Sel For Educators - PD Presentation - VF

SEL for
Educators
PROMOTING THE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT AND WELL-BEING OF
ADULTS IN SCHOOL SETTINGS
All content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The SEL for Educators Toolkit consists of this Professional
Learning Presentation, a Companion Guide, a Snapshot, and
a Reference List. It is intended to be an accessible and
actionable synthesis of the research on the social-emotional
learning (SEL) of adults in school settings.
It is designed to be flexible and adaptable; educators can
review and use these tools in their entirety, or select one or
more focus areas. It is not intended to be exhaustive, but
rather a starting point on the what, the why, and the how of
supporting educators' SEL. Due to the wealth of resources
focused on system-level support, this toolkit focuses on
what educators can do to support their individual growth.
We hope this toolkit provides opportunities for reflection,
conversation, collaboration, and continued growth.
Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 2
A Call To Action
For Leaders
In addition to utilizing the following
strategies, leaders
$10,000 Minimum also have the ability—
Investment
and obligation—to implement structures
30% Equity
and create systems to further support the
social-emotional
20% Returns Annuallydevelopment and well-
being of their staff.

Provide frequent
Support staff in opportunities for adults to
reflecting on their own practice, model,
and enhance
social and emotional
competencies, including
competencies, consistent and scaffolded
identities, and biases. professional
learning experiences.
SYSTEM-LEVEL
CONSIDERATIONS
From CASEL Weave competencies
Embed practices through all resources
that support and tools that guide
Learn
More
competencies into staff in interactions
district- and school- with students, families,
level staff meetings. and community
members.

Adult social-emotional development is most
successful when there is a strong container that
supports individual reflection, examination,
learning, and growth.
Without a supportive environment and strong
system, the individual cannot take on this work.
Without the individual work, the structure may be
strong, but empty.
It is therefore the combination of supportive
structures and systems, along with strategies applied
at an individual level, that provides the conditions
for true adult development in schools.

The end goal, of course, is not just to retain warm
adult bodies in classrooms, but to meet the needs
of our students. Kids need passionate, effective,
committed educators. In order to retain such
people, school leaders need to provide teachers
with resources to meet the challenges they’ll
encounter in their work so that they can learn from
those challenges, surmount them, and fulfill their
purpose.
ELENA AGUILAR

Overview
The What The Why The How

Defining Educator SEL Supporting Evidence High-Leverage Practices

The What
Defining Educator SEL
“These aren't kid skills. These are human skills.”

- Classroom Teacher

Related Terms
SEL shares some similarities with terms such as:

• Emotional Intelligence
• Well-Being
• Resilience
• Self-Care
However, the specific components of SEL
for educators in school settings are unique. Learn
More
THE WHAT
Educator SEL
Defined
• The competencies that adults need in order
to manage stress and create a safe and
supportive classroom environment
• The skills and mindsets that adults need to
effectively embody, teach, model, and coach
student SEL.
• The overall well-being and emotional state
of adults in school settings
THE WHAT
PROCESS
How often is SEL discussed in your day-
to-day work as it relates to students?
How often is SEL discussed in your day-

PAUSE to-day work as it relates to adults?
On a scale of 1-10 (1 being least important and

10 being most important) how critical do you
think the elements described in the
Educator SEL definition are to your role
as an educator? Why?
THE WHAT
The Why
Supporting Evidence
“The time has come for all schools to address the missing link in what will help
educators thrive—a greater focus on all adults’ health and well-being.
If we want our educators to be successful—both personally and professionally—
schools must be places that bring out the best in them.”
- Marc Brackett & Christina Cipriano

