Faye Brownlie & Leyton Schnellert SD42 · One student diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome One...

Creating inclusive, thinking classroomsFaye Brownlie & Leyton Schnellert

SD42

The Timeless Circle Sculpture by Susan Point

See, Think, Wonder

The Timeless Circle Sculpture by Susan Point

School Teams

¤ Where are we been?

¤ Inclusion

¤ Collaboration

¤ BC’s renewed curriculum

SD42 School Teams #sd42schoolteams

¤Where are we been?¤ Inclusion

¤ Collaboration

¤ BC’s renewed curriculum

¤ Where are we now¤ Literacy¤ Social Emotional Learning ¤ Self-Regulated Learning

Nurturing Learning in Inclusive Classrooms: Bringing Together Self-Regulated Learning and Social Emotional Learning

SD42

Leyton Schnellert, PhDUBC

@LeytonSchnell

Overview

Why Focus on SRL and SEL in Tandem?

Nurturing Learning in Inclusive Classrooms

Why Focus on SRL and SEL in Tandem?

What is Self-Regulated Learning?Lifelong learners are self-regulating learners (alone & with others!)

Self-regulating learners know how to control their thoughts, feelings, and actions to achieve personal goals and respond to environmental demands (Zimmerman, 2008)

Self-regulation describes "active," strategic learning

Individuals can take, and feel in control, over learning by deliberately and reflectively �self-regulating� their engagement in activities

Probing Deeper: What is SRL?

Metacognition

Strategic Action

Motivation & Emotion

SRL

Awareness of personal strengths and limitations; Using that self-awarenessto solve problems and cope with challenges

Choosing from a repertoire of strategies those best suited to the situation and applying them effectively and efficiently

Affective responses;Beliefs about ability; Willingness to try;Expectations for success

Overall Classroom EnvironmentActivities ... Supports ... Assessment/Feedback

An Integrative Model of Self-Regulation(Butler, Schnellert, & Perry, 2017)

Cycles of Self-

Regulated Activity

Planning

Interpreting Tasks

Monitoring

Adjusting

Enacting Strategies

History,Strengths,

Challenges,Metacognition,

Knowledge,Beliefs,

Agency

Butler, 2002; Butler, Schnellert., et al., 2011

Emotions & Motivation

Why is Self-Regulation Important?

Self-regulation predicts early school achievement more powerfully than IQ scores and knowledge of reading and math

Successful self-regulation in kindergarten predicts achievement through grade 6

Self-regulating learners are successful in and beyond school

Ø Higher motivation and confidence

Ø More productive thinking skills and strategies

Ø More task relevant behaviour

Ø Higher achievement

SRL and SEL Connections

Defining SEL

¤ Social and emotional learning is a set of skills and competencies needed for success in learning and in life. (CASEL.org)

¤ What skills and competencies do you want for your students when they graduate so that they are prepared to be successful in life? (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social)

Framework of SEL

Why is Social and Emotional Learning Important?

Academic achievement in Grade 8 could be better predicted from knowing children’s social competence 5 years earlier than from knowing grade 3 academic achievement (Caprara et al., 2000)

SEL Meta-Analysis (Durlak et al., 2004)Ø Increased social and emotional skills

Ø More positive attitudes toward self and others

Ø More positive social behaviors

Ø Fewer conduct problems

Ø Lower levels of emotional distress

Ø Significantly better academic performance

SEL is Embedded in the Core Competencies!

• Thinking Competencyo Critical thinkingo Creative thinking

• Communication Competency

• Personal and Social Competencyo Positive personal and

cultural identityo Personal awareness and

responsibilityo Social awareness and

responsibility

How can we create inclusive environments in which students feel they belong and are empowered to engage in rich forms of learning?

Nurturing Learning in Inclusive Classrooms

How can we foster safe & caring learning environments?

¤ Co-constructed values, norms for behaviour

¤ Physical space

¤ Relationships: Adult-student, peer-to-peer, adult-to-adult

¤ Discipline

¤ Instructional Practice

Social and Emotional Competencies

Programs & Practices

SEL Programs

Developing SEL skills/competencies in context

¤ Practices that support students’ opportunities to learn and apply social and emotional competence¤ Cooperative learning¤ Project-based learning¤ Problem-based learning¤ Place-based learning¤ Play-based learning¤ Inquiry-based learning¤ Cooperative-learning

¤ Explicitly developing students’ competencies within these approaches¤ Learning intentions, mini-lessons, gradual release of

responsibility, co-constructed criteria

Understanding Classroom ExpectationsDave Dunnigan (Coquitlam School District)

At the beginning of the year, Dave and his Grade 6/7 students go through a visioning process to create their learning community.

He asks students: what makes a great classroom? How are the students learning? How is the teacher teaching? How does everyone treat each other and interact with each other? What routines and expectations help us in our learning?

