Cultural Competence: The ability to examine the various social and cultural identities of one's own self and others, understand and appreciate diversity from a historically-grounded and strengths-focused lens, recognize and respond to cultural demands and opportunities, and build relationships across cultural backgrounds.
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By making the time to build the relationships that allow learners to feel a sense of community- that they are “in this together”- teachers create a safer, more equitable environment where all students participate and achieve.
Define Team Member Roles and Responsibilities
To ensure meetings are productive, it’s a good idea to define team roles and responsibilities, and strive to share work equitably.
By building an SEL team that reflects the school community and incorporates many points of view, the school will be better able to meet its needs and build commitment to SEL.
Explicit SEL instruction refers to consistent opportunities for students to cultivate, practice, and reflect on social and emotional competencies in ways that are developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive.
Model SEL with Students and Families
When staff model social and emotional competencies in their interactions with students and families, they intentionally embody SEL and set the stage for trusting relationships that catalyze learning and partnership.
Belonging and Emotional Safety
When teachers build the structures that support belonging and emotional safety, they lay the groundwork for students to focus on learning (Sergiovanni, 1994 in Darling-Hammond et al., 2017).
Foster supportive classroom environments that engage in explicit SEL and integrate SEL throughout instruction.
Reflect on Personal Social and Emotional Skills
Carol Dweck is a psychologist who researches achievement and success. Her major finding is that those who have a “growth mindset”—those who believe that their abilities are developed through dedication and hard work, not innate talent—are more likely to be resilient when things get tough and persevere to achieve goals (Dweck, 2006).
Just as it’s important to model SEL for students in the classroom, it’s also important for adults to consistently model social-emotional competencies with each other.