Evidence
● Cultivate Strong Relationships

● Model Social-Emotional Skills
● Manage Stress & Reduce Burnout
THE WHY
Strong Relationships
Educators who embody social-emotional skills

and mindsets cultivate strong relationships
with both colleagues and students.
THE WHY
Strong relationships
within a school
community contribute to a
positive climate for both
students and staff.
Learn
More
THE WHY
Social-Emotional Skills
Educators who practice social-emotional skills

are able to more effectively model healthy
strategies for their students, including how to
navigate stress and frustration.
THE WHY
Teachers who are able
to model healthy
social-emotional skills contribute
to a
safe and prosocial
learning environment.
Learn
More
THE WHY
Stress & Burnout
Educators who develop their social-emotional

skills are better able to manage their stress
and anxiety, reduce burnout, and are less
likely to consider leaving the profession.
THE WHY
Reducing staff stress
levels improves job
satisfaction and retention,
ensuring that students
experience stability and
consistency from year to
year.
Learn
More
THE WHY
Students with
teachers who exhibit
lower levels of stress
achieve higher test scores
and fewer behavior
infractions.
Learn
More
THE WHY
PROCESS
In what context do you see your own
social-emotional development most
PAUSE directly impacting students?
Which of the aforementioned reasons
would motivate you most to focus on
your own social-emotional
development and well-being? Why?
THE WHY
Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education THE WHY 21
The How
High-Leverage Practices
“In order to do the work, we have to do our work.”

- Brené Brown

The strategies outlined in the following
section focus on work at the individual
level. Although this work is ideally done outside your
in community, the focus is on change control
through individual understanding and within your
actions, or areas that are within one’s influence
“Circle of Control.”
If you are a school leader, your position

within your
comes with additional responsibility: In control
addition to your own social-emotional
development, you must also consider
the ways in which systems and
structures encourage or inhibit the
social-emotional development of adults
in your school.
THE HOW
“We can’t teach what
we don’t know.
We can’t lead where
we won’t go.”
MALCOLM X
THE HOW
Establish
Balance & Examine
Boundaries Identity
Educator
Orient
Towards SEL Explore
Optimism Emotions
Cultivate
Compassionate
Curiosity
Five High-Leverage Practices

Examine Identity
Teaching and working in schools is inherently

personal work. In order to best serve students,
adults must go inward to examine their identities,
values, mindsets, and actions.
Many educators who remain in the profession

struggle to engage with their initial values &
purpose. Additionally, educators are not immune to
the unconscious biases and stereotyped beliefs that
are pervasive in society. By regularly examining the
ways in which identities, values, and mindsets
influence actions, educators can more effectively
serve their students.

Examine Identity
• Define Values & Pursue Purpose
• Investigate Privilege & Power
• Uncover Bias
• Reflect on Work Style
“Good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and
integrity of the teacher.”
– Parker Palmer
1
Define Values &
Pursue Purpose
People who are resilient have a clear
sense of purpose. Clarity of purpose
supports educators in working through
challenging situations.
Educators with clear values direct their

work towards their intended purpose, are
able to identify the obstacles that inhibit
their ability to pursue their purpose, and
can find solutions to those obstacles.
1
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Reflect on your professional purpose and passion
through the “What’s Your Why?” exercise in the
Companion Guide.
Read Teachers Don’t Need to Find Their Why by Paul

Murphy and reflect using the “Pursuing Purpose”
prompts in the Companion Guide.
Complete the “Defining Values” activity in the

Companion Guide to elevate what matters most for you.
Try the Passion Profiles Activity to identify your passion

and the motivations of colleagues.
Engage in the Creating Metaphors Activity to reflect on

your identity and integrity as an educator.
Reflect using the Gap Analysis Protocol to make a

stronger connection between beliefs and practices.
1
Investigate
Privilege & Power
Privilege is defined as a special right, advantage, or immunity available to a particular
person or group, and having privilege conveys power. Both privilege and power are
embedded in interactions and relationships, including those that occur within schools.

To create brave and safe spaces in classrooms, organizations, and communities, it is
crucial to examine the ways power and privilege impact the systems in which we work.
1
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Watch Michael Yates’ TED Talk and reflect using the prompts in
the Companion Guide.
Watch this video for a quick and accessible explanation of

privilege and this video for a look at systemic racism.
Read Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh.

