It’s no secret schools are all-in on social-emotional learning. With SEL resources, trainings, and even new roles popping up everywhere.

As of 2022, 27 states have adopted SEL competencies for K-12, and all 50 states have adopted them for Pre-K. When you consider the research, the increased focus on SEL is well-supported:

• When students learn and practice the five core competencies, they show higher academic achievement compared to students who don’t.

• SEL programs in kindergarten can have positive long term impacts on students’ personal and professional lives.

• SEL is not just for at-risk students. CASEL notes “systemic implementation fosters schoolwide conditions that promote social and emotional growth for all.”

That last point, systemic implementation, is critical. 

Implementing a new program is difficult enough in one classroom. A school or district-wide SEL initiative can have greater impact – but bring greater challenges, too.

This is why administrators must look beyond finding the best social-emotional learning resources for teachers to use, and focus on supporting those teachers in their implementation, too.

To support SEL programs, leaders must remember the 4Es

SEL addresses two of the most complex parts of life: emotions and relationships.

This means an SEL implementation has all the typical challenges of a new initiative, like getting buy-in, aligning expectations, and providing teacher support. However, it comes with the added challenge of navigating students’ and adults’ social-emotional lives.

Teachers and administrators are likely to face these challenges when implementing an SEL initiative, which can be easily remembered through the acronym “The 4Es.”

Equity 

With many different student needs, teachers or leaders may pull from multiple SEL resources and programs. When this happens, how can leaders ensure students get equitable SEL instruction?

Experience 

Teachers may be uncomfortable with their implementation of SEL strategies, especially if they are still working on developing their own SEL competencies. While many introduce social-emotional learning activities for staff, SEL is still a big adjustment for adults, too.

Expectations 

Within a school, leaders may have different understandings of what successful SEL instruction looks like. Coaches may lack useful models of SEL instruction to share with teachers.

Evolution

A successful SEL program requires shifting the behavior and mindsets of adults first. As a district invests in SEL resources, leadership may lack a window for seeing how this is progressing.

These challenges involve understanding the reality of what’s happening in classrooms, and managing the resources available to support teachers in their work. 

“When you have five administrators in your classroom, you’re going to freak out”

Implementing an SEL program in a classroom is already a difficult task for teachers.

They need to become familiar with the resources the school is using. They need to learn and practice their own SEL competencies. And they need to get students to buy-in to activities and language that may feel different than some of their other academic experiences.

Now, imagine doing all this while also having one or more administrators enter the room unexpectedly for a walkthrough. 

While of course administrators need to see what SEL instruction looks like across the school or district, and they may want to provide teachers with feedback, unannounced classroom visits are not the most efficient or effective way to do this. 

Kat Stevens, a district-level administrator from Guilford County, NC, described the problem, saying, “When you have five people from the district coming into your classroom, you’re going to freak out. Whereas, if you put a Swivl Robot in there, teachers will often forget it’s in there and just continue what they’re doing.”

Through Swivl Teams, teachers can share a short clip of their SEL instruction with a principal or other administrators, who can provide time-stamped comments to discuss the teacher’s progress, encourage self-reflection, and facilitate growth.

How a 10-minute video can help support and align SEL instruction

The use of classroom video to support an SEL program (or other initiative) involves three essential actions: 

• Reflection: Teachers capture important moments of instruction on video. They self-reflect to identify challenges and opportunities, or their “glows and grows.”

• Alignment: Video helps teachers, coaches, and administrators get on the same page. Coaches or veteran teachers can record short lessons, which can be used to establish shared expectations. 

• Coaching: Ideally, teachers will identify their own coaching needs through self-reflection. In other cases, a third party may suggest a coaching cycle. Classroom video makes coaching more effective and objective, and also makes it easier for coaching to become another opportunity for teacher self-reflection. 

Even a single 10-minute video can be a powerful asset in improving the success of an SEL initiative. Imagine this scenario: 

1. One coach or veteran teacher records a short model lesson about a key SEL lesson that many teachers will do. 
2. The video is shared with teachers, who can self-reflect on their own instruction and compare their work to the video. 
3. Coaches then use this video in conversations with teachers as a model. 
4. Principals and other instructional leaders refer to the video before observations and walk-throughs, and use it to inform their conversations with teachers.

