SEL Strategies for Specials teachers

SEL is a hot acronym in my district right now. If you haven’t heard of it yet, it stands for Social Emotional Learning. What is SEL? Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a process that allows students to learn and apply knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are needed to manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, create positive relationships and make good decisions (summarized from Cascel.org). I personally love that we are starting to focus more on teaching emotions and basic social skills to students. It is often true that parents may not have the time or skills to be able to teach their students these basic SEL competencies. The 5 core competencies are Self-awareness, self-management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making.

Students need to know that they MATTER. That they are CARED FOR. That they are LISTENED TO. Showing students that we care about their emotional well-being is often what builds respect and relationships with them. And research shows that they will also perform better in school by an average of 11 percentile points overall have less behavior issues. Now, I’m not trying to pretend like I am some SEL expert. I am still trying to figure out all of the ins and outs of what it means. I encourage you to do your own research on the topic. Our district required each teacher to attend an SEL workshop this past summer, but there are also great resources online. Edutopia.org has a lot of great information, like this video.

Now, all of this philosophy on emotional intelligence sounds inspiring and WONDERFUL, and then sometimes it can be hard to apply it in your own classroom. Especially if you teach a Specials subject. Because a lot of ideas I’ve looked up are SO AMAZING if you have just one or two homeroom classes, but don’t work if you see 600 kids throughout the course of the week. And I only see each class for 45 minutes per week. So, I’d like to show you some ways I’ve been incorporating SEL into my classroom that have proved to be successful for the Special’s classroom.

1.Large “Feelings Wheel” poster

I’m not gonna lie. I’m not above capitalizing on what kids think is popular to get their attention (as long as it’s appropriate!). This year, the popular song is “In My Feelings” by Drake, and the title of the song happens to fit in so well with the SEL movement. I put this outside of my room, so before they walk in they can be conscious of how they feel. I’m also going to include a song of the month which they can think about the feelings associated with it. This month’s is “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers. Here is the feelings wheel I used to make mine. If you want to make it easier on yourself, just go to office max and get the image blown up and printed out! I decided, for once, to be all crafty and make it myself.

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2. Feelings Meter

I created this feelings meter specifically for Pre-K through 5th grade students. If you teach only 4th or only 5th or a higher grade level, you may be able to use a “Mood Meter” which has more complicated emotions on it. And you could personalize the magnets with their names on them. What I do is stand right by the feelings meter,which is at the front of the classroom. When the students walk in at the beginning of every class, I  watch them put their magnet on the emoji they are feeling, acknowledge it, and formally greet them. That might be a high five, fist bump, hand shake, or hug. Whichever they choose. This really sets the tone for the classroom. I always tell them it’s ok if they are sad or upset when they come to music, but that they still need to try their best. Having a positive attitude doesn’t always mean they have to fake being happy.

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How to make-

• Buy a magnetic white board or chalkboard 
  
• Buy a roll of magnets, or small square magnets
• Cut out Emojis and glue/tape them to the board –Free Download on TeachersPayTeachers!

3.Zen Zone

A Zen Zone is a calming area for your classroom. You could call it whatever you want. “Calming Center”, “Cool down corner”, or whatever works for you. In the future, I’d like to have more comfortable seating with a bean bag and add other things to it. But ya girl’s on a budget. I created a feelings journal, that has questions for them to answer, breathing techniques, a feelings wheel, and drawings to create. I put the papers into sheet covers, so that they could use washable vis-a-vi pens and I can just wipe it off for the next class. There are also books, stuffed animals, and sensory items. I also have a tablet with headphones, so that they can listen to a classical music playlist I created on Spotify. 

I usually send students to this center if they are feeling overwhelmed, need to cool off or calm down. Then after about 5-10 minutes,  I will eventually ask them to join the class again.

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4.Songs/Youtube videos

• This is my  SEL songs playlist on Youtube. A lot of the songs are great for Pre-K through 2nd grade, or students with Autism. 

5.Circle Dialogue with a Talking Piece

This usually works better for 3rd-5th grade students, and even middle/high schoolers. The students all get into a circle, and will pass around a “Talking Piece”. You can use whatever you want for a talking piece. Since I am the music teacher, I like to pass around a drum I got while I was in Guatemala. Each student has to play a specific rhythm that I hold up, and then answer the question that is posed. The student can pass to the next student if they don’t want to answer the question. The point is to make the students feel safe and comfortable in your classroom. Help them to understand that whoever has the talking piece cannot be interrupted and they have the floor. One thing I love about this, is that you can make the question and talking piece SUBJECT-SPECIFIC. So if you are a librarian, pass around your favorite book. Or for art, pass around an art piece or art supply. For gym, you could have the class standing and bounce the ball to each other.

Some Questions you could ask in the Circle Dialogue: 

•  If you could be a superhero, which
  superpower would you choose and
  why?
• How would your best friend describe
  you?
• What would you NOT want to change
  about your life? Why?
• If you were an animal, what type would
  you be and why?
• What is it like for you when someone is angry at you?
• Who do you respect, and why?

6.Staying in the present

I know teaching can be so demanding and sometimes you just want to check out. You need to constantly remind yourself of the important work that you’re doing. Kids are always looking up to us as examples and role models. So when one class is leaving and the other is lined up outside your door, instead of checking your phone, ask the students a question. “How is your family doing?” “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “What is your favorite hobby?” Or whatever else is relevant to ask. In order to be present, you HAVE to take care of yourself. Maybe wake up 30 minutes earlier to have some time to yourself, start doing yoga before you go to bed, read an encouraging quote before work, listen to an inspiring podcast while you get ready in the morning. It could only take 5 minutes every day to make a difference in your life. You are amazing. You wake up every morning to do life-changing work that will affect your student’s lives forever. Never forget to take care of yourself. Stay present to your needs so that you can be present to others!

Hope you are having a great week with your students! Keep up the amazing work. 

Respectfully, 

Paige