Process using this self-reflection activity or engage others in this
group activity.
Read Why We Can’t Afford Whitewashed SEL by Dena Simmons,

The Lens of Systemic Oppression from the National Equity
Project, and/or White Racial Identity and Anti-Racist Education
by Sandra M. Lawrence and Beverly Daniel Tatum. Process with
others using a text protocol found in the Companion Guide.
Listen to the “Power in Schools” series (Episodes 73, 74, 75 & 76)
on the Modern Learners podcast.
Explore the
MSW@USC Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Pow
er and
1 Privilege
Uncover Bias
Bias is defined as “a natural inclination for or
against an idea, object, group, or individual. It
is often learned and is highly dependent on
variables like a person's socioeconomic
status, race, ethnicity, educational
background, etc.” Bias can occur at the
individual, system, and societal level.
In school settings, unconscious bias can lead

to disparities in how students are treated
through discipline policies, academic
experiences, and adult expectations.
Educators who work to uncover their own bias
are more likely to display confidence in and
affirm their students. They also set high
expectations for all students and support
them in reaching their goals.
1
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Watch one of the short videos below and reflect using the prompts in the
Companion Guide.
● Implicit Bias in Education (2:40)
● How Unconscious Bias affects judgement (1:07)
● PBS’s Implicit Bias: Peanut Butter, Jelly and Racism (2:26)
● Bias in American Schools (10:50)
● Video series from UCLA (7 videos, each 5 minutes or less)
Read Teachers are as Racially Biased as Everyone Else, Study Shows

and consider reflecting with a group using a text protocol found in the
Companion Guide.
Test yourself for hidden bias using the Implicit Bias Test from Project Implicit.
Deepen your learning through a PD module on Anti-Bias Education from

Teaching Tolerance.
Listen to this podcast on Unconscious Bias in Schools from Harvard EdCast

(28 min).

Use the Questions & Assumptions Protocol to examine assumptions and
potential bias in your teaching materials.
1
Reflect on Work Style
Reflecting on one’s personality, work style, and leadership approach can support
self-awareness and identity development. Those who are self-aware are able to
capitalize on their strengths and ask for support in their areas of growth.
This self-awareness further enables educators to communicate challenges and

seek support, which can strengthen team dynamics.
1
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Complete one of the following self-reflection
exercises. Then share, discuss, and debrief with those
whom you work with closely.
● Compass Points
● 16 Personalities
● Roles in a Social Change Ecosystem
● Daring Leadership
Engage in the
Qualities of an Educational Leader Exercise to explore
your own style as a leader/teacher. Discuss and
debrief with others.
1
PROCESS
How do you see your own identity
PAUSE showing up in your work?
• Define Values & Pursue Purpose Of the four strategies outlined here,
• Investigate Privilege & Power which do you feel you have done the
• Uncover Bias most work on?
• Reflect on Work Style Of the four strategies outlined here,
which do you feel you need to focus
on more? Why?
1
Explore Emotions
Emotional awareness involves the way we

recognize and make sense of our own
emotions, as well as the emotions of others.
Educators who explore their own emotions

report that they are more effective in
classroom management and have stronger
relationships with students.

Explore Emotions
• Label Emotions
• Recognize Physical Reactions
• Respond Rather Than React
“As an educator, we learned how to read and how to do math but we weren’t
explicitly taught how to talk about our feelings.”
– Randi Peterson
2
Label Emotions
Increasing one’s emotional vocabulary enables
educators to more accurately identify and
articulate feelings, ensuring that emotional
responses are both productive and intentional.
By simply naming an emotion, the brain releases

neurotransmitters which can calm the
neurological stress response, subsequently
creating distance between ourselves and our
experience. This distance can allow for the time
and space to consider how best to respond.
2
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Read this Harvard Business Review article on the power of
labeling emotions and try one of the included exercises.
Watch Dan Siegel’s video (2:00) for a simple explanation of

the neuroscience of naming emotions.
Complete the reflection exercise in the Companion Guide

using the Feelings Wheel to consider the multiple layers of
an emotion.
2
Recognize Physical
Responses
We often experience emotions directly in the body. Emotions trigger physical responses
such as muscle tension, sweaty palms, or an elevated heart rate.
Noticing these physical responses can help identify stressors. When we understand the
effects of emotions, we can respond intentionally, rather than merely react.
2
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Complete the reflection exercise in the Companion Guide to
consider where and how you feel emotions in the body.
Watch this video (2:00) about mapping emotions in the body.
Read about how a body scan practice can help you reduce
biological stress and engage in the included guided practice.
Guide yourself through a body scan exercise with one of