Now imagine scaling this process across your entire organization. By giving teachers the tools and systems needed for meaningful self-reflection, collaboration, and coaching conversations, you can make the most of your investment in SEL resources, and drive better outcomes across your school or district. 

Ready to see how Swivl Robot + Teams can help you support your teachers in succeeding at SEL? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation.

The post Why SEL resources are not enough for a successful school initiative appeared first on Swivl.

A good set of teacher self-reflection questions are one of the simplest, yet most powerful tools for improving practice.

But one of the most common challenges when it comes to teacher self-reflection is getting started or figuring out exactly how to reflect. This big list of teacher self-reflection questions can lead to insights for any educator willing to take time to pause and reflect.

Teacher self-reflection questions for the end of a unit or school year

There’s no better time to reflect upon the school year or the new unit you taught than now—when it’s all over. To uncover the challenges and opportunities that you may have missed while in the moment, use these teacher self-reflection questions to help kickstart your thinking:

1. What content, topics, or skills did students improve at most during this time?
2. What content topics, or skills did students struggle with during this time?
3. When were students most focused, engaged, and energized during this time?
4. When were students most unfocused, disengaged, or lethargic during this time?
5. When did I as the teacher feel best during this time? Why?
6. When did I as a teacher not feel at my best during this time? Why?
7. How did seating or other organization of the classroom space have a positive impact on teaching or learning? How can I replicate that?
8. How did seating or other organization of the classroom space have a negative impact on teaching or learning? How can I improve that?
9. Did certain students or groups of students seem to excel? Why might that be?
10. Did certain students or groups of students require more support? Why might that be?
11. Which teaching and learning resources were most useful and effective for me?
12. What templates, materials or other resources I can save and re-use for next year to save myself time?
13. Overall, what went well, and how can I improve the chances of that happening again?
14. What didn’t work, and how will I approach it differently next year?
15. What were my biggest hurdles, and how did I overcome them?
16. What did I learn from my students during this time?
17. What’s the biggest lesson I learned this year?
18. What changes and new approaches to teaching will I implement in the new year?

Consider starting at the top of the list and writing as much or as little as you’d like about each question. When a specific question grabs your interest, feel free to stick with it and elaborate more. If other questions don’t inspire you to write much, feel free to move on quickly or skip them all together.

For best results, mix teacher self-reflection questions with classroom video

Now that you have a detailed list of teacher self-reflection questions to use, you may be deciding on your method of self-reflection.

Teacher self-reflection is personal, so there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. But here are some recommendations.

First, consider using classroom video to drive your self-reflection.

Video makes it easy to see the challenges and opportunities teachers encounter. On video, a teacher can see that a rowdy class remains standing when the bell rings and struggles to get on track. They can see that a distracted group is led by two students set on socializing. They can see that a student with his head down sits next to a classmate whose back is turned because they have a tense relationship.

Video provides evidence teachers can use to begin addressing challenges, either on their own, by collaborating with colleagues or through the support of a coach or administrator. 

When teachers combine well-crafted teacher self-reflection questions with classroom video, the results are accelerated and expanded. Teachers will have realizations like:

• When it’s necessary to slow down and allow students more time to grasp topics
• When it’s beneficial to transition from sage on the stage to guide on the side
• Where you can allocate more time in your lessons to address more difficult topics and answer student questions
• Where holes in content and jumps in logic exist
• Where you spend more of your time physically in the classroom whilst teaching

And more. Having the objective evidence of classroom video, along with thought-provoking teacher self-reflection questions, is a truly powerful combo for educator growth.

Turn reflection into a routine with Sessions

Even the best have room for improvement. The short time you spend engaging in reflection can open your eyes to teaching habits (good or bad) you never realized you had. You’ll see how students react to those habits, how their level of attention is altered, and how the changes you make to your behavior in the classroom changes their behavior. Throughout the process, you’ll also learn new techniques and ways of approaching instruction that are worth sharing with your peers.

To help make reflection part of your routine, consider Sessions. Sessions is a two-step writing process to help educators set and reflect on goals. As part of Teams by Swivl, users also have the option to add video to their reflections. But you can try reflecting with Sessions for free today with no login required.

The post 18 teacher self-reflection questions to drive deeper professional learning appeared first on Swivl.