Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 1

Supporting Post-Pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through Social Emotional Learning

Skills and Restorative Practices

Khenra Granger and Brittany Lambdin

Department of Educational Technology and Literacy, Towson University

EDUC 605 Informing Educational Practice to Affect Change

Dr. Rebecca Shargel

May 10, 2023

 Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 2

Research Question: How can educators support post-pandemic elementary (K-5) learners through social emotional
learning skills and restorative practices?

Thesis Statement: Elementary educators can best support post-pandemic learners by (1) implementing school wide social
emotional learning (SEL) programming, (2) applying restorative practice (RP) methods to further enhance social emotional
learning skills, and (3) receiving adequate and continued training and guidance in these practices for all staff.
Theme 1:
Implementing school wide social emotional learning (SEL) programming
Teaching Strategies: Open Circle SEL Trauma Informed Considerations for SEL
• Effective SEL programing has an important impact at
• Intentionally designing spaces to support students who
both the student and school-wide level (McDaniel,
had experienced trauma and allows for them to safely
Bardhoshi, & Kivlighan, 2022)
express their emotions (Ballin, 2022)
• Study shows implementation of a Social Emotional
• Faculty and staff work together to create an atmosphere
Learning curriculum in a school wide setting called
that is welcoming, calming and flexible for all students,
Open Circle examining how individual students SEL
that will promote learning but also help students heal
skills within a single classroom can affect the social,
from trauma and learn social-emotional skills (Ballin,
emotional, and behavioral outcomes of other students
2022)
in the same classroom (McDaniel, Bardhoshi, &
• These programs give educators a road map of how
Kivlighan, 2022)
trauma should be handled, while also allowing them to
• Results showed growth in student SEL competencies
see how trauma effects a students’ social and emotional
and improvements in perceptions of school climate
learning and development (Coady, 2021)
towards the implementation of SEL. This study also
• School wide pedagogies with an emphasis on developing
revealed some other promising results: reductions in
SEL skills are necessary to support at-risk students
absenteeism, reductions in incidents of behavioral
(students coping with trauma) and must be addressed
infractions and overall improvement of academic
prior to any academic concerns (Dyson et al., 2021)
achievement (McDaniel, Bardhoshi, & Kivlighan,
2022)
Theme 2:
Applying restorative practice (RP) methods to further enhance social emotional learning skills
H.E.A.R.T. Framework RP Pedagogy
• Both students and teachers interviewed in this study • The restorative practice (RP) approach is a similar
identified the school wide benefits of restorative concept to restorative justice approaches, but it focuses
practices which included: an increase in social and primarily on student behavior versus crime and deviant
emotional skills, personal relationship benefits and the behavior. RP address situations of wrongdoing by
overall school climate (what the school environment engaging both parties in conversations to restore the
“feels” like). (Kehoe et al., 2017) wrongdoing. Ultimately, effective RP places an emphasis
• From the interview results, five themes were on maintaining and strengthening student relationships.
discovered and used to develop the acronym (Kehoe et al., 2017)
H.E.A.R.T as a schoolwide framework for restorative • 14 - educators' interviews, all the educators interviewed
practice (RP) implementation. H.E.A.R.T stands for: recognized the significance of implementing effective
Harmony, Empathy for others, Awareness and social-emotional learning (SEL). Educators identified the
accountability, Respectful relationships, Thinking in a restorative practices of circle time, restorative
reflective way. This framework details the core values conversations and behavior modeling as successful
of effective restorative practices which enhance and methods supporting SEL. Educators noted these
 Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP
practice synonymous social emotional skills. (Kehoe et
al., 2017)
• RP should be integrated alongside SEL using RP as a
means to further develop SEL skills such as kindness,
empathy, and caring (Hulvershorn & Mulholland,
2018)
Theme 3:
Receiving adequate and continued training and guidance in these practices for all staff
Significance of Training
• Stress the importance of meeting students where they
are post-pandemic, which means acknowledging and
making active adjustments to teaching and learning
practices (this includes active choices to strengthen
SEL and restorative practices) (Timmons et al., 2021)
• Schoolwide routines extend to faculty through
professional development activities that are designed to
focus on learning about trauma and the practices to
address them (Ballin, 2022)
• After initial implementation before school, continued
conversations about Restorative Practice (RP)
implementation occurred throughout the year at faculty
meetings and PTO meetings for parent involvement
(Kervick, Garnett, Moore, Ballysingh, & Smith, 2020)
• Both teachers and parents identified concerns of
negative impacts for primary aged students (k-2) due to
the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, it is noted the
importance of teachers and parents working together to
best support the overall wellbeing of students during
the return to in-person learning. Parent at home
resource packs should be provided to strengthen and
reinforce SEL and RP (Timmons et al., 2021).
• More professional development for teacher on how to
build the necessary skills and incorporate them into the
classroom, along with support from administrators
within schools and follow through within district
implementation (Coady, 2021)
• With proper training, educators could respond
appropriately to a student’s actions, allowing them to
heal from trauma rather than cause them more harm
(Coady, 2021)
3
implementations lead to improvements in student SEL
practice and overall behavior. (Dyson et al., 2021)
• RP should be seen as a continuum for implementation
with the following range of universal (reaffirming
relationships through developing SEL skills), targeted
(repairing relationships), and intensive (rebuilding
relationships) when considering appropriate restorative
response (Hulvershorn & Mulholland, 2018)
Best Practices-Empathy Training
• The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the whole school in
the areas of structural conditions, overall social climate,
school cohesion, interpersonal relationships, and social
emotional capacities. (Herrmann et al., 2021)
• School staff must acknowledge their own traumas
stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and make
conscious efforts to self-regulate (process and manage
one’s emotions appropriately). This self-regulation
accompanied with mindfulness and compassion will
support educators in reacting rationally to student
behaviors as they are able to understand and show
empathy to the “why” of behaviors and allow for co-
regulation to support students (Herrmann et al., 2021).
• Benefits from staff participation in RP also noted to aid
staff in facilitation promoting more caring and positive
attitudes among staff towards students. When students
see prominent adults in their life act in a positive and pro-
social way, it demonstrates what appropriate social
behavior looks like (Kehoe et al., 2017)
• After participating in empathy training, participants
report how this crisis motivated SEL practices such as
self-regulation and mindfulness to overall improve social
field. (Herrmann et al., 2021)
• Staff must be able to engage in consistent professional
development opportunities that allow for them to develop
their own SEL competencies, pedagogical skills, and
time to share/reflect on their implementation experiences
(what works and what doesn’t) is necessary to promote
mutual respect and understanding (empathy) (Dyson et
al., 2021)
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 4

