EDU-AM-3-Rm-100-EAST-ELIAS-Building-Enduring-Resilience-Social-Emotional-Character-and-Climate-Dimensions

Life SuccessSelf‐ awareness Social awareness Relationship skills Responsible decision making Self‐ management Form positive relationships, work in teams, deal effectively with conflict

Building Enduring Resilience:

Social-Emotional, Character, and Climate

(SELinSchools.org) @SELinSchools

maurice.elias@rutgers.edu

www.edutopia.org/profile/maurice-j-elias

Center for Great Expectations 3 rd Annual Trauma at the Core Conference

The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ

December 6, 2019

What Are We Preparing Our Children

For: The Context of Resilience

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpEFjWbXog0&t=10s

One constant will be the importance of caring interpersonal relationships, civil

discourse, and a commitment to

democratic citizenship and

the skills to enact it

We cannot learn without caring

relationships

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/opinion/le

arning-emotion-education.html

School Climate

Explicit Instruction

Reference: Aspen SEAD Commission Best Practice Guidelines

Life Success

Self‐

awareness

Social  awareness Relationship skills

Responsible  decision  making

Self‐

management

Form positive relationships, work

in teams, deal effectively

with conflict

Make ethical, constructive choices about personal and social

behavior

Manage emotions  and behaviors 

to achieve  one’s goals

Show understanding and

empathy for others

Recognize one’s emotions,  values, strengths, and 

We Must Shift Our Focus

• Preparation for College

Completion“+” and Career Continuity

Ready, Willing, and Able– Savitz-Romer & Bouffard

Closing the Revolving Door– Rutgers Collaborative

Center

Source: Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., & Schellinger, K (2011) The Impact of Enhancing

Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions Child Development

(available at www.casel.org) and M Berkowitz & M Bier, What works in character education (Washington, DC: Character

Education Partnership, 2006) (available at www.characterandcitizenship.org )

Benefits of SECD 

Our Guiding Beliefs

• How we treat children in all aspects of our contact with them ‐as parents, teachers,

clinicians, policy makers or advocates

‐matters, including many small things that add up to make a big difference

• What matters most is the extent to which

we act with respect, challenge, caring,

safety, civility and encouragement of

opportunity and resilience

• All children can succeed Do we really

believe it, and are we ready to act on that belief with no alibis, no excuses, and no

exceptions?

The Challenge of Resilience: We Must Turn our Jumbled Schoolhouses into Places that Synergistically Promote Social-Emotional and Character Development (SECD)

Academic Skills,

Community Involvement

School-Wide Efforts

Rethink Trauma

• All learning must be trauma-informed

• This is a continuum, not an absolute based

“ All SEL Should Be Trauma-Informed”:

• “Those who design SEL programs cannot

assume they will be implemented under the best

of circumstances, in schools where past

initiatives were introduced with great care and

fidelity, and where teachers and staff remain

confident in the change process Rather,

implementation plans should allow for the

likelihood that local students are coping with

varying kinds of trauma, and that local educators are suffering from some amount of reform

fatigue.”

“ All SEL Should Be Trauma-Informed”:

• “That’s why it’s critically important for implementation

efforts to be led by at least a few individuals in key leadership positions who are committed not just to bringing SEL into the school but also to pushing through initial

obstacles, recognizing that overworked, overstressed, and quite possibly traumatized teachers and staff may be

reluctant to sign on to something new (Elias, 2010) And the more unstable the school environment, the more

important it will be for leaders to carve out the time, space, and resources people need in order to become familiar

with SEL, air their questions and concerns about it, and become invested in the work This means that while the urgency is high, the pace of change must be tempered in light of trauma-informed realities Only slow and steady will win the race.”

Teach SECD/

Performance Character Competencies

Provide Opportunities for Positive Contributions, Recognition, and

A Sense of Purpose And Pride in Being Part of the School

For ALL Children

Prevention:

Less Risky Behavior, More Assets, &

Positive Development

Greater Attachment, Engagement, &

Commitment

to Schools of Character

Better Resilience and Success

in School and Life

Resilience Comes from a Confluence of SECD

and Supportive School and Community

Environment s

Life Success

Self‐

awareness

Social  awareness Relationship skills

Responsible  decision  making

Self‐

management

Form positive relationships, work

in teams, deal effectively with conflict

g and empathy for others

Integration of CASEL and CCE Frameworks:

Singapore Model of SECD

SEL4NJ Guidelines for the Culture of a Learning Organization

• INSPIRING……… of one another

• CHALLENGING………… take risks to improve

• SUPPORTIVE……….collective efficacy

goals for learning together

• It all begins with the first day of school and persists every day thereafter!

