What is Social and Emotional Learning and How Can It Benefit All Students?
Social and emotional learning (SEL) teaches students to become better communicators who understand, manage, and express their emotions in a healthy way. Such learning gives students the means to create and maintain healthy relationships, plus encourages responsible decision making and the setting of positive goals. Below are some examples of how all students benefit when exposed to social and emotional learning.
Understanding, managing, and expressing emotions.
Students who take part in social and emotional learning are better able to understand, manage, and express their emotions. Understanding emotions is necessary in order to feel or show empathy toward others and allows students to form deeper connections with their family and friends. Learning to manage and express one's emotions in a positive manner helps students deal with stress and control negative impulses.
Improving communication skills.
Students can become better listeners and communicators through exposure to social and emotional learning. As better listeners, students gain a deeper understanding of their teachers' lectures and instructions, which often leads to greater academic success. Social and emotional learning also helps students recognize nonverbal cues, so they can avoid simple misunderstandings that may occur during communications both inside and outside of the classroom.
Creating and maintaining healthy relationships.
Social and emotional learning teaches students the necessary skills to create and maintain healthy relationships. Students are also taught constructive ways to resolve social conflicts, so they can work toward correcting any unhealthy relationships that may be holding them back.
Making responsible decisions.
Through social and emotional learning, students gain the skills to think critically when making decisions. This can prevent students from making poor or impulsive decisions that may negatively impact themselves or those around them. Students who make responsible decisions are also more likely to avoid risky behaviors and can more easily overcome certain behavioral issues that may disrupt fellow classmates.
Setting and achieving positive goals.
Students who engage in social and emotional learning are better prepared to set and achieve positive goals. Actively setting goals helps students complete class projects and assignments on time, leading to greater academic success. Those who set positive goals also tend to achieve more of what they want in life because defining one's goals is often the first step in making one's dreams a reality.
The skills gained during social and emotional learning are as important to a student's development as the knowledge gained through the study of academic subjects like reading, writing, and arithmetic. Not only does social and emotional learning benefit the student during their school years, but the skills gained during such learning can also have a positive impact throughout a person's adult life. By ensuring students are exposed to social and emotional learning, they will graduate with a more well-rounded skillset, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Building a general foundation first
A general foundation must be laid down before specialization can occur
Lately, I've been browsing a book when I have a little time entitled, Engaging 'Tweens and Teens: A Brain-Compatible Approach to Reaching Middle and High School Students, written by noted educator Raleigh Philp. It's a good read. In it, he raises an interesting point that I'd like to spend some time here discussing and reflecting on. Here's a passage from pages 67-68:
However, despite Mr. Philp and Mr. Levine being correct in their observations, we must also realize that we each need to build a general foundation first, before we can go off into the world and master our chosen specialties. No matter what field(s) we choose to get into, we're going to need some basic and universal skills, capabilities, and understandings. And that's why we're in school for all these years. We can't get to the specific until we have the general foundation laid down.
Whatever our chosen paths, we're going to need to know how to work in groups and teams to accomplish goals. We're going to need to know how to communicate effectively with others. We're going to have to comprehend what we read. We won't have to be experts at research, but we better know where and how to search when conducting research, and have a firm understanding of what qualifies as credible sources. We'll need to know how to think critically. We'll need to know at least a basic level of math to help us in everyday life and work. We'll want to know the basics of our system of government and politics, since the law touches every business and industry, and just about every aspect of our lives. You get the point. We can go on and on. Again, that's why we're in school for all these years. We can't get to the specific until we have the general foundation laid down.
I never went far in math in either high school or college. It's definitely not my strong suit, and I don't have much of an interest in it. But I'll tell you what - I remember my multiplication tables. I can easily add, subtract, and divide in my head, and if something gets too big or complicated, I know how to do the math on paper. I can usually figure out percentages in my mind pretty easily, as well. I rely on these skills every day in a variety of life and work situations. Every day, I also rely on what I've learned in my English/writing/communications courses in high school and college for my work in marketing and for my abilities to give effective presentations and easily build relationships through networking. I've always loved social studies and civics subjects, and having that understanding of government and politics, economics, history, sociology, and philosophy, and of my rights and responsibilities as a citizen, has certainly carried over to my work in business and entrepreneurship.
We need that general foundation. That's why we're in school for all these years. And let's be totally honest with ourselves and with each other here - we're not going to love every course and subject, and there may be some things we'll never need to know or want to think about again. On the other hand, though, we also never know what we're going to need or want to revisit many years down the road, either. But that's the beauty of learning, and that's why we're building that foundation.
