A Zoom Workshop for Educators and Support Staff
Addressing the impact of COVID-19 crisis has to be at the forefront of teaching and learning in the fall, in whatever format schooling takes. Teachers and parents are mental health allies in this crisis; more than ever, they are our eyes and ears on the front lines. We must support them personally and professionally with information and consultation. Attending to mental health and cognitive growth can no longer be separate; we must attend to the whole person. One only has to think Maslow to understand that children need a solid foundation of safety, food, shelter, and social-emotional support before any academic learning can occur.
We know that the crisis has impacted Connecticut children on multiple levels. On page 2 of Connecticut’s Plan to Learn and Grow Together (June 29, 2020), one Connecticut student shares:
“. . . We are all experiencing one trauma together, instead of just forcing us through it, talk about it with openness. So many students are struggling, and so few are saying things. Have people check in on them, have someone reach out. A lot of students need it.”
As educators and support professionals, we must honor this request.
Fortunately, CT’s Commissioner of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona, recognized this necessity and has identified Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) as a priority in his position statement on the “short term future of education.”
Focusing on SEL can help mitigate and monitor the negative effects of crisis. By developing SEL-infused academic lessons through teacher/support staff collaboration, we can address students’ social-emotional needs in the context of their academic learning. For the past seven years, Drs. Paula Gill Lopez and Emily Smith have been collaborating with their Fairfield University students in this work. An article found at the following link speaks to this collaboration: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_social_emotional_skills_can_fit_into_school_curricula
We invite you to join us for a FREE workshop to collaborate as school support staff and educators to learn how to infuse SEL into academic lessons. These infused lessons provide students (and adults) with a safe space to check in with one another, talk about their struggles with openness, and build their social-emotional skills.
Workshop Objectives:
1. Understand how the principles of crisis and trauma must inform teaching and learning during this pandemic
2. Promote the Commissioner’s emphasis on SEL as an educational priority
3. Learn a collaborative model that infuses SEL into academic lessons as a means for supporting students
4. Recognize the warning signs of insufficient/maladaptive coping
5. Collaborate to triage and provide appropriate support for those who need it
Teams of colleagues: 1 school support professional and 1-2 teachers should sign up to participate together.
During the workshop you will be asked to evaluate your experience. The evaluation data will be used to improve the workshop and share learnings with colleagues. All data will remain anonymous. If you prefer not to have your data used to inform future efforts, you can indicate your preference on the evaluation form.
A zoom link will be sent to participants closer to the date of the event.
SPACE IS LIMITED.