these two resources:
● Search Inside Yourself: The Body Scan
● Stop, Breathe, Think: Body Scan
2
Respond Rather
Than React
Reactions occur instinctively, without deliberate
thought or full consideration of impact. Responses
are intentional and deliberate, with awareness of
what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how it
will impact others.
Mindfulness trains one’s mind to respond rather than

react. Mindfulness is the practice of intentionally
paying attention to one’s thoughts, emotions, and
physical sensations, in the present moment and
without judgement. Educators who engage in
mindfulness show reduced stress and burnout, have
greater confidence in their role, cultivate more
emotionally supportive relationships, and have
better classroom organization.
2
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Read an accessible synthesis of the research on the benefits of mindfulness
from Mindful Schools.
Read about three simple mindfulness practices from Meena Srinivasan that can be
incorporated into the school day.
Watch and listen as teachers reflect on their own mindfulness practice and its impact
on their work.
● Finding My Breath: Cultivating a More Compassionate Classroom
● Mindfulness in Education: Learning from the Inside Out
Engage in a 1-minute, 5-minute, or 10-minute breathing exercise using a simple shape

as a visual cue.
Learn about and reflect on ways to incorporate grounding practices into your day.
Consider using a post-it on your laptop (or some other key spot) with one of the following
acronyms as a reminder to take a moment and respond, rather than react: RAIN, STOP, SNACK.
Learn about the ways mindfulness can reduce unconscious bias.
Read an interview with San Francisco Department of Public Health Program Innovation Leader,
Jenée Johnson, to explore the connections between trauma, stress, racial equity, and
mindfulness. 2
PROCESS
How do you see your emotions
enhancing or inhibiting your work with
PAUSE students, staff, and families?
Of the three strategies outlined here,
• Label Emotions which do you feel you have done the
• Recognize Physical Responses most work on?
• Respond Rather Than React Of the three strategies outlined here,
which do you feel you need to focus on
more? Why?
2
Cultivate
Compassionate
Curiosity
Compassionate curiosity involves approaching
each interaction as an investigator and exploring
why a behavior is happening, with the
understanding that behavior is a form of
communication. Compassionate curiosity allows
one to approach each situation with empathy
instead of judgement.

Cultivate
Compassionate
Curiosity
• Apply an Asset-Based Lens
• Listen with Empathy
• View Behavior as Communication
“‘Compassionate curiosity’ is medicinal. It is also illuminating. It can interrupt our

potential biases and assumptions about our students’ thinking and abilities.”
- Kyle Redford
3
Apply an
Asset-Based Lens
Research suggests that focusing on another
person’s strengths, rather than perceived
weaknesses, can lead to better outcomes. In
a school setting, when teachers focus on
student strengths rather than potential
limitations, students are more successful
and engaged.
Culturally competent educators who view

student experiences through an asset-based
lens elevate students' voices, provide
materials and activities that draw on diverse
cultures, capitalize on students’ culturally
grounded experiences, and promote more
equitable conditions for their students.
3
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Watch this video (2:45) and reflect using the prompts in the
Companion Guide.
Watch Chris Wejr’s TED Talk or Kathy Kramer’s TED Talk and
reflect using the prompts in the Companion Guide.
Read this quick synopsis on the “what” and “why” of an

asset-based approach in schools and reflect using a text
protocol found in the Companion Guide.
Identify your own strengths (and those of students) through

the VIA Character Strengths Survey.
3
Listen with Empathy
Empathic listening is a dynamic process that requires the listener to take in more
than just the speaker's words. It has been described as listening with one’s ears,
eyes, and heart, and it goes beyond active or reflective listening.
Listening and responding with empathy helps educators understand, build, and
maintain relationships. It contributes to a student’s sense of belonging and
enables educators to calibrate support to student needs
3
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Watch this video (7:40) and read the corresponding article to further
understand the intersection of compassionate curiosity and empathy.
Watch Kwame Christian’s TED Talk and reflect using the prompts in the
Companion Guide.
Utilize the Missed Cues Protocol to consider ways we can unpack

