How can we explicitly teach executive functioning to be successful with SEL in the classroom?

Why is this an important question?

We want to build community in the class, create a safe learning environment, increase instructional time and have our students recognize the size of their problems and use strategies to help solve them. ​

Self-regulated students will be able to meet their full potential, have more confidence and be able to work well with others.

What were you noticing about learners?

We are still seeing the effects of the pandemic on social interactions and levels of anxiety. ​

There are a number of students who are entering in-person school for the first time and struggling with basic routines and social interactions with peers and adults.​

We are noticing more challenges with self-management (regulation), lack of focus, harder to transition, taking a lot longer to do simple tasks in the classroom, and more interruptions to deal with behaviours.​

Overall, we have noticed that students feel overwhelmed much quicker.  In previous years, there were only a few students that needed direct instruction on self-regulation. Currently, the majority of the class needs explicit support and direct instruction. 

What actions were taken?

• We wanted to gather baseline data on our students about their emotional well-being and their ability to recognize and regulate their feelings.​
• We created 3 questions with prompts to help keep consistency amongst the two classes.​
• ​Before asking the questions, we taught a lesson about the term "belonging" to give the students a common understanding about the meaning of the word.​
• ​We pulled students 1:1 to ask them the 3 questions and scribed their answers.​

  

 

 

What Actions are you taking?

We are using the Zones of Regulation. We have integrated this framework and vocabulary in daily routines (morning check in), curriculum (cross-curricular tie ins) and addressing specific emergent issues.   ​

We have tried to provide students with physical self-regulating tools such as: resist bands on chair legs, noise-muffling headphones, fidget toys, wobble chairs, stabilization cushions, breathing exercises and glitter bottles in addition to the strategies provided in Zones. Some of these tools have been more successful than others. ​

There are a number of school events that have addressed these themes including: Prides (Family Teams), Kindness Week, and 12 Days of Kindness Challenge.

What have you learned so far?

Direct instruction needs a lot of practice and re-enforcement. ​

The personal relationships and connections that students have with adults and each other have a strong effect on their ability to apply directly taught strategies.  ​

Students across the self-regulation continuum are highly engaged in these topics. Direct teaching SEL has been helping individuals recognize and self- regulate, and it has also been helping other students empathize and consider others' perspectives. Students are recognizing how their behaviour can positively or negatively affect one another. ​

Building the bridge between home life and school life is an important pillar of the implementation of Zones and the consistency in our practice.

We noticed:​

A number of the students are new to our school, and we were surprised that many of them report that they get along with everyone and felt connected. ​

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The students' comments were not always aligned with the prompts provided to them.​

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We are wondering:​

What can we implement to improve outcomes?​

• Continued follow up lessons on belonging ​

• Empathy building ​

• Continue to practice the strategies in their toolkits​

• Continue to teach SEL lessons​

• A professional learning book club​

• How can we expand our practice into the local community?​

• Can guests come in or can we go beyond the school?​

• Can we add more questions into our survey for May?​

• Can we alter our prompts or not give any?

How has your inquiry made a difference?

• Students are more self-aware and some are more aware of others' emotions.​

• They can recognize their emotions and name them. ​

• They can find a calm down strategy that works for them.​

• They understand the word "trigger" and know what triggers them.​

• Throughout the year, we have paused other lessons because students are unregulated and have taken time to address their social-emotional needs as a class so the learning can take place.​

• Students have maintained engagement all year on these topics.​

• Parents have asked, and we have been able to share the concrete programs and steps we worked on. Some parents have been able to continue to use the language at home.​

• Students have Increased independence in problem solving during recess and lunch.​

• Teachers have had to spend less time "fighting fires".​

• Students have increased confidence to persist and are more resilient.​

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What has been noticed?

• As time went on, we organically moved the direction of the implementation away from our initial question. Our question was very broad, and we chose to focus on self-management (self- regulation) because we found that our students needed.​

• Our inquiry took place in two classrooms with two distinct class make ups. This led to two distinct paths targeted and tailored to two distinct class make .  ​

• Questions: ​

• What is the best sequence to teach these skills and use the various programs, ie Teach Zones first and then Mind Up​

• How can we implement further lunch and learn or collaborative opportunities with more school staff?​

• How to select which is the next book or resource to look at?​

• Where can further funding be accessed for seating, tools and other self-management implements.​

• How does school demographics influence our approach? ​

• How do home environments influence the effectiveness of our approach?​

• How do we take what we've learned at the classroom level to implement it across the school?​

• -Do we need to update our matrix?​

• Data: We wish we had hard numbers on how many "melt downs" occurred at the beginning of this cycle.  We suspect that we have had less as time goes on or that the nature or cause of them have changed.​