Lately, I've been browsing a book when I have a little time entitled, Engaging 'Tweens and Teens: A Brain-Compatible Approach to Reaching Middle and High School Students, written by noted educator Raleigh Philp. It's a good read. In it, he raises an interesting point that I'd like to spend some time here discussing and reflecting on. Here's a passage from pages 67-68:
Forced to Be a GeneralistFirst off, I fully agree with Mr. Philp's statement, and with Mr. Levine, too, for that matter. This is, in fact, perhaps the only time in your life when you're expected to be a generalist - learning everything and doing decent at everything. College will be like this, as well, but to a lesser extent - while you're specializing in a particular area through your chosen major or technical or vocational program, you'll still need to take a number of core (also known as "gen ed") courses, like math, English, and science. Of course, we can't forget that there's a little freedom and flexibility for further exploration and specialization to be found in the form of elective courses, at both the high school and college levels. But you get the point being made here. So in this regard, Mr. Philp is right when he says that the "real world" is easier and more friendly. When you get into a career track, there's a lot more specialization - things that you'll be doing because you really want to be doing them.
Believe it or not, the real world is actually kinder to the adolescent than the world of school. The real world allows for specialization. It's very unlikely that you would ask your mechanic questions about biology or your supermarket-checker how to treat a serious illness. In high school, we expect children to become generalists and learn everything equally well. For many youth, adolescence is the worst time of their lives because it is the one time that you are expected to excel at everything, from algebra to art.
The need to be good at everything becomes a significant issue during adolescence. It's not surprising that some teenagers drop out of school or have a great deal of difficulty meeting expectations. Noted child psychiatrist Mel Levine says, "I really believe that some mentally challenged teenagers who drop out of school may not have true learning disorders but may have something called 'highly specialized minds' that are going to thrive when allowed to practice their specialties."
However, despite Mr. Philp and Mr. Levine being correct in their observations, we must also realize that we each need to build a general foundation first, before we can go off into the world and master our chosen specialties. No matter what field(s) we choose to get into, we're going to need some basic and universal skills, capabilities, and understandings. And that's why we're in school for all these years. We can't get to the specific until we have the general foundation laid down.
Whatever our chosen paths, we're going to need to know how to work in groups and teams to accomplish goals. We're going to need to know how to communicate effectively with others. We're going to have to comprehend what we read. We won't have to be experts at research, but we better know where and how to search when conducting research, and have a firm understanding of what qualifies as credible sources. We'll need to know how to think critically. We'll need to know at least a basic level of math to help us in everyday life and work. We'll want to know the basics of our system of government and politics, since the law touches every business and industry, and just about every aspect of our lives. You get the point. We can go on and on. Again, that's why we're in school for all these years. We can't get to the specific until we have the general foundation laid down.
I never went far in math in either high school or college. It's definitely not my strong suit, and I don't have much of an interest in it. But I'll tell you what - I remember my multiplication tables. I can easily add, subtract, and divide in my head, and if something gets too big or complicated, I know how to do the math on paper. I can usually figure out percentages in my mind pretty easily, as well. I rely on these skills every day in a variety of life and work situations. Every day, I also rely on what I've learned in my English/writing/communications courses in high school and college for my work in marketing and for my abilities to give effective presentations and easily build relationships through networking. I've always loved social studies and civics subjects, and having that understanding of government and politics, economics, history, sociology, and philosophy, and of my rights and responsibilities as a citizen, has certainly carried over to my work in business and entrepreneurship.
We need that general foundation. That's why we're in school for all these years. And let's be totally honest with ourselves and with each other here - we're not going to love every course and subject, and there may be some things we'll never need to know or want to think about again. On the other hand, though, we also never know what we're going to need or want to revisit many years down the road, either. But that's the beauty of learning, and that's why we're building that foundation.
Student loan counseling
Understanding the Federal Student Loan Program: Entrance and Exit Counseling
It's a well-known fact that each year many Americans receive money from the federal student loan program. Less known, however, is that in order to receive a student loan, recipients must participate in entrance and exit counseling on the StudentLoans.gov Web site. So, what do the counseling sessions involve and how do they help students prepare for the responsibilities of accepting a student loan? Read on to find out.
Entrance counseling helps students better understand the obligations they'll be agreeing to when accepting their loan. Any student who has not previously received a loan through the federal government's Direct Loan Program or the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program (no longer available) must complete entrance counseling on the StudentLoans.gov Web site prior to receiving their loan. Topics covered during entrance counseling include understanding the loan, managing spending, planning repayment, avoiding loan default, and making finances a priority.
