Is Responsive Classroom Social And Emotional Learning

This Virginia schoolhouse commune implements and integrates these programs to help students develop of import social-emotional skills.

By Mary Beth McCormac, School Counselor, Nottingham Elementary, Arlington, VA

Responsive Classroom (RC) and 2nd Step are show-based programs that focus on the strong relationship between academic success and social-emotional learning (SEL). Nottingham Uncomplicated in Arlington, VA, uses these two programs together to assistance students develop important social-emotional skills.

The RC approach guides teachers in developing students' academic mindsets and behaviors, perseverance, and learning strategies. We utilise the acronym CARES to outline the social-emotional competencies:

Cooperation

Institute new relationships, maintain positive relationships and friendships, avoid social isolation, resolve conflicts, accept differences, be contributing members of the classroom and school communities, and work productively and collaboratively with others.

Assertiveness

Take initiative, stand for ideas without hurting or negating others, and seek help.

Responsibility

Accept activeness and follow through on expectations; define problems, consider the consequences, and choose positive solutions.

Empathy

Understand others' states of mind and emotions, be receptive to new ideas and perspectives, capeesh and value differences and multifariousness in others, take concern for others' welfare fifty-fifty when it doesn't benefit oneself or may come equally a cost to oneself.

Self-Control

Recognize and regulate thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to be successful in the moment and remain on a successful trajectory.

Our school uses the CARES model equally the basis for schoolwide expectations and classroom rules. Nosotros use the concepts on our "Think Sheets"—worksheets a child must complete if the beliefs continues to be unacceptable after a warning. The sail asks the pupil to identify which CARES skill to exercise to be a positive member of the learning community.

The RC plan doesn't offer whatsoever specific skill-based lessons, posters, or videos to teach CARES skills. We provide our teachers with specific children's books at each grade level to read aloud at the kickoff of the year to introduce and discuss CARES skills. In Kindergarten through third class, teachers read a book for each skill, and in the upper grades, teachers read and discuss a single chapter book that addresses all the CARES skills. The librarian and I selected the books and ran draft lists by the classroom teachers. Our recommendations are in a tabular array beneath.

Since nosotros accept found that common read-alouds are very useful for teaching social-emotional skills and behavioral expectations, nosotros follow a similar process with bullying prevention. We provide books by class level to exist read aloud by the classroom teacher, an administrator, and the librarian informing students about bullying situations and the best response. These books reinforce the recognize, report, and reject skills that are taught in the Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit.

All of the simple counselors in our district teach the Second Pace SEL curriculum. 2nd Step provides lessons that teach:

skills for learning (links to responsibility and cooperation in CARES)
empathy (reinforces what is taught about empathy as part of CARES)
emotion management (links to responsibility and cocky-control)
problem-solving (links to assertiveness and cooperation)
bullying prevention (links to assertiveness and empathy)

The counselor helps students brand the connections between CARES and Second Pace. For example, when I am educational activity the Second Step unit of measurement on empathy, I bring a copy of The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig with me and talk over how the character'southward feelings changed from feeling isolated and lonely to accepted as the story progressed. I also refer to the book when I teach the Second Footstep lesson on showing compassion considering one grapheme noticed how the main character felt and showed caring which led to a friendship. Since teachers take already read the volume out loud, I don't need to spend my class time reading the whole volume.

The Second Step curriculum provides a key feature: show-based quality classroom instruction that is easy to evangelize. I dearest the Abode Links that explicitly show parents what I taught and provide ideas for how they tin reinforce those skills at abode through discussion and do.

This twelvemonth, our district bought the 2d Pace Child Protection Unit for all its schools. This gives usa the research-based materials nosotros need to teach the American School Counselors Clan-recommended beliefs standard of demonstrating personal rubber skills. This is a behavior that is as well addressed by the assertiveness and responsibility elements of the CARES model. Nosotros again added children's books in the lower grade levels considering children tend to call back the message of engaging books (eastward.g., Uncle Willy's Tickles past Marcie Aboff in form 1).

Second Step and RC give teachers and counselors the tools to make our learning community safe and welcoming and give our students important academic, social, and emotional skills. 2d Pace fills a gap for skills-based lessons that were researched and establish to be effective. The 2nd Step lessons are compatible and complement the RC arroyo that teachers are implementing.