What Is the Issue?
An issue at my school is the lack of SEL and Responsive Classroom resources. Both SEL and Responsive Classroom strategies should be used daily in all subject areas, but there is a misconception that there are specific times and programs that must be used. SEL can be taught gradually starting on the first day of school and be intervened through each class.
Rationale
The reason for selecting this issue is because teachers are unfamiliar with SEL and Responsive Classroom techniques, and therefore are unable to implement these strategies into the classroom without effective training. With Responsive Classroom, SEL strategies are expected on a daily basis in each subject area class. Our school originally started the past year with an SEL program called Second Step. The program was unorganized and the lessons did not flow well together. This past year, most teachers completely stopped using it because the students would not take it seriously and it was more work to prepare than to teach.
Context
In this case, it would be beneficial for the entire district to implement SEL and Responsive Classroom strategies. At the very least, it should be done school-wide and within classrooms. In order for students to buy into SEL practices and Response Classroom strategies, all staff members must be trained and use the techniques effectively and consistently. Responsive Classroom specifically focuses on strategies for middle school students, so this would be beneficial to implement in our 5th and 6th grade building.
My Role
Since I have already been formally trained on Responsive Classroom, I can use what I learned to present my findings to my colleagues. I have also researched the effectiveness of daily SEL in the classroom in a previous M.Ed course. I can use my presentation and research to show the data and explain why using SEL is important. In addition, I can share ideas on how to implement these strategies in the classroom, and school-wide. First, I will make sure that I am using these strategies on a daily basis in my own classroom. Then, after reporting what I have observed and learned in my classroom, I will make suggestions and share ideas with the whole school on how to effectively use these strategies as well. It will be a team effort, so I will ask other teachers and administrators familiar with SEL and Responsive Classroom to report what they have learned as well.