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to the education system as a whole

with specific interpersonal impacts for both students and staff. These impacts have manifested

amongst learners within the classroom as negative student behaviors that educators must now

manage and combat. The research in this paper examined the specific COVID-19 interpersonal

impacts for teaching and learning. Furthermore, it detailed how educators can make proactive

choices to support learners in overcoming these challenges. To best support the interpersonal

needs of post-pandemic elementary learners, there should be schoolwide social emotional

learning (SEL) programing in place, restorative practice (RP) methods in place to enhance and

practice SEL skills and continued support and training for staff in the implementation of these

practices. The vision for change to accompany the findings from this research is a four-session

professional development plan designed to help educators effectively implement social

emotional learning and restorative practices to best support post-pandemic learners.

Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 5

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Elementary (K-5) Learners

In December of 2019 the world herd rumblings of several cases of patients in China with

an atypical pneumonia-like illness, that did not respond well to standard treatments. By March of

2020 the United States had issued a nationwide state of emergency (CDC, 2022). In Maryland

(where we live and teach), schools were placed on an immediate two-week shut-down on Friday,

March 13, 2020. There was an instant sense of panic and an overwhelming wave of uncertainty.

At the elementary level, working with K-5 learners (ages 4-11), for many of our students we

assume a parental role. Our students were desperately looking at us for answers that we simply

did not have. After the two-week shut-down, our worlds were rocked as we had to come to the

realization that we would not be returning to the classroom in 2020 and that life as we knew it

wouldn’t be the same.

We were in crisis. Not just at a national level, but at the international level as we watched

COVID-19 evolve into a global pandemic. Families were directly impacted with nearly half of

the 3.3 billion global workforces at risk of losing their incomes (CDC, 2022). Stepping outside of

the educational lens for impact, there was now a global existential threat that placed the world’s

population in a constant state of stress. This level of high uncertainty triggered the automated

stimulus response mechanisms of fight-flight-freeze (Herrmann et al., 2021) leaving everyone on

edge. Furthermore, there was a concurrent interpersonal impact as most of the world was thrust

into isolation. Families were now uncertain and desperate to meet their basic physiological needs

(food, water, shelter, clothing, and sleep) as well as their needs for safety and security (health,

employment, property, family, and social abilities).

While we are now mostly in the post-pandemic era, the impacts are still relevant and

ongoing. Reflectively, there is not a single person that was not traumatized (to experience
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 6

something deeply distressing) by this pandemic. While the economic impact of the pandemic is

slowly regenerating, there was definitive proof of humans as social beings with a need for a

stress-buffer. We as humans need to feel socially integrated, socially supported, and co-regulated

through empathy (Herrmann et al., 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic directly hindered the human

population’s ability to meet these needs and we are seeing this trauma as negative impacts

reflected within our classrooms.