• See: http://selinschools.org/new-jersey-culture-and-climate-coalition/

Basic to Humanity: Belief in

Oneself as an Agent of Positive

(Noble) Purpose

The intention to accomplish something that

is both:

Personally meaningful

In service of a greater, non- destructive good

Human Dignity is the Guide on

the Path to Positive Purpose

It did not really matter what we expected from life,

but rather what life expected of us.

Viktor Frankl

If you believe you are here for a purpose, your

energies will be focused A sense of mission will give you strength You will do remarkable things.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

The two most important days of your life are the day

you were born and the day you know why.

Mark Twain

Research Foundations of Resilience and SEL

Support the Circle of Courage

The Circle of Courage

Belonging

Opportunity to establish trusting connections

Mastery

Opportunity to solve problems and meet goals

SEL Research

Significance

The individual believes

“I matter because we all are interdependent.”

Competence

The individual believes

“I am an effective problem solving and I can

overcome obstacles.”

Power

The individual believes

“I have efficacy.”

Virtue

The individual believes

“My life has purpose.”

The Search for Meaning and

Adolescents’ Key Questions

• How does my life have meaning and purpose?

• What gifts do I have that the world wants and

needs?

• To what or whom do I feel most deeply

connected?

• How can I rise above my fears and doubts?

• How do I deal with the suffering of my family, my friends, others in the world, myself?

• What or whom is it that awakens or touches the spirit within me?

Inspiration Precedes Remediation

• Adolescents are entering a search that will

continue throughout their lives, as they author their identity through their deeds

• Each of these big questions about purpose, gifts, connection, fears, suffering, and personal spirit– represents a connection to purpose and meaning and a key deterrent to problem

behaviors, as well as to recovery.

• Inspiration precedes remediation.

Help Youth Understand Their Purpose

Trajectory of Purpose-Related Activities

• Level One: The Positive Purpose of a

Well-Known Individual– via picture book, fiction,

biography, social studies, current events

• Level Two: The Positive Purpose of a

Personally-Known Individual– local hero,

community leader, clergy, first responder, family members, educators

• Level Three: My Positive Purpose

• Principal Kafele https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U98d6CQbz4s

Formalizing goal-setting in school

toward Positive Purpose

• Set the expectation- do on a half-year or marking period basis 3 goals to:

• Make myself better

• Make my classroom better

• Make my school better

• Make the wider community and world

better

Laws of Life/Purpose Essays

• What is the Laws of Life/Purpose Essay?

The Value of Expressive Writing

• Case examples: Plainfield Public School District, Plainfield, NJ and Urban Dreams; MOSAIC in Jersey City

• Extending the effects into homes and

communities

• Multiple Intelligences Adaptations: VPA

Identify Student’s Broad

Priority/Value

• What is one rule that you believe is important to live your life by, that gives your life meaning and purpose?

• When you are at your best, how do you act?

• When do you feel best about what you do for others? What

is it that you are doing then?

• Think of someone you admire most How do they live their lives?

Prompts to Think and Write About

Purpose

• (1) “Write about a personal experience where you feel that something you did made a

difference” (e.g family, friends, school,

community, or natural environment).

• (2) “Describe how these experiences helped give you a sense of purpose.”

• (3) “How will your continue working toward this purpose?”

Integration of Purpose/Other Virtues into Academics: Fill in the Blanks

Positive Purpose

Language

Arts

Art/Music

Math/ Science

Health/PE/

Sports

Social Studies

SECD Lessons, Prevention

Connect to goals and exemplars

Keep the Focus on Building a Climate of Empathy and Kindness: Fill in the Blanks

formal

to Activists, from Bystanders to  Upstanders, From Defeated to Engaged

The Possibilities for Youth Action Are Greater Than We Might Realize

If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are

today, what need have you for a tomorrow?

Nachman of Breslov

Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

New Jersey Social Studies Standards Are

Forward Looking and are More than SS Standards

• Mission: Social studies education provides learners with the knowledge,

skills, and perspectives needed to become active, informed citizens and contributing members of local, state, national, and global communities in the digital age

• Vision: An education in social studies fosters a population that:

• Is civic minded, globally aware, and socially responsible.

