There's probably no better testimony to the power of social-emotional learning than this UK student's poem about what happens to the "bully" when victimizing someone else (don't miss this 1:25 min. video of Garrett reading his poem). Garrett was a student at New Line Learning Academy in Maidstone, Kent, UK, when he read this poem in 2011 (he may still be, since it's a school for students aged … [Read more...] about Wisdom about bullying from a former target
SEL
Social literacy up, social problems down in Chicago Schools
More than 50 Chicago schools were recommended for closure this year, but one of the four schools that won't close isn't closing because of its strong, successful social-emotional learning program, Education Week reports. Marcus Garvey Elementary School "is recognized for helping children develop empathy and problem-solving skills." SEL is "problem-solving with dignity," as teacher-songwriter … [Read more...] about Social literacy up, social problems down in Chicago Schools
Invaluable social literacy lessons from an anti-bullying conference
This is genuine progress. My thanks to Lisa Jones at the University of New Hampshire for pointing me to the recent Beyond Bullying Summit's "top three takeaways." Notably, they're all about social literacy: "SEL [social-emotional learning] is not adding to your plate. It is the plate," said Ed Dunkelblau, founder and director of the Institute for Emotionally Intelligent Learning. "Effective … [Read more...] about Invaluable social literacy lessons from an anti-bullying conference
More signs that what works offline works online too
I keep seeing research evidence that "what goes around, comes around" online too. We think of it as common sense in the face-to-face world, but it's becoming pretty evident online too. There's safety in respect for self and others wherever it's shown, including in digital spaces. Here are three examples in the research, starting with a just-released study: Positive begets positive online too. … [Read more...] about More signs that what works offline works online too
A social media company’s social-emotional learning
One of the fascinating impacts of our now very social media environment is technology companies having to learn a whole lot about the best and worst of humanity – and, for their own and their users' sake, about how to foster the best of it. Facebook, for example, has an engineering team working with empathy researchers, and this has direct impact on young users' social experiences, wherever FB's … [Read more...] about A social media company’s social-emotional learning