Returning to the educational lens, working within education has never been an easy

profession, but the pandemic brought on a whole slew of unprecedented challenges that we are

still recovering from. Upon the return to fully in-person teaching and learning for the 2021-2022

school year, we noticed these traumas manifesting in negative behaviors. At the primary level

(K-2) we are seeing students who have never been to a traditional school before. They don’t

know how to effectively communicate with one another (i.e., taking turns in conversations

without overtalking one-another), they don’t know how to share, or even follow basic school

routines and procedures (i.e., raising your hand to share ideas, not leaving the classroom without

permission, eating on a specific schedule, staying seated thought the day etc.). Not knowing

these school basics lead to both teacher and student frustrations which heighten due to a lack of

social and emotional skills including self-regulation (identifying and managing one’s emotions

appropriately). At the intermediate level (3-5), students are struggling to effectively interact with

one another as they are incapable of managing and resolving conflicts. They are lacking the

social and emotional coping strategies necessary to restore and foster effective interpersonal

relationships. Moreover, school structures as a whole have been disrupted due to the constant

reaction and management of these negative behaviors (Herrmann et al., 2021).

Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 7

As a result of the traumas caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, elementary learners now

require additional considerations to combat the negative behaviors and interpersonal impacts

from the pandemic. How can educators support post-pandemic elementary (K-5) learners

through social emotional learning skills and restorative practices? Elementary educators can

best support post-pandemic learners by (1) implementing school wide social emotional learning

(SEL) programming, (2) applying restorative practice (RP) methods to further enhance social

emotional learning skills, and (3) receiving adequate and continued training and guidance in

these practices for all staff.

School Wide Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Programming

Implementing school wide social emotional learning (SEL) programming provides a

comprehensive approach to teaching children how to identify and manage their emotions,

acknowledging the perspectives of others, setting goals, making responsible decisions, and

handling interpersonal situations effectively (Coady, 2022). Noting the trauma impact on all

students after the COVID-19 pandemic, we see the SEL needs of students more pronounced than

ever before. This leaves educators needing to address the social, emotional, and behavioral needs

of all students.

Teaching Strategies: Open Circle SEL

Traditionally, SEL research has focused on student outcome but as more research is

conducted, more and more results are showing that SEL also has an important impact beyond

just the student-level, but the overall improvement of a school community through effective SEL

implementation. A study conducted by McDaniel et al. (2022), illustrates the implementation of a

Social Emotional Learning curriculum in a school wide setting called Open Circle. The Open

Circle Curriculum is implemented two times a week for 15-30 minutes during the school year
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 8

throughout classrooms. Teachers and students meet in an open circle to explicitly teach these

SEL skills. The curriculum provides a structured format to facilitate the teaching of social

competency skills in elementary school classrooms. It also provides a context for discussion of

other issues important to the class. After each cluster of lessons, students are asked to reflect on

what they have learned and evaluate their use of the skills presented.

This study focused on examining how individual students’ SEL skills within a single

classroom can affect the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of other students in the same

classroom. The curriculum focused on sustained instruction, providing teachers with scaffolded

lessons across all elementary grade levels. These scaffolded lessons, would provide the initial

skill development and practice activities (calm breathing, speaking up, and positive self-talk) to

teach the foundational social and emotional skills and then support the performance of those

newly learned skills. The educators implementing the Open Circle curriculum strived to integrate

the program universally for all students, design a strategy to integrate new SEL skills (sharing,

taking turns, showing empathy, disagreeing respectfully) and frame them within the teaching and

reinforcement of their Tier I PBIS expectations already in place schoolwide (McDaniel et al.,

2022). The integration of Open Circle and the already universal PBIS was reinforced amongst

staff and students through consistent aligned vocabulary, integrated teaming, comprehensive and

frequent staff reminders and alignment of data systems. The already in place schoolwide

expectations directly correlate with those of the Open Circle curriculum and students were

explicitly being taught social problem solving, cooperative behavior, and emotional and

behavioral regulation which are all in line with the PBIS expectations.

At the end of the study, results showed growth in student SEL competencies and

improvements in perceptions of school climate towards the implementation of SEL. This study
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 9

also revealed some other promising results: reductions in absenteeism, reductions in incidents of

behavioral infractions and overall improvement of academic achievement (McDaniel et al.,

2022).

