Step 2: SELWELL Frameworks

Often, the quickest and most impactful thing that you can do to support SEL-Well is to embed it in the things you are already teaching.  Try the following instructional practices to increase your impact: To be successful, these activities must be carefully chosen, connected to the learning of the day and engagingly facilitated.

WELCOMING INCLUSIVE ACTIVITIES; Setting the Tone
Routines and ritual openings establish safety and predictability, support contribution by all voices, set norms for respectful listening, allow students to connect with one another and create a sense of belonging. 

ENGAGING PEDAGOGY: Sense Making, Transitions, Brain Breaks
Engaging practices are learning strategies that  foster relationships, cultural humility and responsiveness, empowerment, and collaboration. They intentionally build student SEL skills.

Engaging instruction also gives opportunity for Brain Breaks during work periods that provide a space for integrating information into long-term memory.

Limiting staff-led instruction to 10 minutes of class time will help you plan and implement engaging work periods.

EXAMPLES FROM THE CLASSROOM:

• Visual prompts, posters, and graphical artifacts for classroom expectations and routines.
• Turn To Your Partner/partner work, group work, and instructional stations.
• Brain Break activities or task-switching every 20mins.
• "3 B4 Me" student question protocol.
• Opportunities for students to move around classroom (number lines, scaling responses, stations, etc).
  

OPTIMISTIC CLOSURE: Reflections and Looking Forward

End the class period or day by having students reflect on, and then name something that helps them leave on an optimistic note. This provides closure, reinforces learning, can connect school to home, and create a moment of looking forward to returning tomorrow.

EXAMPLES FROM THE CLASSROOM:

• Think of something I learned today.
• Think of someone I was able to help.
• Think of something I want to share about my day with my grown-up.
• Think of something I’m looking forward to doing tomorrow.
• Think of something I enjoyed about the day.
• Think of someone who was kind/helpful to me.