Exit counseling covers the necessary topics for preparing to repay a loan and must be completed each time the recipient drops below half-time enrollment, leaves school, or graduates. The topics covered during exit counseling are nearly identical to the topics explored during entrance counseling and include understanding the loan, planning repayment, avoiding loan default, and making finances a priority.
To complete the required entrance and exit counseling sessions, students must first log into their account on the StudentLoans.gov Web site using their verified Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, then navigate to the appropriate counseling type (either entrance counseling or exit counseling) offered on the site. It is recommended that students give themselves plenty of time to complete each counseling session, as progress isn't saved if the recipient prematurely leaves the session. Each session typically takes twenty to thirty minutes to complete.
Because many Americans each year receive federally funded student loans, the government has created a program to provide students with the necessary tools to fully understand the obligations they are agreeing to when accepting a loan through the federal government's Direct Loan Program. By completing the required entrance and exit counseling sessions, recipients will leave with a better understanding of their loan and obtain the necessary financial knowledge to proactively manage their spending—both of which leaves them better prepared to begin the repayment process.
It's a well-known fact that each year many Americans receive money from the federal student loan program. Less known, however, is that in order to receive a student loan, recipients must participate in entrance and exit counseling on the StudentLoans.gov Web site. So, what do the counseling sessions involve and how do they help students prepare for the responsibilities of accepting a student loan? Read on to find out.
Entrance counseling helps students better understand the obligations they'll be agreeing to when accepting their loan. Any student who has not previously received a loan through the federal government's Direct Loan Program or the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program (no longer available) must complete entrance counseling on the StudentLoans.gov Web site prior to receiving their loan. Topics covered during entrance counseling include understanding the loan, managing spending, planning repayment, avoiding loan default, and making finances a priority.
Exit counseling covers the necessary topics for preparing to repay a loan and must be completed each time the recipient drops below half-time enrollment, leaves school, or graduates. The topics covered during exit counseling are nearly identical to the topics explored during entrance counseling and include understanding the loan, planning repayment, avoiding loan default, and making finances a priority.
To complete the required entrance and exit counseling sessions, students must first log into their account on the StudentLoans.gov Web site using their verified Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, then navigate to the appropriate counseling type (either entrance counseling or exit counseling) offered on the site. It is recommended that students give themselves plenty of time to complete each counseling session, as progress isn't saved if the recipient prematurely leaves the session. Each session typically takes twenty to thirty minutes to complete.
Because many Americans each year receive federally funded student loans, the government has created a program to provide students with the necessary tools to fully understand the obligations they are agreeing to when accepting a loan through the federal government's Direct Loan Program. By completing the required entrance and exit counseling sessions, recipients will leave with a better understanding of their loan and obtain the necessary financial knowledge to proactively manage their spending—both of which leaves them better prepared to begin the repayment process.
Friday, March 1, 2019
Making your own Web site
Small business owner? Save money and learn new skills by making your own Web site.
Hiring a professional Web developer to create your Web site can potentially be very costly. Professional Web design isn’t something that every small business owner can easily afford. If your business can’t put together enough money to hire a professional Web developer, not all is lost. You can still enjoy the perks of a great business Web site if you take the time to create one yourself.
Sure, designing and coding a unique Web site isn’t quick or easy, but if you are willing to learn some of the basics, you can still create a decent looking Web site at a fairly cheap cost. The trick is to use a content management system (CMS) and install a professionally designed template. Both of these suggestions will save you a lot of time and frustration.
Content management systems are great because they don’t require you to be overly familiar with coding languages like HTML, CSS, or PHP. A basic knowledge of the three can help you to tweak your CMS to better meet your business’ needs, but is by no means required. Popular CMSs that can be downloaded and installed free of charge include Joomla, Drupal, Mambo, and WordPress.
To make your Web site more unique and give it that little bit of extra flare, the easiest option is to install a pre-made template over your current CMS. Many free templates are available online, but even the paid templates are available at reasonably low prices. Spending $50 to $100 on a template is much cheaper than the costs of hiring a professional Web developer. Just be sure that the template you choose is compatible with your CMS, because certain templates will only work with certain CMSs.
Alternatively, you can turn to one of many great do-it-yourself Web design providers out there that offer everything you'll ever need for a great Web presence in comprehensive, convenient, bundled packages at decent prices - custom domain name, hosting, template options, easy-to-use CMS, e-mail, online store, etc. Some providers that come to mind are Webs, Squarespace, GoDaddy, and Wix. If you're looking for more of a blog format for your Web site, I recommend Blogger, which is a Google product. This blog, Mr. Robertson's Corner, uses Blogger. Everything is free, except for the custom domain name, which I pay just $12 per year for.
