Promoting Seal In The Classroom Practical Suggestions
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The document discusses strategies for promoting social and emotional learning in the classroom. It focuses on creating a positive learning environment, helping students develop self-awareness and manage their feelings, and encouraging positive attitudes and social skills. Some key recommendations include using praise and rewards to reinforce positive behavior, clearly establishing and referring to expectations and rules, teaching and modeling listening and communication skills, and providing opportunities for student voice and peer support.
Promoting Seal In The Classroom Practical Suggestions
- 1. Behaviour for Learning Promoting social and emotional skills in the classroom The ideas that follow have been adapted from the Secondary National Strategy concerning Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) David Drake Humanities AST Wiltshire
- 2. Nothing really changes! How To Maintain Classroom Discipline - Good And Bad Methods Training Educational Video
- 3. SEAL - Aspects of Learning: Creating the learning environment Self awareness Managing feelings Motivation Social Skills
- 4. Creating the learning environment
- 5. How do we ensure that we create and nurture a positive and safe environment? Use positive and encouraging language frequently. For example ‘You may not be sure it is right Sam, but have a go.’ Keep the classroom tidy and attractive with routines established for clearing up. Keep displays up to date and pupils’ work well presented. Consider seating and grouping carefully. Plan to highlight when social and emotional skills are practised or learnt.
- 6. Ensure that where possible, you are in the room and ready before the students arrive. Have appropriate starter activities to hand so that the students are immediately engaged, enabling you to concentrate on greeting them at the door, creating a positive initial experience in the lesson. Ensure that the first contact a student has with you in a lesson is a positive one eg: ‘Thank you for coming in quietly Josh’ or ‘Well done for arriving with the right equipment Emily’ etc).
- 7. To what extent do we plan the lesson based on individual needs? Build knowledge and understanding of the pupils’ strengths, interests and ways of responding and use these when interacting with each pupil. Ensure the lesson is appropriate to the needs of those being taught, so that all pupils have the chance to be successful.
- 8. How can we help to reinforce the values and expectations of the school in our planning, organisation and teaching? Refer positively to the school’s expectations regularly. Emphasise what a positive community looks like in lessons. Consider the physical environment and how this reflects the schools values and principles eg displays in the classroom and in the Learning Area corridor. Interpret the school’s policy and put it into practice to ensure that routines, rules and expectations are followed appropriately and consistently . For example, the class agrees a signal when wanting to make a contribution or voice an opinion.
- 10. How are pupils helped to have a positive identity within the class? Use praise and positive language – ‘Thank you, Jess, I like the way you managed that difficult question.’ Use proximity praise regularly to emphasise that attention is given for positive behaviour rather than negative actions. Issue rewards (stamps and stickers) to reinforce positive behaviour. Encourage pupils to maintain displays or make suggestions about the presentation of the room.
- 12. To what extent do pupils manage their behaviour according to the expectations agreed by staff and pupils? Make expectations, class routines and rules explicit and negotiate them if appropriate. Refer to expectations, class routines and rules frequently and illustrate them with displays. Expectations and procedures should be re-established after every extended break from school e.g. Half term holiday or even a Bank Holiday weekend when such routines and expectations may not be in place outside school. Make the reasons for expectations clear. For example ‘You should try this – it helps you concentrate, then you will have a better chance of getting a Level 5.’
- 13. Make specific reference to when pupils practise social and emotional skills, meet expectations and follow routines and rules. ‘Well done Megan, you remembered to put your hand up’. It is amazing how someone who was shouting out at the same time suddenly puts their hand up! Encourage pupils to stop and think before acting. Provide 'take up time' when giving instructions so that pupils can take these on board. ‘In 2 minutes I am going to ask you to stop, be silent and listen to the next instruction’.
- 14. Motivation
- 15. How are positive attitudes to learning encouraged before and during the lesson? Remind pupils of situations where they have been successful previously.
- 16. To what extent do they organise their own learning? And support the learning of others? Establish routines and expectations and then give pupils the opportunity to suggest ways in which they can organise their own learning. Focus on questioning which encourages a reflective reply from the pupil. Exemplify where there are opportunities to develop pupils’ own learning and encourage peer support – ‘Can anyone think of a way to help Mary here?’
- 17. Social Skills
- 18. How do we ensure that pupils listen to and follow instructions? Teach, reinforce, model and revisit the skills of active listening frequently. Demonstrate levels of listening and provide positive feedback to pupils who show progress.
- 19. Do pupils observe and make use of non-verbal communication given by staff or pupils? Explain or devise non-verbal signs or communication with the pupils and then provide opportunities for pupils to experience it. For example, a member of staff raising a hand to gain attention or counting down from ten. Use facial expression to express how you feel about the pupils’ behaviour or learning, and explain it. For example – expressing excitement and enthusiasm for a creative work. ‘That makes me really excited’ or disappointment when behaviour has hurt others ‘I felt disappointed when you…’ Make explicit reference to non-verbal communication and allow time for pupils to identify its meaning – ‘What do you see?’, ‘What does it mean?’, ‘What do you think that tells you about the way … is feeling or thinking?’
- 20. How do pupils learn to respond respectfully to others including peers and adults? Avoid shouting, humiliation or threatening and explain why you won’t use these tactics. Consider the interaction between staff and pupils when planning the lesson – when is it most effective to address the group as a whole? When should comments be directed to a small group or an individual? Does the poor behaviour of one student warrant a negative response in front of the whole class? Would praising the other twenty eight be more effective, or maybe a quiet word with the individual may be adequate?
- 21. Introduction Welcome Seating arrangement Use of routines Social Interaction Environment Early engagement Share clear learning outcomes Review previous learning The big picture A quick learning gain Recognise achievement Appropriate praise Early involvement in pairs and group work Appropriate questioning Appropriate challenge The integration of SEAL in to a lesson Main activity Modelling Use of exemplars Pace Choices Paired feedback Taking risks challenge Plenary Reflect Review Summarise Feedback Pair/group work Target setting How learnt What learnt Respect, safe learning, environment, tolerance, expectations, ownership, modelling, emotional skills, managing feelings, resilience, learning environment, social interaction Social Climate Physical Climate Learning Climate
- 22. Do we need a new approach? – Questions for discussion: What strikes you about what you have seen? What do we like/do well currently? What works for you? What would we like to change? What are the barriers? Is there a need for using student voice? What next?