Guiding Documents

Transformative social emotional learning is a process whereby young people, and adults build strong, respectful, and lasting, relationships that facilitate co-learning to critically examine root causes of inequity, and to develop collaborative solutions that lead to personal, communal and societal well-being. Through this process youth and adults learn essential life skills and competencies that promote a positive identity, a well-managed self, healthy relationships and agency to successfully navigate their future. At BPS, we believe that strengthening adult and youth social and emotional skills and competencies enhance our abilities to connect and relate to others across race, class, culture, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, and learning needs.

 

TRANSFORMATIVE SEL ONLINE ACTION GUIDE

The Transformative SEL Action Guideis an online tool that provided SEL strategies that educators and school leaders can use to deepen Transformative SEL through remote and in-person instruction. View resource here.

 

BPS SEL COMPETENCIES

View the BPS SEL Competencies here

 

BPS 3 SIGNATURE SEL PRACTICES

Practices for an engaging and safe classroom - resource here!

Creating conditions for adult learning - resource here!

 

THREE SIGNATURE SEL PRACTICES PLANNING TOOL

Creating Conditions for Adult Learning: Engaging, effective and purposeful meetings and professional learning experiences are created using three key social and emotional learning (SEL) practices. This tool will support integrating 3 Signature SEL Practices into the classroom, adult meetings, and PD.

 

INTEGRATING SEL INTO ACADEMIC CONTENT AREAS

Social and emotional competencies serve as a foundation for achieving academic goals, while academic instruction also provides an opportunity for teaching and practicing SEL (CASEL). Your school can ensure that SEL is woven throughout academic instructional time to support and deepen learning by aligning SEL and academic objectives and embedding SEL learning objectives into academic lessons. Find the BPS Planning Tool for Creating SEL Learning Objectives here.

 

CO-CREATING A THINK SPACE IN THE CLASSROOM

We all need to take a break sometimes, especially when we are feeling upset or overwhelmed. A Think Space is a location in the classroom where students can go to take a break, reflect on their emotions, and practice strategies to manage stress. 

Think Spaces are designed to welcome the full range of human emotions and provide opportunities for students to reflect on what they’re feeling [self-awareness]. The self-directed nature of Think Spaces instills a sense of agency in students to identify what resources they need in challenging moments and to practice the techniques that most resonate with their needs [self-management]. A physical place in the classroom to reflect and process emotions provides scaffolding for students to eventually discover and build on their own think spaces within. Review the guide to partnering with students to create and implement a Think Space in your classroom here.

 

SEL IN LITERACY INSTRUCTION

If you’re looking to integrate social emotional learning (SEL) in academic content, chances are you’re already doing so. This resource provides examples of how the district’s literacy curricula integrate social emotional learning and elevate key elements of Transformative SEL: identity, agency, belonging, and collaborative problem solving.

 

CREATING WELCOMING ONLINE COMMUNITIES

As a response to COVID-19 in Boston, educators have been providing online access to learning. Now more than ever, creating a welcoming environment that fosters student-teacher relationships is critical to engaging students in learning. As part of that student-teacher building relationship, practicing routines and rituals within our learning communities in person or online is beneficial for both adults and students.

All educators can facilitate and model Social Emotional Learning (SEL) practices by creating routines and rituals where students are empowered to practice and build SEL competencies: self-awareness, social-awareness, self management, relationship skills and decision making. View the resource here.