Module 3.4 Integrating SEL into Leading

The Big Picture

We know the toll that stress is taking on educators and staff—overwhelm, exhaustion, and burnout are common. We also know that creating a culture of belonging with trust, safety, respect, and collaborative relationships among staff members can help mitigate this stress. Allowing educators—and students—to have a voice in decision-making and opportunities to address issues of concern in creative, equitable, and culturally responsive ways is a powerful way to begin building a school culture grounded in trust.

Leaders (district, school site, department chairs, grade level leads, instructional coaches, and mentors) are key to making this happen!

This video offers a glimpse into how leaders can strengthen adult social and emotional competencies and impact culture and climate, staff relationships, and overall well-being.

Reflection

• What insights do you glean from the video?
• What might you do to strengthen adult SEL within your context?

Cultivating Healthy Relationships through 1:1 Conversations

Next, we move into cultivating 1:1 relationships through authentic conversation with scaffolds for conversation to ensure safety and trust through inquiry.

The COVID pandemic reminded us that schools are complex systems where everything affects everything else and that our energy, commitment, and sense of community are more important than materials and schedules are. New priorities have emerged, with the mental and physical health of every student and educator being the most important. Chaotic and volatile conditions require leaders committed to clarity while creating a positive, healthy climate founded on positive and connected relationships with every student, teacher, and parent. A compassionate mindset is a prerequisite to productively addressing family crises and social challenges.

Reflection

• How are you doing, really? What is a personal and professional high and low this week? If you are able to do this with a colleague, review the Collegial Conversation Guidelines, and share what feels comfortable with one another. Take turns reflecting back what you’ve heard and inquiring, i.e., asking open ended questions of one another to deepen your thinking. Notice how you felt during the conversation. Let each other know what helped you feel heard and supported.

Relationships are a protective factor for educator health and wellbeing, and are the foundation for a positive, caring, collaborative culture and climate. The conversations among partners and group members will foster trust and safety among group members.

Interpersonal Curiosity: Inquiring with Open-Ended Questions

We all show up differently in relationships. We have many influences throughout our lifetime…our families, our cultural backgrounds, our peer groups, our community, and even our location. The purpose of this exploration is to reflect on ways we show up in relationships and to understand more deeply who we are in relationships.

Entry Points: Meetings and Professional Learning Experiences

• Review the Meetings and Professional Learning Design Principles that incorporate the 3 Signature SEL Practices for adults, and then, plan an upcoming meeting or professional learning experience using the Planning Template.
• Read Tell Me So I Can Hear. Determine how you like to receive feedback. Then, ask a colleague to provide you with some specific feedback on your plan. (Used with permission of Learning Forward, www.learningforward.org. All rights reserved.)

Toward Systemic SEL

Putting it all together, we focus on a systemic approach to social and emotional learning within the context of a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). A robust plan includes strengthening adult SEL, promoting SEL for students—both explicit SEL instruction and integrated social, emotional, and academic instruction—and ways to assess how it’s going formatively and summatively in order to make improvements.

Begin by watching this video:

Reflect on ways to enhance the learning environment with social and emotional supports in your context. Enlist a colleague or two to think about this and work with you to make SEL an intentional part of the learning environment.

Next, select an area for review as you plan for SEL as part of MTSS.

• Strengthen Adult SEL
• A Supportive Classroom Environment
• Explicit SEL Instruction
• Integration of SEL and Academic Instruction
• Practice Continuous Improvement

Read your section and assess your current practice using the rubric provided. Review the considerations and ideas to inform how you might strengthen this area in your district or at your site. If possible, share with a colleague your assessment, ideas, and considerations. Make a plan for going forward towards systemic SEL.

3.4 Take It Deeper: The Big Picture (Parts 1 & 2)

Use these downloadable guides to help you understand the big picture while integrating SEL into your leadership.

Before facilitating groups, spend time in individual exploration in order to experience and embody the learning. And if you haven’t yet explored our introduction to SEL in California, make sure you explore those resources, too.