If you are a small business owner who hasn’t been able to afford a professionally built Web site, it’s time to consider creating your own. With so many online resources available to beginner Web masters, it’s not nearly as hard as it used to be to create a Web site.
Hiring a professional Web developer to create your Web site can potentially be very costly. Professional Web design isn’t something that every small business owner can easily afford. If your business can’t put together enough money to hire a professional Web developer, not all is lost. You can still enjoy the perks of a great business Web site if you take the time to create one yourself.
Sure, designing and coding a unique Web site isn’t quick or easy, but if you are willing to learn some of the basics, you can still create a decent looking Web site at a fairly cheap cost. The trick is to use a content management system (CMS) and install a professionally designed template. Both of these suggestions will save you a lot of time and frustration.
Content management systems are great because they don’t require you to be overly familiar with coding languages like HTML, CSS, or PHP. A basic knowledge of the three can help you to tweak your CMS to better meet your business’ needs, but is by no means required. Popular CMSs that can be downloaded and installed free of charge include Joomla, Drupal, Mambo, and WordPress.
To make your Web site more unique and give it that little bit of extra flare, the easiest option is to install a pre-made template over your current CMS. Many free templates are available online, but even the paid templates are available at reasonably low prices. Spending $50 to $100 on a template is much cheaper than the costs of hiring a professional Web developer. Just be sure that the template you choose is compatible with your CMS, because certain templates will only work with certain CMSs.
Alternatively, you can turn to one of many great do-it-yourself Web design providers out there that offer everything you'll ever need for a great Web presence in comprehensive, convenient, bundled packages at decent prices - custom domain name, hosting, template options, easy-to-use CMS, e-mail, online store, etc. Some providers that come to mind are Webs, Squarespace, GoDaddy, and Wix. If you're looking for more of a blog format for your Web site, I recommend Blogger, which is a Google product. This blog, Mr. Robertson's Corner, uses Blogger. Everything is free, except for the custom domain name, which I pay just $12 per year for.
If you are a small business owner who hasn’t been able to afford a professionally built Web site, it’s time to consider creating your own. With so many online resources available to beginner Web masters, it’s not nearly as hard as it used to be to create a Web site.
How to earn money online writing eBooks
If you enjoyed my previous post, How to be successful at blogging, you may find this one interesting, as well.
Do you have marketable knowledge? Something that other people would be more than willing to pay for? If the answer is “yes”, then you should consider writing an eBook. Selling eBooks is one of today’s more popular methods to earn money online and can be a very lucrative venture if handled correctly.
Selling eBooks is a great way to earn money online, especially if you already know your chosen subject matter in depth. This is because it is much easier to write about a topic that you already know, than it is to write about a topic that you are unfamiliar with. Writing about your personal knowledge and past experiences can save a great deal of time that would otherwise have to be spent researching.
One of the toughest decisions you will face before writing an eBook will be deciding on which topic to write about. Many of the top selling and more popular eBooks today revolve around earning money online. If you know of a cheap and reliable way to earn money online and can clearly write about it, then chances are you, too, could end up with a bestselling eBook.
Even if you’ve thought of the perfect topic, but lack the proper writing skills to finish your eBook, it’s still worth writing it and sending it to an editor. The editor will fine polish the piece and correct any mistakes that may have gone unnoticed. Because a well-written book is often worth more than its poorly-written counterpart, the cost of hiring an editor can be well worth it. Just be sure to ask any potential editors for sample work and references, so you know that they will provide a reliable service.
Once you have finished your eBook, you are almost ready to earn money online. Before seeing your first payments, however, you will need a place to sell your eBook. There are different methods to sell eBooks online, some of which involve creating your own Web site or blog, or using an already established business that deals in eBook sales, so be sure to research all of your options thoroughly to find out which method is right for you.
To draw additional attention to your eBook, which will in turn lead to more buyers and a greater payout, you will probably want to do some marketing. Advertisements can be placed online or in print publications and a formal launch date should be set. If you already have a list of potential buyers, this would also be the time to introduce them to the benefits of purchasing your new eBook.
As you can see, you really can earn money online by writing eBooks. Granted, it’s not always the fastest way to earn money as it will take some time to produce a finished product, but depending on your area of expertise and your ability to successfully market your eBook, it can prove to be well worth the efforts financially.
Do you have marketable knowledge? Something that other people would be more than willing to pay for? If the answer is “yes”, then you should consider writing an eBook. Selling eBooks is one of today’s more popular methods to earn money online and can be a very lucrative venture if handled correctly.
