allowing a space for teachers to reflect, discuss, and practice with each high leverage element. |
Develop a Holistic Mindset
Resource | Description | Tips for Implementation |
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Why does Social Emotional Learning Matter? ANet |
Whitepaper outlining a fully integrated |
Share this paper with your Whole Child Team or your staff as an anchor into the Why of focusing on SEL alongside academics. |
Whole Child Approach to Education Chan Zuckerberg Initiative |
Framework with videos, case studies and tools to support the creation of a whole child-centered environment. |
The graphic provided here can serve as an anchor for the work; it is a great example of the intersections within a whole-child approach. |
From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development |
Report drawing on two years of conversations, meetings, and site visits across the country including detailed recommendations for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers. |
Try using this paper as a book study for learning about the “why” and “how” of Whole Child practices. After each chapter, discuss the implications for students. The Recommendations & Executive Summary can lead to deeper discussions around the intersection of policy and instruction. |
StaySmart StaySafe |
3 minute animated video reinforcing how and why to focus on positive behaviors, with clear examples. |
This quick video can be used as a Welcoming RItual or Warm Opener as a way for participants to reflect on not only student strengths but also on their own strengths. |
5 Myths About Social-Emotional Learning Understood |
Short article to help reground in the facts of SEL. |
This article could be used as pre-work to a PLC, or the opening of a staff conference or professional learning session. Ask staff to share their thinking around SEL and use this article as a place to discuss widely held misconceptions. |
Missed Cues: A Reflective Activity School Reform Initiative |
Protocol that helps educators reflect on times when students can be shut down due to time constraints. |
Try using this protocol before looking at student work to help participants think expansively about student experiences. |
Explore Universal Design for Learning
Resource | Description | Tips for Implementation |
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CAST |
Framework to improve teaching and learning based on the science of how humans learn. |
Use these guidelines as you analyze lesson plans or student work. Ask yourself: “How do our lesson plans value students’ humanity? Does the student work exemplify expert learners who are motivated, knowledgeable, and strategic? How did the design of the lesson or unit lead to these examples of student work?” |
Antiracism and Universal Design for Learners CAST |
1 hour webinar challenging educator mindsets and systems that stifle Black and Brown learners. |
Use this webinar alongside the UDL Guidelines and Whole Child Framework to shift mindsets and reflect on how and when your school system is stifling Black and Brown learners. |
Plan and Teach with Intention
Resource | Description | Tips for Implementation |
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Social Emotional Learning Teacher Practices Novo & Education First |
Videos and profiles of three schools currently implementing SEL practices. |
Review these examples prior to analyzing data as a reminder of how SEL can be integrated alongside academics, and how student humanity and identity is at the heart of making academic shifts. |
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