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B U I L D I N G B L O C K S F O R S O C I A L- E M O T I O N A L L E A R N I N G
Think of the value of a team of teachers working together to generate transitions that focus on the five SEL building block components that specifically correlate to SEL grade-level essential standards. This type of focused, intentional teaching requires proactive purposeful planning. Therefore, in chapter 5 (page 223) we discuss the importance of planning SEL transitions throughout the school day and provide planning tools and specific ideas for making this manageable for teachers.
Maria watched as Daniel and Maggie cleaned up from their reading center using the breathing exercises she was leading the class through during the transition. She smiled as the two of them laughed together at blowing out their finger-candles. Later in the day, while Daniel was working on his writing, he threw his paper across the room. “It’s not perfect!” he cried. Maria went to him and suggested he try breathing, but he just put his head down and sobbed. “I can’t! I try to be perfect and not get upset and everyone else is perfect, and I just can’t!” Reflecting on this made Maria realize that Daniel is putting a lot of pressure on himself to “be perfect” but he does not necessarily know what this means. It seems like an unattainable goal. To even learn to use these self-regulation strategies, Daniel must begin to understand how to set a goal and achieve it through small steps so that he can celebrate his successes along the way. Come to think of it, all students benefit from goal setting, Maria thought. What if we incorporate goal setting into our classroom?
Essential SEL standards can be made into student-friendly “I can” statements and used for student goal setting. When students know their learning targets, they are not only more likely to learn the skill but are also using and practicing a cognitive executive functioning skill (namely, goal setting) needed for academic learning and something that is a lifelong skill. Edwin A. Locke and Gary P. Latham (2002) find that setting higher goals yields greater effort and performance. Experiencing guided goal setting with a teacher helps to develop the child’s executive functioning which supports the academic cognitive skill area as well as the area of emotional regulation (SEL building block component 4). Goal setting should require shared ownership on the part of the teacher and the student. It is important for the teacher to facilitate the process, but it is just as important for the student to take personal ownership in the act of goal setting. Student goal setting becomes meaningless if the student is not part of the process. Matthews (2015) shows that people are 33 percent more likely to accomplish a goal when the goals are recorded, shared with others, and frequently updated.
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2. Student Goal Setting