Selling eBooks is a great way to earn money online, especially if you already know your chosen subject matter in depth. This is because it is much easier to write about a topic that you already know, than it is to write about a topic that you are unfamiliar with. Writing about your personal knowledge and past experiences can save a great deal of time that would otherwise have to be spent researching.
One of the toughest decisions you will face before writing an eBook will be deciding on which topic to write about. Many of the top selling and more popular eBooks today revolve around earning money online. If you know of a cheap and reliable way to earn money online and can clearly write about it, then chances are you, too, could end up with a bestselling eBook.
Even if you’ve thought of the perfect topic, but lack the proper writing skills to finish your eBook, it’s still worth writing it and sending it to an editor. The editor will fine polish the piece and correct any mistakes that may have gone unnoticed. Because a well-written book is often worth more than its poorly-written counterpart, the cost of hiring an editor can be well worth it. Just be sure to ask any potential editors for sample work and references, so you know that they will provide a reliable service.
Once you have finished your eBook, you are almost ready to earn money online. Before seeing your first payments, however, you will need a place to sell your eBook. There are different methods to sell eBooks online, some of which involve creating your own Web site or blog, or using an already established business that deals in eBook sales, so be sure to research all of your options thoroughly to find out which method is right for you.
To draw additional attention to your eBook, which will in turn lead to more buyers and a greater payout, you will probably want to do some marketing. Advertisements can be placed online or in print publications and a formal launch date should be set. If you already have a list of potential buyers, this would also be the time to introduce them to the benefits of purchasing your new eBook.
As you can see, you really can earn money online by writing eBooks. Granted, it’s not always the fastest way to earn money as it will take some time to produce a finished product, but depending on your area of expertise and your ability to successfully market your eBook, it can prove to be well worth the efforts financially.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
The power of yet
In one of the classrooms I'm in, there's a beautifully-done, homemade wall display called, "The Power of Yet." Here's a visual similar to the display in the classroom that I picked out from Google Images:
What a powerful, inspiring message! Simple, yet profound. It's something that all of us need to remember. With persistence, patience, and an open mind, we really can learn, accomplish, improve on, and master anything we'd like to!
If you enjoyed this post, I also recommend checking out, "How to get better at anything."
What a powerful, inspiring message! Simple, yet profound. It's something that all of us need to remember. With persistence, patience, and an open mind, we really can learn, accomplish, improve on, and master anything we'd like to!
If you enjoyed this post, I also recommend checking out, "How to get better at anything."
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
How to get better at anything
Recently, our school's principal shared with the staff an article from the Harvard Business Review. The article is entitled, "If You Want to Get Better at Something, Ask Yourself These Two Questions," and it's written by Peter Bregman, leadership expert, best-selling author, and CEO.
Our principal thought the article was worth sharing, and I, in turn, definitely think it's worth sharing with all of you. He told us the article reminds him of conversations he recently had with several students regarding the ACT test. These students expressed to him how they wished they had better prepared and studied for the test.
Here are the two questions posed by Mr. Bregman, but I encourage you to read the full article for some awesome context and examples, which you can read by clicking here:
1) Do you want to do better?
2) Are you willing to feel the discomfort of putting in more effort and trying new things that will feel weird and different and won’t work right away?
These are questions that anyone who truly wants to get better at anything needs to really wrestle with. And if you can, after having that internal discussion and debate with yourself, genuinely answer "yes" to both of them, especially to that second one, then you're on your way to some serious improvement.
Being open to trying new approaches and to being accepting of occasional short-term challenges, setbacks, and failures in exchange for the long-term win, is absolutely critical. If you're not open-minded, patient, and willing to put in the work and feel the occasional pain, then success will not come your way.
Our principal thought the article was worth sharing, and I, in turn, definitely think it's worth sharing with all of you. He told us the article reminds him of conversations he recently had with several students regarding the ACT test. These students expressed to him how they wished they had better prepared and studied for the test.
Here are the two questions posed by Mr. Bregman, but I encourage you to read the full article for some awesome context and examples, which you can read by clicking here:
1) Do you want to do better?
2) Are you willing to feel the discomfort of putting in more effort and trying new things that will feel weird and different and won’t work right away?
These are questions that anyone who truly wants to get better at anything needs to really wrestle with. And if you can, after having that internal discussion and debate with yourself, genuinely answer "yes" to both of them, especially to that second one, then you're on your way to some serious improvement.
Being open to trying new approaches and to being accepting of occasional short-term challenges, setbacks, and failures in exchange for the long-term win, is absolutely critical. If you're not open-minded, patient, and willing to put in the work and feel the occasional pain, then success will not come your way.
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