Social-Emotional Learning Update
Lafayette School Corporation
Information about the Resilient Youth Initiative Grant
Below is a link to a working document that describes the Resilient Youth Grant that LSC earned this summer. It provides some details to how our corporation will begin implementing social and emotional learning opportunities.
NOW OPEN: Register for the Science of Happiness Course through IDOE
It is equally important that we recognize the mental health of our educators as well as our students. To promote self-care strategies and educator wellness, the IDOE has partnered with Butler to provide "The Science of Happiness" course. It is an online, self-paced course. Registration begins on October 1.
Participants in this optional course will earn 45 professional growth plan points after successfully completing the course.
Tuesday, Oct 1, 2019, 12:00 AM
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Best Practices from PD with Anne Marshall, TSC's Neuroeducator
On September 17 and September 26, Tippecanoe School Corporation's Neuroeducator, Anne Marshall, visited LSC to deliver her presentation on Social/Emotional Learning Strategies for Students of Trauma. Her theme was "The Power of a Notice".
Takeaways from the presentation put together by Connie Sinz can be found here: Tip-Sheet-Relationships & Attachment
More resources, articles, and information from Anne Marshall can be found on her website:
IDOE Social-Emotional Learning Competencies
IDOE SEL Learning Competencies
The above link takes you to a PDF of Indiana's new learning competencies that provide a framework for social and emotional education.
This document was developed by Butler professors Dr. Lori Dessautels and Dr. Brandie Oliver and reviewed by the Indiana Department of Education.
Free Online SEL lessons and activities
Thanks to our sponsor North Central Health Services, the organization LSC earned our Social and Emotional Learning grant from, we have access to some free online programs for our students. Below are some options of activities and ready-made lessons that are free to use as you see fit. Next to the description is a suggested grade range for the activities.
The program website that you would need to create an account with is called Everfi. To start an account click here: https://platform.everfi.net/new_registration .
You would create a "class", add courses you would like to use on it, and then send out the registration code for your students.
Feel free to check it out!
Prescription Drug Safety: This resource will provide high school students with the knowledge and confidence to use prescription drugs safely, including topics like the science of addiction, safe storage, usage, and disposal of prescription medications, refusal skills, and supporting others. Total time: 1 hour. Grade fit: High School, higher middle school grades.
Character Playbook: A digital course that uses evidence-based strategies to educate students on how to cultivate and maintain healthy relationships, covering key concepts including communicating effectively, managing emotions, and resolving conflict. Total time: 3-4 hours. Grade fit: middle school and early high school.
Mental Wellness Basics: This interactive course uses a proactive approach to provide learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to build, maintain, and promote positive mental health, including coping strategies, symptoms and causes of mental disorders, and supporting others. Total time: 1 hour. Grade fit: middle school and early high school.
Ignition - Digital Wellness and Safety: This revamped course teaches students about online safety and privacy, digital literacy and evaluating content online, and balancing online vs. offline time. Total time: 3 hours. Grade fit: middle school and early high school.
Honor Code: Honor Code is a bullying prevention resource, focusing on defining bullying and increasing resiliency and leadership qualities in students. An optional capstone project lets students critically analyze a situation in their community and come up with real-world solutions to address the issue. Total time: 45 minutes. Grade fit: late middle school and high school.
Compassion Project: A great younger-age program that teaches students about empathy, mindfulness, and compassion for their fellow students. Total time: 45 minutes. Grade fit: grades 2-4
Please let me know if have any feedback regarding the programs!
Interesting Takeaways from Butler's Educational Neuroscience Symposium
On September 21, Butler University hosted an Educational Neuroscience Symposium for anyone interested in current research and strategies regarding the science of learning and reaching students with trauma.
The keynote speaker of the day, Dr. Stephen Porges, spoke on the theory that he developed called the "Polyvagal Theory". The Polyvagal Theory is a set of naturally, occurring phenomena that explains the relationship between our mammalian, biological ancestry with our need to connect in order to learn from one another. Furthermore, it explains why our students who are the hardest to connect to have some of the most distracting behaviors within our traditional classroom setup. And most importantly, it reiterates why individuals who have experienced trauma have some of the most physiological health issues.
One of the biggest conclusions from this theory is that feeling safe is more than just physical space. Feeling safe as a human must also include how we feel with those around us. If other peoples' cues are allowing our bodies to perceived that we are safe, only then can we have full access to our prefrontal cortex (which allows for expression, problem solving, and learning) and not just our limbic system (the defensive responses in our brain). And how can we force our brain into thinking we are safe? Breathe slowly and intentionally!
To learn more...
- For a quick, less than five minute overview, here is a brief video about the Polyvagal Theory.
