After the first day of our SEL training, I came away from the experience with an appreciation for all those in the group. It was heartening to observe how everyone listened when we each shared our feelings and thoughts. Coincidentally, I came across this article the next day on the importance of listening. These principles are a good reminder for me and I think will also provide me with ways to help the children listen to each other which can be very difficult at times when they want to share their "side of the story."
This webpage provides communication models for students to use when interacting with each other in class. Instead of making negative statements such as, "That's wrong." or "You're ruining it.", students are given tools and phrases that promote a more positive discourse. There are other resources as well that include a planning guide and a short video that explains the four topics of discourse used by the author. Below is an example of one of the posters the author hangs in his classroom for students to refer to when needed. Mr. Heath's Teacher Page - Jeromie Heath
I ordered the following two books for the Mills Pond Library as ebooks with single use access. They were not available for unlimited use. I will preview them this fall with the other librarians to see if they are of value for our SEL program. The author has also written similar texts for the levels PK-K level and 6-8. I will let you know when they are available to be checked out to patrons as ebooks.
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