Dr. Richie Davidson (University of Wisconsin-Madison), speaks about ‘every behavioral intervention being a biological intervention’—and that a young person’s repeated experiences in school have the opportunity to be a powerful influence for the re-wiring of neural pathways that is necessary for habits to be built and sustained. Implementing and sustaining a consistent set of SEL practices helps stakeholders collaboratively create the climate and culture that’s vital for optimal learning and working conditions for students and adults. The SEL 3 Signature Practices are a “set” that provide a shorthand approach to SEL integration, simple for educators to remember and implement regularly and offering an initial step toward systemic SEL implementation. Each practice type is emphasized because of its basis in research.
An Inclusive Welcome
Back to topImplementing an inclusive welcome at the start of a gathering contributes to an effective learning and working environment. In classrooms where welcoming activities are designed to foster a sense of community by acknowledging diversity and difference, young people become more “active, caring and informed” in their engagement with each other, which has helped educators to reinforce positive classroom relationships and culturally responsive class norms (Boyd & Edmiston, 2020). Additionally, an inclusive welcome contributes to students feeling safe and supported with a sense of well-being that encourages productivity (Boyd & Edmiston, 2020).
For adults, an inclusive welcome facilitates community, increases interaction and builds empathy (Chlup & Collins, 2014). An inclusive welcome is imperative for setting the mood and provides an opportunity to reinforce norms, goals and values that reflect a positive culture and climate (Wiley & Garcia, 2023).
A study by Shields-Lysiak et al. (2020) exemplified how inclusive welcomes that were joyful, dynamic, and routine (but not procedural) helped to foster positive connections between young people and adults. They observed welcoming activities that had become community rituals, made group members feel personally acknowledged, included an exchange of information, and were culturally responsive. These practices were effective in nurturing young peoples’ socio-emotional development, cultivating an orientation of involvement and citizenship, and bolstering a supporting classroom climate. The exemplary welcoming practices were “reciprocal, collective, and supportive in the moment” – and research demonstrates that reciprocal interactions among students and teachers facilitate deeper learning, improved behavior and academic engagement (Shields-Lysiak et al., 2020). This reinforces the work of Clayton et al. (2018) who found that teachers who welcomed students at the start of the class in a way that promoted reciprocal student-teacher relationships reduced problem behaviors and improved student engagement.
Engaging Strategies
Back to topEngaging strategies should be structured to promote learners’ sense of belonging and agency to encourage ownership of their individual learning (Grossman & Portilla, 2022). Engaging strategies that promote feelings of acceptance, appreciation and understanding amongst young people in their learning community contributes to their sense of belonging, and positively affects their social wellbeing, health and educational outcomes (Riley & White, 2016; Pendergast et al., 2018). In a study by Pendergast et al. (2018), teachers noted strategies that contributed to belongingness with ‘at-risk’ students including having space for concentration, adapting the curriculum to students’ interests, sharing information with peers, increasing desired skills and utilizing technology. Fostering belongingness by engaging students in the co-construction of their learning experiences also develops the agency of young people. Agency is associated with individuals’ increased self-awareness and self-efficacy in their learning (Moses et al., 2020).
Lehtinen et al. (2023), found that engaging strategies aimed at co-constructing knowledge were also effective with adults. Engaging strategies that included the synthesizing of ideas, applying knowledge, and self-reflection in an online group setting contributed to knowledge co-construction. Safir (2014) highlights the importance of using engaging strategies that support adults’ emotional well-being to facilitate a sense of belonging, and to help adults exercise the agency necessary for co-construction.
Brain breaks are a strategy that positively affects learners’ engagement and has been associated with increasing value, joy and motivation in the learning process (Ali, 2023). Brain breaks can be physical, mental or a combination of both. Physical brain breaks allow learners to alleviate physical and emotional stress or tension that is often associated with the learning process. In classrooms, these often look like structured movements which contribute to students’ concentration and readiness to learn. Mental brain breaks are used to increase focus in learning environments (Ali, 2023). With the increase in virtual learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Waal (2020) demonstrated how prolonged sitting in front of the computer may decrease students’ engagement and adversely affect their emotional and mental health. Waal (2020) and Mok et al. (2020) present findings that support the use of brain breaks in virtual classrooms to counter these effects and enhance students’ learning experiences, attitudes towards engagement and motivation. These might be in the form of videos, reflection activities, or breaks from screen time.
An Intentional Close
Back to topUsing an intentional close in the classroom helps young people take ownership of their learning (Ganske, 2017) and provides an opportunity for them to reflect on and internalize what was learned (Wolf & Supon, 1994). Reflective learning amongst young people increases their self-awareness by requiring them to ‘step back’ and analyze their own learning experiences (Zhang et al., 2023). To engage in collaborative reflection, young people must share perspectives in a way that shifts their learning from an individual to a social process which increases student engagement, belonging and sense of community (Zhang et al., 2023).
An intentional close is also an opportunity to connect learning material to students’ lives. Connecting academic learning to students’ lives outside the classroom increases their agency. Moses et al., (2020) shares that students attribute more value to academic content when they can connect it back to real-world problems in their or their families’ lives. Additionally, when students reflect on their learning in relation to their outside experiences it allows them to share their lived experiences and expertise (Moses et al., 2020).
For adults, closing activities provide an opportunity to ensure the intentions of the meetings were achieved, participants feel that their time and efforts were valued, and next steps are clear (Garmston, 2006). Additionally, closing activities help to maintain the expectations, values and community built within professional meetings (Garmston, 2006) and support group reflection. Yaacob et al., (2020) found that for teachers, collaborative reflection promotes knowledge sharing, enhances pedagogical approaches, increases understanding of students’ learning processes and promotes self-development. While the implementation of reflection activities varies, research supports that self and collaborative reflection after engaging in learning experiences helps young people and adults to make informed decisions.