- For a longer lecture, that connects the Polyvagal Theory to the behaviors and sensations of those who have experienced trauma, here is a second video.
- For the notes from Dr. Porges lecture, here is a link to the handout.
Social connectedness is as important of a biological imperative as eating or sleeping.
Keep April 25th open on your calendar for Butler's next Educational Neuroscience Symposium!
This chart describes the various psychological and physiological responses based on a person's mental state. Most of us are aware of the body's "fight or flight" response, and many of us can comfortably move back and forth between this state. However, the Polyvagal Theory adds a third state when a person is facing constant, toxic stress and they feel they are in unavoidable danger. When in this state, they shutdown psychological and physiologically, and this response is uncontrollable. Have you noticed students who are constantly tired, have low emotional range in their face, and avoid eye contact? They are most likely in this "freeze" range.
Obviously our goal as educators is to provide a safe space where our students and staff are able to have access to their full range of neurological functions. What are ways we can convey to students that they are safe with us?
- Decrease unnecessary "low tone" environmental sounds. These can be interpreted as "predatory" sounds and send people into a defensive mode without realizing it.
- Practice mindful breathing. Forcing the body to have a slower breath can kickstart the brain into thinking it is safer and in the "green".
- Emote caring and loving facial expressions. One of the ways humans and mammals interpret how safe they feel with another person is by looking at the muscle tension surrounding the person's eyes. We also recognize safety from voices that use a diverse amount of tonality.
- Provide opportunities for students to self-regulate through rhythmic patterns. You can use drums or clap your hands. Focus on keeping a steady beat, allow students to feel the groove, and let volunteers offer their own call and response pattern. For a demo on using drumming as a self-regulation tool, check out this free download.
Visiting North Montgomery's SEL Showcase
NMHS opened their doors to share some of their success after their integration of SEL practices. After experiencing three student suicides in one academic year, the high school recognized that there was a definite need for a new approach. The administration wanted to develop a stronger sense of resiliency in their student body and began reflecting on their staff practices first.
After attending Butler University's Applied Educational Neuroscience program, the administration taught their staff some neuro-anatomy to understand their own brains, strategies for teaching teen brains, and ways to re-regulate dysregulated minds. Just teaching the staff about how their brains worked and the value of stronger relationships decreased their student disciplinary referrals to their in-school Learning Lab by 32% in one year! Once they began to integrate lessons for their students on these topics the next year, disciplinary referrals went down another 8%.
SOME BEST PRACTICES SUGGESTED BY NORTH MONTGOMERY:
- 2 x 10 Strategy: Take a student who you don't have the best relationship with and challenge yourself to talk with them for 2 minutes a day for 10 days about non-academic topics! (Resource of conversation starters below)
- Student Strengths: Use a roster of your students and place a strength next to each student's name. Struggling to find a strength of a student? Put a characteristic that comes to mind down first, and then flip it into something positive to reframe your mindset of that student. Example: Dramatic --> Expressive, Loud --> Confident, Stubborn --> Persistent
- Staff Relationships: Place all of your students' names on a card on a table. Ask your teachers to pick up cards of students that they can confidently say they have a positive relationship with, don't force it either! Check to see how many are left on the table after staff have chosen their students. Ask for volunteers to make an attempt to form authentic relationships with remaining students.
- Brain Intervals: Feeling a lull in your lesson? Need students to take a breather and refocus? Brain Intervals are brief activities that reset your brain to be more engaged after participation. Below is a brief video with some examples of Brain Intervals you can use to get your students back on task! These take little to no time at all, but can have a huge impact on the efficiency of the academic time used afterwards.
Resources from the North Montgomery High School Showcase.
^^The "What is your WHY?" handout might be an excellent refresher for mid-semester staff meetings!
Director of Social and Emotional Learning
Kathryn G Parthun
Please email me if you have any neat ideas regarding social and emotional learning. I would love to put together programming and distribute information that is based on our corporation's needs, wants, and interests!
"When we know better, we can do better."
Teaching Background
- Jefferson High School, Biology Aug 2019-Sep 2019
- Oakland High School, Science 2016-2019
- North Montgomery High School, Life Sciences 2015-2016
- Oakland High School, Paraprofessional 2013-2014
Education
- Purdue University, K-12 Public School Administration, 2019
- Purdue University, Masters: Biology Education 2016 (WWTF '14)
- Purdue University, Bachelors: Behavioral Neuroscience 2013
Email: kgparthun@lsc.k12.in.us
Location: Lafayette Sunnyside Intermediate School, North 26th Street, Lafayette, IN, USA
Phone: 765-771-6100 8521