The SEL 3 Signature Practices are a facilitation tool designed to foster a supportive environment and promote SEL. They intentionally and explicitly help build habits of interaction and reflection through which learners of all ages enhance their SEL skills. While not an SEL curriculum, these practices are one concrete way to help people understand and achieve the goals of a systemic plan for SEL implementation. Plan in a way that focuses on your most important intentions for any specific event.
-
-
Anyone facilitating a learning space can use these practices to great effect, to collaboratively build environments in which the fullness of each person’s identity is acknowledged and elevated.
-
-
-
They establish a safe container for equity of voice, for truly seeing one another, and celebrating one another as our fullest selves. By integrating moments of reflection, positive interactions, and appreciations, we craft the climate and culture we’re striving for—one in which everyone in the room feels they belong to a safe and caring community of learners and leaders, where all are valued and able to learn and work together productively.
-
-
-
- Who will be in the room? What do I know about their needs and contexts?
- What am I trying to achieve through this meeting/lesson/learning activity?
- How do I want participants to feel during this experience?
- How much time do we have together to achieve our goals?
-
-
-
- Intentionally or not, the ways that we engage through our interactions and learning environments send a message, set a tone and create opportunities for connection or lack thereof. When we purposefully and thoughtfully design each element of our time to bring people in and to build connection and understanding, we are opening opportunities to practice social and emotional skills and we are laying the foundation for deeper SEL work across a system.
- Leveraging these practices is one way to honor that each of us brings our whole self into each day, each interaction and each learning experience. We bring our strengths, challenges and outside circumstances with us which contributes to how we embrace or face the day. We arrive with our intentional goodwill and our implicit biases. These practices are an opportunity to tap into our unique contributions, honor each person’s needs, and create a sense of belonging and shared purpose.
-
Each of the example practices in this playbook provide an opportunity to practice the five SEL competencies and specific focal constructs within them, pictured below.
We included these constructs alongside the competencies because they help us to apply a lens of equity to the way we think, communicate, and interact, within and beyond the use of the SEL 3 Signature Practices.
- Within self-awareness, think about the importance of identity. Our identities impact how we perceive and navigate the world and how others perceive us.
- Within self-management, think about the importance of agency. When we recognize our agency, we understand that we can have an impact and we choose to act to improve conditions for ourselves and others.
- Within social awareness, think about the importance of belonging. We all are best able to contribute when we feel we are valued, welcomed, and an essential part of the community. Our actions can support others to feel this way too.
- Within relationship skills, think about the importance of collaborative problem-solving. We are more effective when we use relationship skills to authentically listen to others to better understand problems and work together to develop solutions.
- Within responsible decision-making, think about the importance of curiosity. When we lean in with courage to learn more about ourselves, others, and the world, to seek new information and perspectives, we are better equipped to make responsible decisions.
When you view the examples in this playbook, you can filter the list to find practices that are aligned with these focal constructs as well as the five core competencies. For a deeper exploration of the role of identity, agency, belonging, collaborative problem-solving, and curiosity in SEL, learn more here.