assumptions and/or listen more deeply to students.
Practice empathic listening by role-playing authentic scenarios related to

students, staff, or families.
● Active & Intentional Listening Guidelines
● 7 Ways to Respond to Students with Empathy
● 7 Tips for Empathic Listening
● Handbook for Facilitating Difficult Conversations in the Classroom
3
View Behavior
as Communication
Viewing behavior as a form of
communication allows adults to embrace
opportunities to respond to students as
whole humans, rather than responding to
individual behaviors. When teachers
recognize the reason behind behaviors, they
can implement preventative strategies,
respond with care, and maintain strong
relationships with their students.
This approach ensures that teachers identify

challenging behavior as a symptom of unmet
needs that can be addressed through
targeted supports, rather than as a sign of
willful defiance or disrespect.
3
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Read
Understanding Behavior as Communication: A Teacher’s Guide or
Behavior is Communication and reflect using a text protocol
found in the Companion Guide.
Explore the four visual representations of content found in the

Companion Guide and reflect using a text protocol.
Watch Dear Teacher: Heartfelt Advice for Teachers from Students

and reflect using the prompts in the Companion Guide.
Read Lens as a Paradigm. Consider the ways in which your lens

impacts the way you view student behavior and how you might
change your lens or shift your focus.
3
PROCESS
What strengths do you feel you bring
to your work? What strengths do you
PAUSE see your students bringing?
• Apply an Asset-Based Lens Of the three strategies outlined here,
• Listen with Empathy which do you feel you have done the
• View Behavior as Communication most work on?
more? Why?
3
Orient Towards
Optimism
Optimistic thinking refers to an individual’s
attitude of confidence, hopefulness, and
positive thinking regarding themselves and
their life situations in the past, present, and
future. Optimism is considered a key
protective factor in supporting health, joy,
amusement, awe, and happiness, while
decreasing anxiety & depression.

Orient Towards
Optimism
• Recognize Negativity Bias
• Reframe & Retrain the Brain
• Practice Gratitude
“The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones.”
- Rick Hanson
4
Recognize
Negativity Bias
Our brains have a bias towards negativity. We
consistently scan for bad news, overreact to it, and
commit it to memory.
This is a survival mechanism rooted in our

evolution. Hypervigilance, a state of increased
alertness in response to negative stimuli, produces
more neural activity than does equally intense
positive stimuli.
Adults who are aware of their own negativity bias

are more able to counteract it by elevating
moments of positivity and joy for themselves as
well as for their students, colleagues, and families.
4
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Watch this short video (2:00) or this slightly more
in-depth video (6:00) to understand negativity bias.
Read this blog post about negativity bias and strategies

for getting past it.
Consider the way Kindness Practices can combat

negativity bias.
4
Reframe & Retrain the Brain
By directing attention to positive experiences and applying specific strategies,
one can "retrain" the brain to better detect positivity, thereby committing to
memory one’s emotional and physical responses to positive experiences.
4
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Read
How to Get Past Negativity Bias in Order to Hardwire Posi
tive
Experiences or watch Rick Hanson’s TED Talk on
Hardwiring Happiness and try his HEAL approach.
Read Changing How Educators See Negative Behaviors

and reflect using a text protocol found the Companion
Guide.
Engage in “The Best Ever” protocol to reflect on a past

positive experience.
4
Practice Gratitude
Gratitude is a process or practice that can be
both intrapersonal (recognizing positive
outcomes one has achieved) or interpersonal
(recognizing external sources of positive
outcomes).
Practicing gratitude can foster physical,

psychological, and social benefits. It is
associated with increased happiness,
strengthened relationships, decreased anxiety
and depression, and increased motivation.
Gratitude practices are associated with
improved sleep, lower blood pressure, and
strengthened immune systems.
4
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Read how gratitude changes the brain or how
gratitude can get us through hard times.
Watch a short video (4:10) on the connection between

gratitude and the science of happiness.
Watch Kerry Howells’ TED Talk about gratitude in

