#SEL learning

[camp-counselor-life]

When I first read through this article, I was going to pull out the section on what SEL skills are (worth reading if you click the link), but then I found this passage, and I would rather share it instead:

"At staff training every year, I ask at least one alumni counselor (once a camper, now a counselor) to speak to the whole staff about a meaningful moment from their time as a camper in our program. One year, a young woman told the story of how she had been physically uncoordinated as a child, and how that had negatively affected her self-worth and social confidence. One day at camp, her cabin group went for a hike in a creek where they had to do lots of balancing and hopping from one boulder to the next. She reluctantly made it through the hike, feeling anxious and unimpressed with herself, and moved on with the rest of her day without thinking much of it. That night before lights out, her counselor came to her bunk and said something to the effect of, “Remember today on the creek hike? I know you didn’t love that, but I saw you challenging yourself and not giving up, and I’m really proud of you for that. It shows what a strong person you are.”

It wasn’t the experience of the creek hike that made a difference for this young woman. It was the moment of reflection, when her role model shined a light on the perseverance that almost went unnoticed. From that moment onward, she carried a new understanding of who she was and what she might be capable of.

Be that mirror and shine that light in your program this summer. Use good judgment and take good care. Make good decisions and good friends. Make some mistakes (hopefully small ones), and use them to role model how to be accountable, honest, and to show that everyone has the power to fix their mistakes, overcome challenges, and use SEL skills to improve other people’s lives."

[richardtheteacher]

How I Use SEL in My High School Lessons (And How You Can Too!)

Richard James Rogers, Award-Winning Author and Teacher, describes ten which Social Emotional Learning (SEL) practices can be incorporated into High School Lessons.

A blog post by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback). This blog post has been beautifully illustrated by Pop Sutthiya Lertyongphati. As high school teachers, we know that our students need more than just academic knowledge to thrive. They need tools to manage their emotions,…

[ismyteadoneyet]

" ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ᴏʀ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ, ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ʙʀɪᴀɴᴀ ᴍᴀᴛᴛʜᴇᴡs "

Characters from 'The Legendborn Cycle' by Tracy Deonn as usual 🩷🩷

It is done ??? Finally? This thing spiraled so far out of my current skillset the further I got, but I loved every minute of it and learned a lot I think 😅😅 I love painting textures and ngl even tho it took WAY longer than it needed to, repainting and fiddling with the different textures in this was rly fun (especially the stained-glass windows!!! Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!! 😭🩷✨️)

[tiresomespaceplant]

that creation vs creator trend

[juuria]

first break at my minimum wage job guys!!!

[inspired-lesson-plans]

Macron's Tweet - Things get real messy when Emmanuel Macron tweets that "France has never invaded any sovereign nation", but there's a twist...

vs

Reframing - Imagine if *right now* was your second chance at life, would that make you try harder and relish the moment?

[selvepnea]

I might have picked up a 100 y/o accordion today???

[iwakuraz]

I really wanna post my drawings here more often and I have so many lain doodles so ? have this arilain!!! yay!

theres more stuff under the read more :>

^ignore how I just cannot take pictures of my art very well plsplspls ..

^^drawn in maths class but I don't really remember why ,, they're best friends ig or something like that

[genderjester]

I feel like after this trip i must gain some sort of resistance to high temperatures. I dont remember the last time we had a day under 25C. We once went on an evening walk with 40C. We set the a/c to 25-27C and it feels nice and cool. What the hell

[feyres-divorce-lawyer]

💀 honestly explained a lot on my first read

[omgneptunee]

no bc why tf in my sel (social emotional learning) class we watched a video about social awareness and all of a sudden it started talking about Undertale, Toontown, Fortnite, Roblox, and Among Us

[openstorygames]

Journaling RPGs

TL;DR Journal games provide an escape that brings you back to reality through reflection and creativity. Kids' journal games look very different from adult ones, but both can achieve similar goals. When I started writing games (months before I was brave enough to hit "publish"), I stumbled across journaling RPGs.

