A Big 'Ol Puddle of Feelings

 I think that the mindset educators need to foster in order to change what learning looks like in the classroom is the idea that we are teaching the "whole child". I think we need to be constantly thinking about how social emotional learning can be worked into our classrooms daily. It seems like most educators can agree that socialization is an incredibly important part of the learning process, and that learning is a social activity, so we, as teachers, need to keep that in mind. We also need to recognize how important the emotional part of SEL is. Especially at the secondary level, students are experiencing a whole range of new emotions and sometimes need guidance or an outlet for those emotions. I think that if we can make the classroom a safe space for those emotions, learning will grow.

I thought the podcast had some great ideas for how to incorporate SEL into the classroom, many of which I hope to use in my classroom. I think the biggest thing I want to incorporate in my classroom is talking about the "unspoken rules" and making sure that my students know that asking for help is encouraged. I found the idea that teachers often assume that their students know that they can ask for help, but the students don't always feel the same way. I think that working to make sure that I am on the same page as my students when it comes to expectations is so important. For me, this would look like involving my students in the formation of classroom expectations and frequently referring back to those expectations throughout the year. I think that, in order to change what learning looks like in classrooms, teachers need to be constantly reminding themselves of the importance of SEL.