PHILIP ESTRADA
  • Projects
    • dear Plastic
    • Something New
    • Nothing New
    • Shift
    • Ritual
    • Colors and Shapes
    • Tensegrity
    • Lakeview Cut
    • Second Nature
    • It Gets Funkier
    • Making Space
    • Rotational Volumes
    • Changed By Chairs
    • Gearboxes
    • Pendulums
    • Microscopic Images
    • Inspraytion
    • 60 Word Short Stories
    • PBL Illustrations
    • Foundations Podcast
    • Inclusive Strategies Podcast
  • Helpful Links
    • Engagement Grading
    • Critique Questions
    • Lasercutting
    • Drawing Models
    • Honors
    • Zine Printing
  • Blog
  • About

OBSERVATION

Notes and reflections from teaching through projects

Social Emotional Learning for All

4/17/2018

0 Comments

 
Earlier in the semester I presented my students with a list of behaviors of learners. The list included things like "uses materials appropriately", "follows schedules" and "problem solves". We reviewed and critiqued the list as a way to be reflective about the class. 

In reflecting on that lesson I realized that a few of the behaviors listed had anything to do with Social Emotional Learning, but those not explicitly. I wondered if I was building a culture that promoted empathetic learning and emotional management, but more broadly whether or not our school held those values for both staff and students. 

This week I had conversations with colleagues centered mostly around conflict resolution. I asked them who they spoke with on campus when they felt frustrated or proud or needed help developing a relationship with a colleague. Mostly I discovered an informal network of supportive coworkers and not someone with a specific role related to SEL development.

Our school environment is built around what I have recognized as some tenants of SEL, such as decision making and self-management, though I haven't found structures which emphasize or promote things like social awareness or relationship skills. As a result our staff and student body are well able to work unsupervised and manage their time, though there is inconsistency in self awareness and relationship. Before one can develop a skill it must be named, so perhaps there should be one within our community who makes those skills which we can improve obvious and clear. 

As a staff we do not deliberately spend time developing SEL skills. Its hard to say how this effects us because I generally feel that our staff is amiable and cooperative, though SEL is more than that. If we were to model for our students what it is like to collaborate and work from a place of developed social emotional ability, I wonder what changes might happen in our student body.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Philip Estrada is a teacher at High Tech High Media Arts in San Diego California. He teaches by having kids build things in a woodshop.

    Archives

    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    May 2022
    November 2020
    August 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017

    Categories

    All
    Assessment
    Doing PBL
    Perspectives
    Planning PBL
    Things To Try

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Projects
    • dear Plastic
    • Something New
    • Nothing New
    • Shift
    • Ritual
    • Colors and Shapes
    • Tensegrity
    • Lakeview Cut
    • Second Nature
    • It Gets Funkier
    • Making Space
    • Rotational Volumes
    • Changed By Chairs
    • Gearboxes
    • Pendulums
    • Microscopic Images
    • Inspraytion
    • 60 Word Short Stories
    • PBL Illustrations
    • Foundations Podcast
    • Inclusive Strategies Podcast
  • Helpful Links
    • Engagement Grading
    • Critique Questions
    • Lasercutting
    • Drawing Models
    • Honors
    • Zine Printing
  • Blog
  • About