• Exemplifies fundamental values of American citizenship through active participation in local and global communities.

• Makes informed decisions about local, state, national, and global events based on inquiry and analysis.

• Considers multiple perspectives, values diversity, and promotes cultural understanding.

• Recognizes the implications of an interconnected global economy.

• Appreciates the global dynamics between people, places, and resources.

• Utilizes emerging technologies to communicate and collaborate on career and personal matters with citizens of other world regions

Focal Social-Emotional Skills

Developed in the Students Taking Action Together (STAT) Approach

Students Taking Action Together

(STAT): The Civility Project

• One of the purposes of STAT is to build

students’ SECD to create dialogue and

civility among diverse students, and a

sense of empowerment and civic

engagement

• Another purpose is to foster deeper

thinking and engagement about issues in the classroom, school, community, and

world

Students Taking Action Together

(STAT): Partner in Civility

• The STAT approach is ideal for partnerships

between school mental health

professionals and those teaching social

studies and related classes, as well as

language arts

• How: Co-teach; support instruction; use

STAT approaches in disciplinary and Tier 2

contexts to conduct respectful debates and

build communication, problem solving, ability

to deal with differences and setbacks, other skills for humane interpersonal effectiveness.

STAT Teaching Strategies

Becoming a STAT Leader

• Share STAT with colleagues (flyer, website,

documents, formal and informal meetings— staff, grade-level, PLC’s, Social Studies,

Teachers’ lounge)

• Model its use in your context, share

successes, and offer to co-lead lessons

• Evaluate STAT’s use at the end of each

marking period

• Connect with STAT Team at

Rutgers for support

• Sample activities: Picture illusion

• Tip: Frame norms positively rather than

negatively (i.e what to do, rather than what not

to do)

– Example: “Be a respectful listener by paying

attention to the speaker with my eyes and ears.”

• Key Points:

– 3 versions: current events, historical events, school

problems

– Easy and active intro activity for any lesson

– Student summarizes what group discussed

– Teacher models summarizing the points of all groups

and checks for understanding

– Timing: Typically at start of lesson for 5 minutes

• SEL Connection: Social Awareness

• YNM Video (up to minute 5:20):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=316

&v=7PuPbjGQE0k

Students Should be able to Think,

Speak, and Act on Statements Like

These: Yes-No-or Maybe

• Students should be more focused on the rest of the world than on our

• Create graphic organizer that has students consider economic,

legal, ethical, and scientific arguments

• Create close-ended (vs open-ended) prompts

• Start with simple example (e.g., “Should students have to take tests

in school?”; “Should students be allowed to chew gum in school?”)

• Point out “ad hominen” arguments (i.e., personal attacks)

• SEL Connection: Relationship skills

Respectful Debate Prompt

• Prompt: Should students be allowed to chew gum in school?

• Instructions:

– Randomly divide half the participants into two groups, while the other half

observes

– Each side gathers their arguments

– Pro side shares out

– Con side summarizes pro side, checks for understanding, and shares its

perspective

– Switch sides and each side gathers their arguments

– Pro side shares out

– Con side summarizes pro side, checks for understanding, and shares its

perspective

– Debrief: what did you learn? What made you think differently?

• Educators consider:

– What might this activity teach us about strong opinions we hold about current

events, historical events, or interpersonal disputes?

– How would you consider modifying Yes-No-Maybe, Respectful Debate to fit

your own teaching/counseling situation?

• Problem Solving Framework (School and community

issues, current events, historical problems)

• Acronym:

– Problem description

– List goal, options, pros/cons

– Action plan (Note: Anticipate obstacles)

– Notice successes

• Start with simple example (e.g., Cafeteria food or

literature example)

• Timing: Typically multiple 45-minute lessons

• Can connect to service-learning and audience-focused

communication

• SEL Connection: Responsible decision-making

Examples of STAT in Action

• Example #2: Social Studies/History class

– Topic: the Civil War

Example #2 of STAT in Action

• Consider beginning with a debate, or a Maybe discussion on this question, based on this statement:

Yes-No-All through history, many countries have had slaves What the South was doing was no

different.

• Then, with background reading from your

current curriculum, consider the problem from

different perspectives, using the PLAN framework

Example #2 of STAT in Action

in the country? What were the issues, from each

perspective? Who were the key people involved in

making important decisions?

consider to be acceptable ways to resolve the problem? What did they ultimately decide?

did they encounter? How did they deal with them?

experiences that are relevant to the present?