Take a SEL-fie

Intentional Close
An intentional close makes space for participants to reflect on their learning and progress, assess their level of confidence, and identify personal next steps. It encourages participants to recognize the contributions they and others have made to the meeting or learning session and highlights the importance of the work.
Description

Participants take a picture of themselves displaying an emotion they have had during the session or class period, and share it with partners to review and discuss key moments and experiences from the day.

When and Why

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Take a SEL-fie works well as a light and fun closure to a professional development session or meeting, but also helps the facilitator and the group gain an understanding of how individuals were impacted by key moments in the agenda.

How to Facilitate

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  1. Near the end of a day, a lesson, meeting, or professional learning event, ask participants to write down a few emotions or feelings they have experienced during your time together. Give them 30 seconds or so to consider and write. If helpful, run through a list of key moments or activities from the day, prompting them to remember how they felt at those times, to jog their memory.
  2. Ask participants to take out their phones and take a picture of themselves, making a facial expression that matches one of the emotions they wrote down. They should choose an emotion they are comfortable explaining a bit to a partner, so invite them to go as light or as deep as they choose. Suggest that anyone who does have a phone to use look around to see if anyone near them does not have a phone equipped with a camera, and offer to partner with them for the rest of the exercise.
  3. Form two concentric circles with all “inside people” facing a partner in the outside circle. Give the partner pairs 1-2 minutes to share their SEL-fies, guess which emotion their partner is communicating, and explain when and why they felt that way. As time allows, ask the inner circle to rotate to a new partner to the right or left, and repeat the short discussion.
  4. After one or more rounds of sharing, widen the circle so that all participants are in one large circle, facing the center of the room. Debrief with some of the questions below:
    • How did it feel to assess your emotional state throughout the day? What’s the value of stopping to check your emotions? Did you have the language to express how you felt? Why might you have (students or staff) stop and assess their emotions at different times of the day?
    • What was it like to share your emotions through the SEL-fie? Any interesting or funny stories? Did some of you guess each other’s emotions? How did that go? Without sharing someone else’s specific story, were there any points of connection or difference from the partners you spoke with?
    • Are there three people who are thinking of using this SEL-fie activity and would be willing to share how you might use it and why?

How does Take a SEL-fie support SEL?

Self-Awareness/Identity:
Participants practice self-awareness as they reflect on their emotional experiences throughout the day and decide what they are comfortable speaking about with a partner. Facilitators consider their own and participants’ identities in the design of the practice.

Social Awareness/Belonging:
Participants hear about the experiences of other participants and reflect on how it was similar or different to their own. Facilitators create an experience of acceptance, respect, and inclusion within a group or community.
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