Playtesting

I playtested a few games for other creators, and I realized that the process of journaling in character was perfect for me! A limited project with defined rules that helped guide my thinking to a conclusion.

As a writer, I've always struggled to bring things from the middle to an ending. It's the hardest part of the process for me.

Journaling games aid that process by forcing an end. You draw a certain card; you run out of a limited resource; if you're lucky, you achieve your goal. Suddenly, your adventure has come to an end.

The game gives you the scenes along the way, but it's your job to put them in character and connect the dots. The ending exists, but how do you get there?

First Writing

After playing a few journaling games, I was intrigued. I wanted to write my own!

That first experiment gave me the rough draft of Dolorine. It wasn't anything special, at first. I had some growing to do before my deity of affliction would reach her full potential.

Lil Gremlins

I tried my hand at some other types of narrative TTRPGs, and I've enjoyed each project. But that journaling game just kept brewing in the back of my mind.

Still not ready to go back and face the (possible) mess of Dolorine, I shifted my focus to a kid-friendly journaling game.

That's a whole different experiment!

Kids don't have the stamina or hand strength to write long, extensive passages. They don't do well with dense text explaining complicated rules.

I knew I'd need to have simple rules and a journal template for Lil Gremlins to have a chance.

So I set to work, creating a game about your friend/pet monster, who gets into mischief quite a bit.

The great thing about journaling games is that they give you the opportunity to reflect on yourself and your own thoughts, feelings, and actions.

The tough thing about making that a game for kids is that kids don't have much practice with that. And their brains aren't fully developed yet. They've got a lot to learn!

Cover art by Mary Bransom

I intentionally wrote Lil Gremlins to be customizable and to grow with kids who play it. I designed it to handle big social-emotional learning topics in manageable chunks.

This game was for kids to take some power back. For them to wield the word NO! in a safe context. For them to be in control of what was allowed. For them to reflect on why certain things might be considered troublesome.

Lil Gremlins is a journaling game, but it's not meant to be played solo. It can be, of course, but it's written to encourage you to share your story! A younger player might want some help writing; a bigger kid might ask for their completed journal to be displayed.

And in doing all of that work, I created a game that helped me learn to write journaling RPGs for other audiences.

Back to Dolorine

With that first experience under my belt, I was ready to tackle the mess of Dolorine again.

A game that is very much not for children, Dolorine comes with a host of content warnings and a much darker theme.

After all, when the character you're playing is a deity who chooses to accept suffering for the purposes of transforming that suffering into power, things can get pretty grim.

During the months that passed between Dolorine's first draft and editing, I discovered the wonder of SRDs. I didn't have to build my game from the ground up. I didn't need to struggle to convert my Lil Gremlins skills to an entirely different context.

I used the Aspire SRD and the Caltrop Core SRD to give my dark fantasy vibe some structure.

With those building blocks, the game settled into its final form.

Dolorine is a solo journey through what it means to be afflicted. But it gives the player power, though in a very different way than in Lil Gremlins.

When I started my first draft, I wanted a game that gave pain purpose.

In a world so full of suffering, we can easily be overwhelmed by the senselessness of it all.

But for the Dolorine, deity of affliction, all pain has a purpose. She lives in a world where her suffering is never lost in the void.

There's a fantasy to that. A chance to use our pain for something worthwhile.

There's a danger in that. An opportunity to become the cruelty we seek to eliminate.

Either way, Dolorine has you reflecting on some tough themes as you channel affliction into the ability to rid others of their power to harm the vulnerable.

Very different game from Lil Gremlins, to be sure.

Comparison

Lil Gremlins is set in a world of peace and lightheartedness. There is no trouble so large that it can't be solved with a hug or a good book.

Dolorine wanders through a realm of agony. Nowhere can she turn that she doesn't find trouble.

But both games offer the player some hope against the powerlessness that we all feel at times.