Trauma Informed Considerations for SEL

Equity in education begins with creating structures that support students inclusive of all

their social-emotional needs. In a study conducted by Ballin (2022), the focus was the intentional

design of a school, this term referring to the specific structures and systems that were put in place

in a school to support a trauma-sensitive environment. This intentional design involved

purposeful staffing, design of classrooms and other internal spaces, and schoolwide routines.

Ballin (2022) found two vital aspects of intentional staffing: teamwork among teachers and

support staff and intentional hiring. The intentional staffing created a supportive environment for

both teachers and students. The co-teaching model made smaller groups of students possible

which gave the flexibility to try different strategies. When school staff are fully supported, this

positive energy then flows down to the students. Allowing teachers to model their best social

emotional skills will in turn encourage students to practice these skills and understand their own

emotional states. The second vital aspect of intentional staffing (intentional hiring) means that it

was imperative for new teachers hired to support the trauma-sensitive approach. People with

prior knowledge of the approach or willing to learn as the involvement of each staff member in

the trauma-informed approach is key to successful SEL programing.

Intentionally designing spaces to support students who had experienced trauma and

allowing for students to safely express their emotions is another important finding in Ballin’s

2022 study. All faculty and staff worked together to create an atmosphere that was welcoming,

calming and flexible for all students. These design considerations ranged from calming wall
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 10

colors and lighting to furniture and alternative seating choices; options ranging from traditional

desk chairs to scoop rockers, camping chairs, bean bags, stationary stools, and wobble stools. By

providing spaces for students to calm down, and teaching them how to use these spaces, faculty

and staff utilized this internal design to support social emotional skill development that will

promote learning but also help students heal from trauma and use the SEL skills they learn

(2022).

The implementation of programs and approaches observed in these two studies, give

educators a road map of how trauma should be handled, while also allowing them to see the

overall effect of trauma on a students’ social emotional learning and development. School wide

pedagogies with an emphasis on developing SEL skills are necessary to support at-risk students

(students coping with trauma) and must be addressed prior to any academic concerns (Dyson et

al., 2021).

Restorative Practice (RP) Methods to Enhance Social Emotional Learning Skills

Acknowledging the trauma inflicted on students and staff after the COVID-19 pandemic

now requires intentional choices from all stakeholders to overcome said impact. While effective

SEL programing must be implemented to create an intentionally designed trauma supportive

space, research demonstrates that that is not enough to sustain and promote long-term success

and impact. In addition, Restorative Practices (RP) should be integrated alongside SEL using RP

to further develop student and staff SEL skills such as kindness, empathy, caring, and

communication abilities (Hulvershorn & Mulholland, 2018).

H.E.A.R.T. Framework

Once elementary learners have an established foundation of SEL skills, restorative

practices (RP) should be implemented to further develop and practice these skills. A study by
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 11

Kehoe et al. (2017) established a framework detailing the SEL skills that effective RP

implementation was noted to support. Within this study, student and teacher interviews were

conducted regarding the behavior impacts of RP implementation. After analyzing these

interviews, five themes were deduced to develop the H.E.A.R.T. framework. The H.E.A.R.T

stands for: Harmony, Empathy for others, Awareness and accountability, Respectful relationships

and Thinking in a reflective way. This framework details the core values of effective restorative

practices which enhance and practice synonymous social emotional skills. Furthermore, the

development of these skills was described as being vital for learning due to their positive impact

on student behavior and thinking.

The H.E.A.R.T. framework (Kehoe et al., 2017) detailed that students and staff

participating in effective RP described a more harmonious school environment. The “Harmony”

theme is supported by all parties being able to deal with situations in a calmer manner thus

improving relationships and boosting a sense of community in schools. Effective RP also

increases empathy for others by prompting students to participate in conversations that require

them to think initially about their language choice and how it could impact others. This increase

in empathy bolsters student awareness and accountability through the open dialog that RP

requires. Promoting open dialog leads directly into building healthy relationships which is the

fourth theme discovered. Effective restorative practices depend on active participation from both

students and educators. Educators must demonstrate the respectful communication they wish to

foster to build respectful relationships. Lastly, RP supports students by giving them a safe space

to reflect on their behavior and make necessary changes going forward.

Both students and teachers interviewed in this study identified the school wide benefits of

restorative practices which included: an increase in social and emotional skills, personal
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 12

relationship benefits and the overall school climate (what the school environment “feels” like).

These five themes detailed in the H.E.A.R.T. framework are the key elements of effective RP

implementation (Kehoe et al., 2017) and they are essential for students and staff to feel a sense of

connectedness and community.