education and reflect using the prompts in the
Companion Guide.
Write a gratitude letter, keep a gratitude journal, and/or

take a gratitude quiz.
4
PROCESS
Consider the last 24 hours. Can you
PAUSE identify three positive things that
happened?
• Recognize Negativity Bias
• Reframe & Retrain the Brain Of the three strategies outlined here,
which do you feel you have done the
• Practice Gratitude most work on?
more? Why?
4
Establish Balance
& Boundaries
Boundaries are the guidelines that we use to set
expectations, responsibilities, and limits for ourselves
and for other people. Setting professional boundaries
protects one’s energy and attention while supporting
long-term engagement in one’s work.
With educators reporting stress levels on par with

nurses and physicians, establishing balance and
boundaries is crucial for remaining passionate and
effective in one’s work.

Establish Balance
& Boundaries
• Understand the "Cost of Caring"
• Form Healthy Habits
• Ask for Help & Learn to Say No
“And there’s always this feeling that you could be doing more...it burnt through our
emotional resilience and destabilized our emotional constancy with one another and
with students.”
– Henry Seton
5
Understand the
"Cost of Caring"
In addition to their own personal histories,
life events, and emotional experiences,
educators are often faced with the "cost of
caring" that comes from bearing witness to
and supporting students through their own
struggles. This cost is known as
compassion fatigue, secondary trauma,
and vicarious trauma, all of which can lead
to burnout.
Furthermore, students' experiences are

compromised when adults are emotionally
depleted in this way. Educators who are
aware of the "cost of caring" can explore
prevention strategies to reduce their risk
and increase their resiliency.
5
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Read about the signs and impact of the "cost of caring" and
learn about coping strategies:
● NCTSN: Secondary Traumatic Stress Fact Sheet
● ‘I Didn’t Know It Had a Name’: Secondary Traumatic
Stress and Educators
● Compassion Fatigue: How California Can Improve Te
acher Retention
Complete the Professional Quality of Life Self-Assessment.
Read When Teachers Experience Empathic Distress

and engage in a self-compassion practice.
Listen to the podcast episode Demoralized, Not Drained

from Harvard EdCast.
** You do not have to address these challenges alone. **

Professional resources are available to support you in this work.
Ask your employer or professional association about opportunities, resources, and assistance.
5
Form Healthy
Habits
Strategies for stress management, self-care,
and physical health are key to educators'
effectiveness.
Nutrition, exercise, and adequate sleep are

foundational to combating the effects of
physical, emotional, and mental stress.
When educators engage in more healthy
behaviors, they cope more effectively and
experience less stress.
Teachers who are happy and healthy enjoy

greater job satisfaction, as well as decreased
burnout and professional turnover.
5
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Read about Six Stress Busting Strategies and complete the self-
reflection from the California Surgeon General.
Read about seven habits of healthy educators, suggestions for

fitting in fitness, and ideas about improving your sleep routine.
Read Creating Healthy Habits from the National Institute of

Health.
Try the New York Times’ 28-day Healthy Habits Well Challenge.
5
Ask for Help & Learn to Say No
Overcommitting and overextending can impact one’s ability to pursue
purpose and focus on priorities. An inability to say “no” negatively impacts
one’s mental health, relationships, and productivity.
Most workplace support is provided in direct response to a request for

help; therefore, knowing how and when to ask for help, or simply saying
no, is essential for advocating for oneself in the workplace.
5
ACTIVELY ENGAGE
Read It’s OK to Say No and process using a text protocol found
in the Companion Guide.
Watch Heidi Grant’s TED Talk and reflect using the prompts in
the Companion Guide.
Connect with colleagues who will engage with you using the
Tap In/Tap Out strategy.
Read Every Teacher Needs a Mentor and consider seeking out

or starting a mentorship program.
5
PROCESS
When was the last time you asked for
help? When was the last time you said
PAUSE no to a request? How did you feel in
both of these situations?
• Understand the "Cost of Caring"
• Form Healthy Habits Of the three strategies outlined here,
• Ask for Help & Learn to Say No which do you feel you have done the
most work on?
more? Why?
5
REFLECT CONNECT
Of the FIVE HIGH-LEVERAGE
PRACTICES outlined, with
which do you feel most
comfortable and confident?
Of the FIVE HIGH-LEVERAGE

PRACTICES outlined, with
which do you feel you need
the most support?

