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10. SEL Classroom Learning Centers and Menus
their frustration—it is a real feeling!—and gently coach them on using calm-down strategies to refocus. As a part of your narration, be sure to include labeling when you see students try an idea that does not work. This is a wonderful time to honor the idea and the attempt made, and to walk the students through identifying why the idea did not work and how they can build on the mistake to improve their idea.
Virtual Learning Tip
For virtual learning, you can use teacher modeling throughout lessons. It may be beneficial to use a visual cue, like touching your finger to your face, to differentiate between thinking aloud and the lesson itself. You can also easily adapt guided student problem solving to the virtual format, utilizing discussions in either the large group or small breakout rooms. Student modeling is a bit more difficult but can take the form of students recording themselves (with the help of their families) acting out solving problems such as solving connection difficulties, navigating the digital classroom interface, or finding needed school supplies. This is an opportunity to engage families in creating socialemotional learning skits so that students can practice these SEL skills with the support of their families. Involving the family has the added benefit of providing the student’s outside-of-school support system with language to support the student in these skills. Be mindful of families’ limitations in time and technology accessibility and make recording video skits a choice activity.
Daniel groaned loudly when he saw the assigned work. Although Maria knew he was capable of completing it, something about the assignment itself seemed daunting. Why didn’t Daniel have this reaction to the independent work this morning? Maria wondered. Oh! The team had decided to try using a menu for students to choose how they wanted to practice their skills. Daniel, and really all the students, had responded so much better to having choice.
Setting up an SEL center within your classroom and teaching students about what they can do when they are finished with their work is a great way to embed SEL. Often teachers have set routines and procedures for students after they finish their assigned learning tasks within a particular subject area. In these situations, students don’t need to ask the teacher what to do next as they already know what is expected. While some teachers allow students to read a book or complete additional work, another option is to have students use the SEL center or learning menus.
The SEL center can contain a menu of learning options that connect with SEL essential standards. These can include SEL-focused books to read, SEL partner games,
SEL games from a computer or tablet, and SEL projects. These projects can also connect with the academic curriculum so that students are connecting the topics together and synthesizing their learning (see chapter 5, page 223). Offering a menu is essential in this process because teachers have a better chance of students being engaged in SEL when the students are given the choice of the type of activity. Figure 4.33 shows a sample SEL learning center menu that students can choose from. The key to setting up a structure like this is to critically think through the organization of materials, provide students with clear expectations, and teach them specific procedures and routines. Teachers can set up a weekly routine of allowing students to share their projects. This could occur one day each week during morning meeting or at the end of the day on Fridays.
SEL Menu
SEL Independent Reading
Directions: Choose a book from our classroom library that has a blue sticker in the top right corner.
Directions: If a computer is open or a tablet is available you can play SEL games from our school’s webpage (star icon). Set the timer for ten minutes. When the timer is up, choose a new menu item. Directions: Find a partner and together choose a game from the blue tub. When you are done fill out the “Partner Game Self-Assessment” checklist and put it in the “turn in work” basket when you are done.
Directions: Choose a project from the blue project folder. As you work on it, keep it in your “still-working” folder. When you complete the project put it in the class “completed work” bin or save it to your personal drive on the computer.