Restorative Practice Pedagogy

The Restorative Practice approach is a similar concept to restorative justice approaches,

but it focuses primarily on student behavior versus crime and deviant behavior. RP addresses

situations of wrongdoing by engaging both parties in conversations to restore the wrongdoing.

Ultimately, effective RP places an emphasis on maintaining and strengthening student

relationships (Kehoe et al., 2017). In a study conducted by Dyson et al. (2021) a diverse

collection of 14 elementary educators (including teachers and administrators) working with at-

risk students at Clonkeen Elementary, in North Carolina participated in qualitative interviews

regarding their understanding of effective SEL implantation and implementation of restorative

practices. All the educators interviewed recognized the significance of implementing effective

social emotional learning. Educators identified the restorative practices of circle time, restorative

conversations and behavior modeling as successful methods supporting SEL. Educators noted

these implementations lead to improvements in student SEL practice and overall behavior

(2021).

RP should be seen as a continuum for implementation with the following range of

universal (reaffirming relationships through developing SEL skills), targeted (repairing

relationships) and intensive (rebuilding relationships) when considering appropriate restorative

response (Hulvershorn & Mulholland, 2018). Circle time is a group discussion that can be guided

to facilitate conversational skills to promote harmony or open dialog to problem solve a

Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 13

particular issue promoting awareness and accountability. Circle time is generally a universal

implementation of RP and can be used to explicitly teach SEL skills in context. Restorative

conversations should be done in smaller settings and are used to address and resolve conflicts.

Restorative conversations aim to have participants identify the different emotions they feel due to

a conflict and ways they can deal with those emotions, thus lending to practice in empathy for

others and reflective thinking. Restorative conversations can lend to both targeted and intensive

implementation given the situation. Finally, educators noted behavior modeling as a successful

RP practice (Dyson et al., 2021). Educators model appropriate language and behaviors for

students as a means of developing respectful relationships prompting students to engage in a

similar manner. Behavior modeling can be used effectively across the continuum for RP

implementation.

Staff Training and Guidance

Once elementary learners have an established foundation of SEL skills, restorative

practices (RP) should be implemented to further develop and practice these skills. This in turn

will create a positive school climate can greatly affect students’ social, emotional, and academic

success. It is vital that staff members create environments that provide both a safe and supportive

space for students to learn to handle the frustrations and conflicts that they face. Without

adequate support and training, staff cannot (to fidelity) support these students when they are

trying to overcome traumas stemming from the pandemic.

Significance of Training

Research has shown that both teachers and parents have identified concerns of negative

impacts for primary aged students (K-2) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, it is noted the

importance of teachers and parents working together to best support the overall wellbeing of
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 14

students during the return to in-person learning. Timmons (2021) found it would be beneficial to

provide parents with at home resource packs detailing information and strategies to strengthen

and reinforce social emotional learning and restorative practices that are being established

throughout classrooms and schools. A study conducted by Kervick et al. (2020) found that after

the initial implementation of restorative practices at a training taught before the school year

began, teachers appreciated the continued conversations about Restorative Practices (RP)

throughout the year at faculty meetings and at PTO meetings to encourage parent involvement.

It is imperative that we stress the importance of meeting students where they are post-

pandemic, which means acknowledging and making active adjustments to teaching and learning

practices- this includes active choices to strengthen SEL and RP (Timmons et al., 2021). A study

on trauma-sensitive schooling and SEL to promote educational equity conducted by Ballin

(2022) found that schoolwide routines were an integral part of the intentional design process they

used to support their trauma-sensitive approach through SEL. One of those integral schoolwide

routines being professional development on trauma and social emotional learning. These routines

would extend to faculty through professional development activities that were designed to focus

on learning about trauma and the practices to address them. Staff found that these ongoing

professional development opportunities were essential in supporting the schoolwide,

intentionally designed structures and systems that scaffold students and faculty in developing

SEL skills (Ballin, 2022).

More professional development is key for educators to provide them with all resources to

build the necessary skills and incorporate them into the classroom with fidelity, along with

consistent support from administrators within schools and follow-through from within district

implementation. With this adequate and proper training, educators would better be able to
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 15

respond appropriately to a student’s actions, allowing them to heal from trauma rather than cause

students more harm (Coady, 2021).

Best Practices-Empathy Training

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted entire school systems in the areas of structural

conditions, overall social climate, school cohesion, interpersonal relationships, and social

emotional capacities (Herrmann et al., 2021). As staff receive curriculum trainings to best support

post-pandemic learners through SEL and RP to create a trauma sensitive environment, school

staff must also acknowledge their own traumas stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and

make conscious efforts to self-regulate (process and manage one’s emotions appropriately). This

self-regulation accompanied with mindfulness and compassion will support educators in reacting

rationally to student behaviors as they are able to understand and show empathy to the “why” of

behaviors allowing for co-regulation to support students (2021).