I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive
element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that
creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the
weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a
child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an
instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all
situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will
be escalated or
de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.
HAIM GINOTT

Appendix
The What The Why The How

Companion Guide
The SEL for Educators

Companion Guide
provides additional
details about the
interactive components
outlined in the
presentation, as well as,
suggestions for pacing,
application, and further
learning.
Take a look!

System-Level
Considerations
Report
School Leaders’ Role in Empowering Teachers Through SEL
Articles
Leading Together/SEL for Adults
Teachers Are Anxious and Overwhelmed. They Need SEL Now More
Than Ever
.
Tool
SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook
Resource Center
CASEL’s District Implementation Framework (Focus Area 2):
Strengthening Adult SEL Competencies & Capacities
BACK
The What
• Social and emotional learning, as defined by CASEL, “is the
process through which children and adults understand and
manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and
show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive
relationships, and make responsible decisions .”
• Emotional intelligence, as defined by Salovey & Mayer (1990),

“is a type of social intelligence that involves the ability to
monitor one's own and others' emotions, to discriminate
among them, and to use the information to guide one's
thinking and actions.”
• Well-being includes peoples' positive evaluations of their

lives, and includes positive emotion, engagement, satisfaction,
and meaning (Seligman, 2002).
• Seligman (2011) has conceptualized well-being through the
PERMA framework:
⚬ Positive emotions
⚬ Engagement
⚬ Relationships
⚬ Meaning
⚬ Accomplishment
BACK
The Why
Cultivate Strong Relationships
• Adults who develop their own social-emotional skills:
⚬ enjoy increased trust with colleagues (Bryk & Schneider, 2002);
⚬ and cultivate strong relationships with their students
(Jennings & Greenberg, 2009).
• Strong teacher-student relationships lead to:

⚬ fewer behavioral issues with students (Marzano & Marzano, 2003);
⚬ and stronger classroom management (Durlak et al., 2011).
Moreover, modeling SEL offers students positive

examples of how to maintain healthy relationships
(CASEL).
BACK
The Why
Model Social-Emotional Skills
“When a student is in stress, his emotions will echo in the adult. If
the adult is not trained to own and to accept his or her
counter-aggressive feelings, the adult will act on them and mirror
the student’s behavior. This means an aggressive student will
always create counter-aggressive feelings in the adult. Whenever
adults act on these feelings, do what seems normal, and follow
their impulses, the situation will become more emotional,
irrational, and volatile (Long, 1995).”
• Adults who cultivate their own social-emotional skills are

able to teach and model the same skills to students (Jennings
& Greenberg, 2009).
• Modeling SEL offers students positive examples of how to

navigate stress and frustration and improves the overall
learning climate (CASEL).
• In classrooms where teachers intentionally regulate and
reappraise their emotions, students report lower emotional
distress and more prosocial behaviors (Braun et al., 2020).
BACK
The Why
Manage Stress & Reduce Burnout
Stress
• 61% of teachers report feeling stressed (AFT/BAT, 2017).
• Low teacher stress is associated with higher academic test scores
and improved behavior (Herman et al., 2018).
⚬ Teachers are tied with nurses for the highest rate of stress among all
occupational groups (Greenberg et al., 2016).
⚬ Elevated stress hormones–including cortisol–are ultimately detrimental
to many aspects of physical health (Greenberg et al., 2016).
⚬ Staff absenteeism is lower in schools where teachers can identify and
regulate their own emotions (Lever et al., 2017).
Burnout
• 58% of teachers report that their mental health is “not good” (AFT/BAT,
2017).
• Teachers are less likely to report burnout if they have effective
methods for managing stress (Brackett et al., 2010).
• Educators’ overall satisfaction is associated with higher student
well-being, including increased prosocial behavior (Braun et al., 2020).
Turnover
• In 2018, public school educators left the profession at higher rates
than ever before (Hackman & Morath, 2018).
• Newer teachers, with less experience, incur heightened training
costs for their schools and districts (Greenberg et al., 2016).
BACK
Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education
81
The Why
Additional Information
Adults who cultivate their own social-emotional skills:
• improve school climate (DiPaola & Tschannen-Moran, 2001);