And both give you the opportunity to reflect on your own role. You may be the responsible one in Lil Gremlins but the mischief-maker in your life. You might feel powerless in Dolorine but discover that you can change things even without deific abilities.

You might learn some uncomfortable things about yourself. Or you might just tell a good story. Either way, journaling games are an excellent way to grow as a writer, creative, and person.

Quick Promo

If you're interested in either of the journaling games I mentioned above, be sure to check them out at the links below!

Lil Gremlins is on sale for another week. Don't miss your chance to pick it up at a discount!

Dolorine is PWYW for a limited time! Try it out, and consider leaving a rating so I know how you like it!

[meangirlsbway]

my new favorite thing is going through an anti tag for a fandom i know absolutely nothing about

[selvepnea]

Thinking about. That one post about art. And how it's never good enough. Since you're the one that made it. And how. It might relate to how I view myself?

[inspired-lesson-plans]

Revisited &Revised

SEL / Social Emotional Learning, all grades

Essential Question:

How can the lessons we observe in nature guide us in finding different kinds of solutions to different kinds of problems?

Do Now:

Write alt text for each of the 4 pages.

Remember, when writing an image description, your goal is to write a short, accurate account of only the important information that someone would want to know if they could not see the picture. This will force you to consider the images much more closely and you may notice new details.

Class Discussion:

Students share a few of their image descriptions.

Direct Instruction:

Teacher brings students' attention to the way the artistry in the images illustrates the ideas, such as the following exemplars:

The first tree clearly originated in the hollow log, like a child born in adverse circumstances. It had to make its own way out of there, yet it can never forget from whence it came.

The pavement already had cracks in it, which is what allowed the mushrooms to burst through. There's no way that it was easy, but sometimes you just have to know that it's possible.

The second tree navigated the uncompromising fence and could not change the fence, but it managed to thrive and grow thick despite its circumstances.

In the final series, the rock never gets any smaller, yet it feels smaller as the tree grows.

Higher Order Learning:

Think back on problems you have had to work your way through in your life and how you found your way through them.

Try to recall one example of a time in your life that you had to navigate each of these four scenarios, and how you succeeded. (If you don't think you've ever had to face one of these for real, then you can use stories from other people's lives).

Difficult circumstances that you were born into

An obstacle that you cannot bypass, only break through

An obstacle that you cannot break through, only bypass

Any problem that feels so big at first but feels smaller with the passage of time.

Growing.

[thedotcurriculum]

Enhancing Emotional and Social Skills through SEL for Pre-Primary

The Dot Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Program is a comprehensive curriculum designed to nurture the emotional and social development of pre-primary children. Recognizing the critical importance of SEL education for pre-primary learners, this program aims to create a safe and engaging learning environment where young children can thrive both academically and personally.

Core Features of the SEL Program

Emotional Awareness & Self-Regulation: Children develop self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-management skills, enabling them to understand and manage their emotions effectively.

Core Values: The program emphasizes values such as respect, honesty, kindness, and empathy, fostering positive character development.

Social Skills Development: Children enhance their ability to build and maintain healthy relationships through collaboration, teamwork, and effective communication.

Mindfulness Practices: Incorporates mindfulness activities to help children stay calm, focused, and present in their learning experiences.

C.I.R.C.L.E. Time: A unique pedagogical approach that promotes Connection, Integration, Readiness, Collaboration, Listening, and Enjoyment, facilitating holistic development.

🧠 Learning Strands

Emotional Skills: Self-awareness, self-concept, self-regulation, self-management, and values.

Social Skills: Building relationships, pro-social behaviors, and group interactions.

Why Choose The Dot SEL Program?

The Dot SEL Program is grounded in research and best practices in early childhood education. It provides educators with structured activities, discussions, games, and worksheets that are aligned with thematic learning units. This integration enhances the learning experience, making it engaging and effective for young learners.

By focusing on social and emotional development, the program prepares children to succeed in school and beyond, equipping them with the skills needed to navigate the complexities of life with confidence and resilience.