Furthermore, for staff to best implement SEL and RP they must engage in these practices

themselves as more than just following a curriculum. A study completed by Herrmann et al.

interviewed educators who engaged in these SEL practices themselves to develop their capacities

for empathy. The study found that after participating in this empathy training, educators reported

how crisis motivated SEL practices (such as self-regulation and mindfulness) should be used to

improve overall school climate (2021). Additionally, Kehoe et al. noted that there are many

benefits from staff participation in RP as it was shown to aid staff in facilitation thus promoting

more caring and positive attitudes among staff towards students. When students see prominent

adults in their life act in a positive and pro-social way, it demonstrates what appropriate social

behavior looks like (2017).

Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 16

Therefore, staff must be able to engage in consistent professional development

opportunities that allow for them to develop their own SEL competencies, pedagogical skills, and

time to share/reflect on their own implementation experiences (what works and what doesn’t).

These practices are essential to promote mutual respect and understanding (empathy) that is

necessary for effective implementation of SEL and RP (Dyson et al., 2021).

Vision for Change

Rationale and Target Audience

As stated previously, school staff must acknowledge their own traumas stemming from

the COVID-19 pandemic and make conscious efforts to self-regulate (process and manage one’s

emotions appropriately). This self-regulation accompanied with mindfulness and compassion

will support educators in reacting rationally to student behaviors as they are able to understand

and show empathy to the “why” of behaviors and allow for co-regulation to support students

(Herrmann et al., 2021). This support must come from the teachers and teachers must be

prepared to support these students' social-emotional well-being by minimizing conflict,

improving social functioning, and fostering collaborative relationships. To do this successfully,

teachers themselves need support. This support can be provided through carefully designed

professional development (PD).

In order to support current educators and those studying in the field of education post-

pandemic, we developed a four-session professional development plan for “Supporting Post-

pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Restorative

Practices (RP).” This professional development plan is intended to be implemented at the school

level in four, 30-to-45-minute sessions, spread across the first four months of school. The

sessions could be offered consecutively, weekly, or monthly depending on the needs of the
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 17

audience. The flexibility of this PD makes it accessible and easy to implement. It is the goal of

this PD is to enhance educators’ abilities to support post-pandemic learners in the classroom and

supply them with effective strategies for classroom implementation. While the strategies

incorporated into the PD are intended to address the trauma resulting from the COVID-19

pandemic, they are also considered good classroom practices, and benefit the classroom as a

whole by building foundational SEL skills for a stronger classroom community.

The first session staff members will participate in is Empathy Training. Staff are first

asked to acknowledge their own personal traumas from the COVID-19 pandemic they may have

experienced, and then describe how these traumas have impacted them in their classroom

environments. Staff members will work collaboratively to develop social-emotional and

restorative competencies that will in hopes encourage staff participation in strategies such as

mindfulness and self-regulation with a goal of promoting pro-social and positive staff interaction.

An additional goal of this first initial professional development lesson is that by the end is for

staff members to be able to identify personal coping strategies for their own emotional regulation

that can also be applicable to the students in their own classrooms as learned through future PD

sessions. Another key element of this PD session focused on staff spending a large amount of

time looking inward having them describe how they choose to restore conflict in both their

personal lives and in their professional lives. Staff will be provided with the SEL competencies

graphic from CASEL and in grade level groups, they will review and define each competency:

Self-Awareness, Self-management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision

Making. Then in a whole group circle, they will share the takeaways and address any

misconceptions. At the end of the first PD session, staff members will complete a Personal SEL

Self Reflection sheet based on what they learned in the lesson and reassess that reflection sheet at
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 18

the beginning of Session 4, noting growth they’ve seen since the first PD and where they still see

the opportunity for improvement.

The second and third sessions both focuses respectively on breaking down SEL (social-

emotional learning), diving into teaching strategies and trauma informed considerations and

specific RP (restorative practices), the H.E.A.R.T. Framework and RP Pedagogy that are

applicable for educators in their classrooms. In session 2, staff members will gain knowledge of

what SEL is and how they can teach SEL skills universally to ensure their school is imploring

trauma informed practices to the best of their ability. The Open Circle SEL curriculum is a great

strategy for promoting collaboration in the form of gathering in a circle where all participates are

visible and equal. This curriculum can be implemented schoolwide when schools have PBIS

programs and expectations already in place. Already in place PBIS frameworks can directly

correlate with those of the Open Circle curriculum and students will be explicitly taught social

problem solving, cooperative behavior, and emotional and behavioral regulation. Lastly, staff

members will identify trauma informed considerations for their school and classroom

environment, examining how equity in education begins with creating structures that support

students inclusive of all their social-emotional needs.