• and experience improved performance and satisfaction (Lee,
2017; Mohamad & Jais, 2016).
In schools where staff build their emotional intelligence:
• change efforts are more likely to be successful and sustainable

(Aguilar);
• staff, student, and community experiences in school are more
stable due to decreased turnover (Greenberg et al., 2016).
BCK
The Why
Additional Information
The Prosocial Classroom Model
In the Prosocial Classroom Model, Jennings & Greenberg (2009)

theorized that the social-emotional development and well-being of
teachers influences many factors of the school experience. The model
suggests that teacher SEL impacts teacher-student relationships,
classroom management, SEL implementation, classroom climate, and
students' outcomes. The authors maintain that school and community
contexts impact all aspects of these relationships.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to all those who supported in the development of this
toolkit including educators, school leaders, members of the
NewSchools Invent Team, and our Advisory Board members. We
greatly appreciate your thoughtful feedback, guidance, and expertise.
The development of this toolkit was supported by NewSchools Venture Fund.
This toolkit is informed by an extensive amount of research

from the field. All sources used within this toolkit are cited
within our Reference List.

Contact
Access other toolkits or downloadable papers:
www.transformingeducation.org
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SUBSCRIBE:
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SEL for

being of their staff.

Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 3

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Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 6

The What The Why The How

Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 7

“These aren't kid skills. These are human skills.”

Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 8

SEL shares some similarities with terms such as:

How often is SEL discussed in your day-

On a scale of 1-10 (1 being least important and

Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 12

● Cultivate Strong Relationships

Educators who embody social-emotional skills

Educators who practice social-emotional skills

Educators who develop their social-emotional

“In order to do the work, we have to do our work.”

Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 22

If you are a school leader, your position

Five High-Leverage Practices

Teaching and working in schools is inherently

Many educators who remain in the profession

Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 26

Educators with clear values direct their

Read Teachers Don’t Need to Find Their Why by Paul

Complete the “Defining Values” activity in the

Try the Passion Profiles Activity to identify your passion

Engage in the Creating Metaphors Activity to reflect on

Reflect using the Gap Analysis Protocol to make a

Watch this video for a quick and accessible explanation of

Read Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh.

Read Why We Can’t Afford Whitewashed SEL by Dena Simmons,

In school settings, unconscious bias can lead

Read Teachers are as Racially Biased as Everyone Else, Study Shows

Deepen your learning through a PD module on Anti-Bias Education from

Listen to this podcast on Unconscious Bias in Schools from Harvard EdCast

This self-awareness further enables educators to communicate challenges and

Emotional awareness involves the way we

Educators who explore their own emotions

Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 37

By simply naming an emotion, the brain releases

Watch Dan Siegel’s video (2:00) for a simple explanation of

Complete the reflection exercise in the Companion Guide

Watch this video (2:00) about mapping emotions in the body.

Guide yourself through a body scan exercise with one of

Mindfulness trains one’s mind to respond rather than

Engage in a 1-minute, 5-minute, or 10-minute breathing exercise using a simple shape

Learn about the ways mindfulness can reduce unconscious bias.

Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 46

“‘Compassionate curiosity’ is medicinal. It is also illuminating. It can interrupt our

Culturally competent educators who view

Read this quick synopsis on the “what” and “why” of an

Identify your own strengths (and those of students) through

Utilize the Missed Cues Protocol to consider ways we can unpack

Practice empathic listening by role-playing authentic scenarios related to

This approach ensures that teachers identify

Explore the four visual representations of content found in the

Watch Dear Teacher: Heartfelt Advice for Teachers from Students

Read Lens as a Paradigm. Consider the ways in which your lens

Copyright © 2020 Transforming Education 55

This is a survival mechanism rooted in our

You do not have to address these challenges alone.