EMPOWER Moves for Social-Emotional Learning: Tools and Strategies to Evoke Student Values

by Lauren Porosoff, Jonathan Weinstein

Overview

EMPOWER students to make school a source of meaning, vitality, and community in their lives. Using this book’s interconnected processes—exploration, motivation, participation, openness, willingness, empathy, and resilience—students clarify and commit to the values they want to live by. You will learn 28 activities, as well as extensions and variations for each, that increase student engagement not only in school but in building meaningful lives.

This book will help educators:

• Discover a process-based, non-prescriptive, personally relevant, and culturally affirming approach to SEL
• Implement SEL as its own curriculum, a pedagogy for academic units of study, or a one-to-one intervention
• Facilitate 28 adaptable SEL activities that invite students to identify their own values, choose how they live, and overcome internal struggles
• Evoke students’ personal values without instilling particular values
• Enhance intrinsic motivation, psychological flexibility, student and teacher self-reflection, and student voice
• Build relationships, community, a sense of belonging, and compassion in the classroom
• Have productive conversations with students and their families about living meaningful lives

Contents:
Introduction: Social-Emotional Learning That Empowers Students
Part 1: Social-Emotional Learning Activities That Empower Students
Chapter 1: Exploration: Empower Students to Discover How Values Show Up in Their Lives
Chapter 2: Motivation: Empower Students to Associate Their Actions With Their Values
Chapter 3: Participation: Empower Students to Create Their Own Ways to Enact Their Values
Chapter 4: Openness: Empower Students to Share How Other People Move Them Toward Their Values
Chapter 5: Willingness: Empower Students to Serve Their Values When It’s Especially Hard
Chapter 6: Empathy: Empower Students to Understand and Care About One Another’s Values
Chapter 7: Resilience: Empower Students to Turn Their Struggles Into Opportunities to Reaffirm Their Values
Part 2: Strategies That Make EMPOWER More Effective
Chapter 8: Designing an Empowering Social-Emotional Learning Program
Chapter 9: Supporting Students Who Struggle to Enact Their Values
Chapter 10: Inviting Families Into Conversations About Student Values
Conclusion: Making the Process the Outcome
Appendix: Reproducibles
References and Resources
Index

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781954631595
Publisher:	Solution Tree Press
Publication date:	12/06/2022
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

About the Authors ix

Introduction

Social-Emotional Learning That Empowers Students 1

SEL as Empowering Students to Live by Their Values 2

Beyond SEL as a Distinct Entity 5

How to Use This Book 6

Part I Social-Emotional Learning Activities That EMPOWER Students 9

Leading the Activity 11

Extending the Work 11

Adjusting the Activity 12

Addressing Challenges 12

Your Empowerment 13

Chapter 1 Exploration: Empower Students to Discover How Values Show Up in Their Lives 15

Shape of My Life Posters 16

Values Concept Photos 20

Our Values in Action 22

Values and Questions Card Game 24

Your Own Exploration 28

From Exploration to Motivation 28

Domains of Life 29

Chapter 2 Motivation: Empower Students to Associate Their Actions With Their Values 31

Fun and Important Graphing 32

Values on My To-Do List 35

Four Self Responding 37

Values on My Device 40

Your Own Motivation 42

From Motivation to Participation 43

Things I Need to Do This Week 44

Four Self Responses 45

Enacting My Values When I Use Devices 46

Chapter 3 Participation: Empower Students to Create Their Own Ways to Enact Their Values 47

Emotions and Values Audit 48

Enjoyment and Satisfaction 55

Assessing My Classes 59

Value of the Week 61

Your Own Participation 63

From Participation to Openness 64

Noticing My Emotions 65

Choice Reflection 66

Class Assessment 67

Chapter 4 Openness: Empower Students to Share How Other People Move Them Toward Their Values 69

Leading With Values 70

The Acknowledgments Section 72

Satisfying Our Needs Together 76

Bringing Our Full Selves to Our Friendships 78

Your Own Openness 82

From Openness to Willingness 83

Values Leaders 84

People I'm Close To 85

Chapter 5 Willingness: Empower Students to Serve Their Values When It's Especially Hard 87

Guests in Our Houses 88

Freak Out, Act Out, Zone Out 92

Frustration Coloring Book 96

Discovery Drawings 97

Your Own Willingness 100

From Willingness to Empathy 101

Three Kinds of Out 102

Getting Back In 103

Four Illustrations 104

Chapter 6 Empathy: Empower Students to Understand and Care About One Another's Values 105

Storytelling Circles 106

Common Values and Complementary Strengths 108

From Conflict to Connection 111

Building an Apology 114

Your Own Empathy 117

From Empathy to Resilience 118

Values and Strengths 119

Compassionate Responding 120

Six Parts of an Apology 121

Chapter 7 Resilience: Empower Students to Turn Their Struggles Into Opportunities to Reaffirm Their Values 123

Feedback Comics 124

Struggle Portfolio 128

Failure Timeline 130

Self-Care Alerts 134

Your Own Resilience 137

From Activities to Strategies 139

Feedback Comic Panels 140

Learning Struggles 141

Part II Strategies That Make EMPOWER More Effective 143

Chapter 8 Designing an Empowering Social-Emotional Learning Program 145

Integrating SEL Into Existing Programs 146

Applying Systems Thinking 157

From Integrated to Responsive SEL 159

Chapter 9 Supporting Students Who Struggle to Enact Their Values 161

Understanding How Avoidance Functions 162

Identifying Avoidance Behaviors 164

Addressing Knowledge and Access Barriers 165

Understanding Why Suggestions Don't Help 166

Evoking Instead of Suggesting 168

Using More Strategies to Shape Values-Based Behavior Change 172

Making Time for One-to-One Conversations 175

From Students to Families 176

Chapter 10 Inviting Families Into Conversations About Student Values 177

Choosing Language to Describe EMPOWER 177

Helping Families Extend EMPOWER Activities at Home 178

Bringing Families Into Conversations About Student Avoidance 180

Bringing Families Into Conversations About Student Success 183

Understanding the Qualities of Empowering School-to-Home Communications 185

From Families to Lifelong Empowerment 187

Epilogue Making the Process the Outcome 189

Appendix Reproducibles 191

Examples of Values 192

Values and Questions Cards 193

References & Resources 209

Index 215