In session 3, the primary focus is Restorative Practices, specifically examining the

H.E.A.R.T. Framework and RP Pedagogies. Staff will spend this PD session learning what the

H.E.A.R.T. Framework is and what RP strategies will support it. Before they are able to connect

the aforementioned RP strategies to the H.E.A.R.T Framework, staff will collaboratively through

circle time, define what restorative practices are. Next, they will identify the five themes from

the H.E.A.R.T. Framework: Harmony, Empathy for others, Awareness and accountability,

Respectful relationships and Thinking in a reflective way. The last step in session 3 is for staff
 Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 19

to describe the pedological RP approaches that will address the H.E.A.R.T. Framework and how

effective RP places an emphasis on maintaining and strengthening student relationships.

The final and 4th session has the overall goal for staff members to learn how they can

effectively collaborate to ensure practical and long-term implementation of SEL and RP in their

own school and classrooms. First, staff members will participate in a parking lot, sharing an

update of where they and their students are at with their own SEL competencies and pedagogical

skills, and share what they feel they themselves and their students still need further guidance on

regarding the learned SEL competencies and pedagogical skills from the previous SEL Personal

Reflection. Next, staff will work in collaborative small groups to read a section of the article

“SCARF: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others”, first reading the

introduction and then read one additional section (Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, or

Fairness). While still in their small groups, each staff members will get the opportunity to share

their big takeaways from the article, and then all will complete the SCARF Self-Assessment to

determine which SCARF element is their “primary driver”. After all staff members complete the

SCARF Self-Assessment, staff will get into a whole group circle to participate in the RP of circle

time to collaboratively discuss some final reflection questions and what they are taking away

from these PD sessions.

Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP

A Professional Development Plan

Prior to Implementation Provide participants with a self-assessment survey to determine current knowledge
and practices regarding SEL and RP.

Targeted Audience Those currently in or studying to be in the field of education post-pandemic.

Location This professional plan will be implemented at the school level.

PD Goal To enhance educators’ abilities to support post-pandemic learners in the classroom.

 Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 20

Topics Learning Targets Resources Time Frame

Session 1: Empathy Training • Acknowledge personal traumas SEL Competencies August Staff
Develop staff SEL and RP from the COVID-19 pandemic, CASEL Meeting (30-45
competencies to encourage how do these traumas impact minutes)
staff participation in strategies you in the classroom? CASEL- Framework
such as mindfulness and self- • What are your coping strategies and Videos
regulation with a goal of for emotional regulation?
promoting pro-social and • How do you restore conflict in Restorative Approach-
positive staff interaction. your personal and professional Video
lives?

Session 2: SEL- Teaching • Describe the Open Circle SEL CASEL SEL September
Strategies and Trauma curriculum. framework Staff Meeting
Informed Considerations • Identify trauma informed (30-45
What is SEL and how can we considerations for the school Open Circle Guide minutes)
teach SEL skills universally to and classroom environment.
ensure our school is imploring Open Circle in
trauma informed practices? Practice- Video

Trauma Informed-
Video

Counselor Connection-
Open Circle

Session 3: RP- H.E.A.R.T.
Framework and RP
Pedagogy
What is the H.E.A.R.T.
Framework and what RP
strategies support it?
• Define restorative practices. H.E.A.R.T. Framework October Staff
• Identify the five themes from Meeting (30-45
the H.E.A.R.T. Framework. RP Continuum minutes)
• Describe the pedological RP
approaches to address the RP in Practice- Video
H.E.A.R.T. Framework
Circle Time- Video

Session 4: Making it Work in
Your Classroom
How can we collaborate to
ensure practical and long-term
implementation of SEL and RP
at our school?
• Share an update of where you Restorative Practices November
are at with your own SEL and SEL Alignment- Staff Meeting
competencies, pedagogical CASEL (30-45
skills, and take time to minutes)
share/reflect on your own
implementation experiences
through collaboration.
 Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 21

Detailed Professional Development Lesson Plans

Session 1: Empathy Training

Develop staff SEL and RP competencies to encourage staff participation in strategies such as mindfulness and self-
regulation with a goal of promoting pro-social and positive staff interaction.

Audience Those currently in or studying to be in the field of education post-pandemic.

Objective Learners will be able to…

• Acknowledge personal traumas from the COVID-19 pandemic and describe how these
traumas impact them in the classroom environment.
• Identify personal coping strategies for emotional regulation.
• Describe how they restore conflict in their personal and professional lives.

