According to CASEL, https://casel.org/, the first two core competencies of SEL are self awareness and self management. Self awareness is the ability to identify one’s emotions and the triggers that provoke them. Self management is the process by which we select behaviors to regulate those emotions in a healthy and safe manner.
In The Mandt System, when we role model and empower students to “Affirm Feelings and Choose Behaviors,” we are in essence engaging in the development of the first two competencies of social and emotional learning. There are multiple teachable moments throughout the school day to do this very thing.
For example, imagine a student who becomes frustrated with a difficult task and begins to experience stress that could cause crisis cycle behavior. When staff step in to coach the student to affirm his or her feelings and choose functional behaviors, they are teaching the student how to contend with difficulty and developing emotional fortitude. Staff get frustrated, too! When we role model how to affirm our feelings and choose grown-up behaviors we are seizing another teachable moment to demonstrate social and emotional competency. It is vital that school staff recognize these opportunities to provide instruction and guidance in order to contribute to SEL. Email me if you want to learn more about this approach [email protected]
We Are Always Teaching with Our Role Model!!!!
Dr. Dustyn Alexander – Mandt Faculty & Education Implementation Specialist