Creating a Safe Environment: An Emotional Literacy Charter

Designed to foster a safe emotional climate

¤ How do we want to feel as a community of learners?

¤ What can we do to support these feelings?

¤ How will we handle conflict or uncomfortable feelings?

(Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)

Laura Singh, Brentwood Park, SD41

YOU are our best hope!Thank you on behalf of all the students

whose lives you will impact by the culture you build and the decisions you make!!

Class Profile: A Wide Variety of Experiences and Needs

One student diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome

One at-risk First Nations Student

Five other students with IEPs

22 ESL students

5 level 1

2-3 level 2

Schnellert, Watson & Widdess (2015)

Grade 5/6 Example: Writing Free Verse Poems

Building a Classroom Community

Practices educators used to build community in this example

Making Connections

How did the educators and students build the learning community to:• Respect all individuals• Value the students as

members• Recognize and accept

strengths and challenges• Accommodate diverse

interests and needs?

Lesson Sequence: Goals

Goals taken up, over time: To create students’ sense of belonging in a learning community

To support students to learn how to express their emotions and ideas in free verse poems

To promote students’ development of knowledge about Indigenous cultures and experiences

To foster students’ self-regulated approaches to reading and writing

To connect with an at-risk learner’s experiences

Leyton Schnellert & Nicole Widdess (2015)

A Series of Lessons (Spring)

q Interpret Tasks: What makes a good free verse poem?² Class reads examples² They generate criteria based on different samples

A Series of Lessons Supported Students to …

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

q Generate content² Based on reading of poems and stories² Based on criteria for a good poem

q Read and write strategically² Generate and build from criteria² Try, articulate, try, refine strategies over time² Self-monitor progress and self-assess

Making ConnectionsHow did the goals of the lesson sequence align with Self-Awareness and Self—Management (Personal Awareness & Responsibility)?

Understanding the Task

Example: Identifying qualities of a good free verse poem

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Example: Whole class modeling & discussion

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Example: Students working together to identify writing criteria

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Example: Summarizing criteria as a whole class following on the small group activity

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Making Connections

How did this part of the lesson sequence provide opportunities to learn and apply • Social skills (i.e., building

consensus, negotiating)• Emotional literacy skills• Perspective taking &

empathy?

From Understanding the Task to Working with Criteria

Supporting Iterative Cycles of Strategic Action

It's not enough to clarify or co-construct learning intentions

Students need to build from criteria to guide their learning!To focus learningTo plan their actionsTo choose and use strategiesTo monitor progressTo redirect efforts as needed

What can teachers do?Generate criteria as a class

Build in opportunities for students to identify the demands of a task in relation to criteria

Require students to stop and check how their learning is going against criteria

Ask them to be specific about what they did that helped them to be successful

Ask what they can/will do in similar situations in the future

Butler, Schnellert & Perry, 2017

Example: Review Criteria Constructed with Students

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Example: A framework for generating content for a free verse poem (reflective of group generated criteria)

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Example: Class generates content for poems on residential schools

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Making Connections

How does co-constructing criteria foster • motivation and

engagement for learners?

• personal and social responsibility and personal awareness?

Building Personalized Strategies

Example: Constructing strategies for writing free verse poems, building from experience (and linked to criteria)

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Example: Constructing Strategies with Students

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Example: Constructing Strategies with Students

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Making Connections

How did this part of the lesson sequence support students to develop “metacognition” and a sense of agency over learning?

Example: Travis�drafts of his poem on residential schools

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Example: Travis�finished poem on residential schools

Schnellert & Widdess (2015)

Pulling it All Together

What do you take away from this poetry lesson example?

What are you already doing?

What else could you do?

Final Thoughts

¤ Start small… think big!

¤ Start with what you are already doing!

¤ High quality, inclusion-oriented teaching naturally provides opportunities to teach and apply social and emotional skills

64

PLANNING #SD42SCHOOLTEAMS

Who are our learners? What are their strengths, stretches, and interests?

Who are some students we want to attend to … to help them engage? to find their strengths?

What is our shared goal? Where might we innovate?

What’s our plan?

Resources You Can Draw OnBrownlie, F., Feniak, C., & L. Schnellert (2006). Student diversity. Pembroke.

Butler, D. L., Schnellert, L., & N. Perry, N. (2016). Developing self-regulating learners. Don Mills, ON: Pearson.

Duriak, J. et al, (2015). Handbook of social emotional learning: Research and practice. http://www.casel.org/sel-handbook/

Davies, A. (2011). Making classroom assessment work. Solution Tree.

Davies, A. & S. Herbst (2013, June). Co-constructing success criteria. Education Canada.

Gregory, K., Cameron C., & A. Davies (2011). Setting and using criteria. (2011). Portage & Main Press.

Schnellert, L., Watson, L., & N. Widdess (2015). It’s all about thinking: Building pathways for all learners in the middle years. Portage and Main Press.