Engagement • Establish group norms of a safe space for open communication without judgment or fear or
repercussions.
Chalkboard Splash
• How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact you and your family?
o Staff will write on sticky notes and post on the front board.
o Sort into social impacts, emotional impacts, and personal conflict impacts
• How do you cope with these impacts? (No judgment of coping strategy)
o List on front board
o Staff will then note any strategies that resonate with them by placing an anonymous
tally next to the strategy listed.
• How can we ensure our coping strategies are healthy?

Activity ● Staff will be provided with the SEL competencies graphic from CASEL.
● Jigsaw review and by grade level teams to Review and define each competency whole group
to address any misconceptions.
○ Self-Awareness: Kindergarten/Pre-k and 1st grade
○ Self-management: 2nd grade
○ Social Awareness: 3rd grade
○ Relationship Skills: 4th grade
○ Responsible Decision Making: 5th grade
● Staff will be provided with a self-assessment to personally reflect on their SEL competencies.

Reflection ● Staff participate in the RP of circle time to complete the Activity: Self-Care Give One/Get
Eight
● Staff will share and consider new self-care strategies, as they practice the social and emotional
skills of relationship building and self-awareness.
● Activity: Self-Care Give One/Get Eight Guide and Description

Resources SEL Competencies CASEL CASEL- Framework and Videos Restorative Approach- Video
Personal SEL Reflection
Give-1-Get-8
 Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 22

Session 4: Making it Work in Your Classroom

How can we collaborate to ensure practical and long-term implementation of SEL and RP at our school?

Audience Those currently in or studying to be in the field of education post-pandemic.

Objective Learners will be able to…

• Share an update of where they are at with their own SEL competencies and pedagogical skills.
• Take time to share and reflect on their own implementation experiences through collaboration.

Engagement Parking Lot:

• While staff are getting seated, they will review their Personal SEL Reflection sheet, completed in
session 1. Have slide on the board directing them to use the 4 different colored post-it notes at
their tables to write down 4 statements; one competency they feel they have grown in (blue post-
it), one competency they feel their students have grown in (pink post-it), one competency they
feel they still need to improve on (green post-it), and one competency they feel their students
still need to improve on (yellow post-it).
• Establish group norms of a safe space for open communication without judgment or fear or
repercussions.
• Choose several post-it notes from each category, asking staff if they’d like to elaborate on their
statements, allowing any misconceptions to be clarified by other staff members who may have
had similar experiences.

Activity ● In groups of five, assign each group to read a section of the article. All groups will read the
introduction, then will be assigned one additional section to read (Status, Certainty, Autonomy,
Relatedness, or Fairness).
● Once all group members have read the introduction and their assigned section, each group
member will get 2-3 minutes to give a summary highlighting their big takeaways from the article.
● After everyone has given their summary, all staff members will then complete the SCARF Self-
Assessment to determine which SCARF element is their “primary driver”.
● After all staff members complete the SCARF Self-Assessment, staff will get into a circle to
participate in the RP of circle time to collaboratively discuss the following questions:
○ How do your results explain your interactions with the people around you?
○ What do you need to be successful at work? How can you ask for this?
○ How can you begin to be more aware of and responsive to the “drivers” of others?

Reflection While still in a collaborative circle, the following question will be presented to staff members to share
thoughts on:
● In what ways can you (and school community) stay motivated and accountable to continue
growing and reflecting on your social and emotional competencies?
● After reviewing your Personal SEL Reflection, what questions do you still have and what
competencies are you still struggling with?
● How can you apply this practice to your classroom?
● What is working? What isn’t working?

Resources Personal SEL Reflection SCARF Article

SCARF Self-Assessment Restorative Practices and SEL Alignment- CASEL
Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 23

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to the education system

with specific interpersonal impacts for both students and staff. These impacts have manifested

amongst learners within the classroom as negative student behaviors that educators must now

manage, combat, and hopefully prevent. After acknowledging the trauma impact on all students

after the COVID-19 pandemic, we see the SEL needs of students more pronounced than ever

before. This leaves educators needing to address the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of

all students. To best support the interpersonal needs of post-pandemic elementary learners, there

should be schoolwide social emotional learning (SEL) programing in place, restorative practice

(RP) methods in place to enhance and practice SEL skills and continued support and training for

staff in the implementation of these practices. By improving social interactions and helping to

build collaborative relationships within the classroom and throughout schools, the

aforementioned trauma can hopefully be minimized while improving the social and emotional

competencies of each student on an independent and a school-wide level.

Supporting Post-pandemic Elementary (K-5) Learners Through SEL and RP 24

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