Social-Emotional Teaching Strategies

Role of the Teacher

You can promote social-emotional development in your classroom by embedding your teaching
practices throughout the day. Remaining sensitive to childrens needs helps them feel secure and
confident, and acts as a model for effective social behavior. For example, asking questions to help
children find a solution to a social conflict helps them develop problem-solving skills. Reading a
story and engaging children in a conversation about a socially challenging situation can also serve
as a lesson in handling social problems as well as in literacy.

Be Attentive to Each Childs Needs - Be attentive to the social-emotional skills and needs of each
unique child so you can respond with lessons and interventions tailored to help every child develop
their skills. Your attention and presence as a teacher can be a pillar of confidence for children who
are dealing with stressful life circumstances. Letting children know that you are there to help will
build childrens trust that you are a source of guidance. Keep in mind that children who are English
language learners may need additional support to feel secure and self-assured in a learning
environment that is responsive to their needs.

Early Emotional Experiences Matter - Recognize that the emotional domain is foundational to all
other developmental domains. If children start school in an emotionally supportive environment,
they will acquire the love of learning necessary for success in all areas of school. As young children
develop, their early emotional experiences literally become embedded in the architecture of their
brains, therefore great care should be given to childrens emotional needs, according to
the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. If you seek childrens opinions, allow
children to initiate activities and are flexible about responding to childrens ideas, youll build
childrens feelings that they are competent and respected, and at the same time motivate their
desire to learn.

Promoting Consistent Structure with Play - Providing your transitional kindergarteners with
consistent structures and expectations about appropriate behavior through play activities helps them
remember and follow classroom norms, and behave in ways that are conducive to learning.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, Play is integral to the academic environment. It
ensures that the school setting attends to the social and emotional development of children as well
as their cognitive development. Creating routines of fun and meaningful activities such as songs,
chants and games can minimize problems or stress during challenging times, such as when
children wait in line or during transitions.
Building Relational Capacity and Importance of Close
Relationships
Positive relationships with peers and adults - including parents and teachers - are key to childrens
social-emotional development. First, they make school a comfortable, secure safe place where
children can focus on learning. Second, mutual, caring relationships provide opportunities for
children to develop and practice important social skills.

Positive and Consistent Relationships - Social-

emotional development is supported through positive and
consistent relationships among teachers and children. Try
going beyond expectations of compliance with school
rules, and support social-emotional development by
crafting a positive, emotionally supportive climate in the
classroom that skillfully connects new experiences with
childrens unique home experiences. According to the
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child,
Children who develop warm, positive relationships with their [TK] teachers are more excited about
learning, more positive about coming to school, more self-confident, and achieve more in the
classroom.

Children are more likely to develop positive relationships when teachers:

model appropriate social behaviors;

provide opportunities for them to develop new social-emotional skills;
give explicit guidance;
offer curriculum that is engaging and relevant to childrens lives and cultures;
engage with parents in a two-way relationship to build childrens social-emotional skills; and
reflect an ethic of caring and nurturing.
Specific examples of productive teacher behaviors include:

showing respect and valuing childrens cultural and language backgrounds;

modeling the polite use of language and encouraging children to imitate your behavior;
encouraging empathic thinking with questions such as, Why do you think he is crying?;
promoting childrens confidence and development of new skills by engaging them in problem
solving, for example by asking, Can you think of a way to help you remember to wait for your
turn?; and
attending to signs of personal trauma and providing additional support to children who are
experiencing unusual stress in their lives.
Seven Social-Emotional Teaching Strategies
The teaching strategies below give concrete approaches for promoting social-emotional
development in your classroom. They are designed to guide developmentally appropriate TK
instruction, moving your students along a continuum of learning by bridging the Preschool
Learning Foundations with the Kindergarten Common Core. Click through to view all seven.

Strategy 1: Relationships and Social Interactions with Peers

Strategy 2: Social and Emotional Understanding
Strategy 3: Conflict Negotiation (Problem Solving)
Strategy 4: Child Regulates Emotions and Behaviors
Strategy 5: Engagement and Persistence
Strategy 6: Responsible Conduct
Strategy 7: Integrated Approaches for English Language Development and Family Engagement

Today's schools are increasingly multicultural and multilingual with students

from diverse social and economic backgrounds. Educators and community
agencies serve students with different motivation for engaging in learning,
behaving positively, and performing academically. Social and emotional
learning (SEL) provides a foundation for safe and positive learning, and
enhances students' ability to succeed in school, careers, and life.

Social-Emotional Teaching Strategies

Today's schools are increasingly multicultural and multilingual with students
from diverse social and economic backgrounds. Social and emotional learning
(SEL) provides a foundation for safe and positive learning, and enhances
students' ability to succeed in school, careers, and life.
Most importantly, as educators, we should use effective strategies to help
students grow these skills. During this presentation we will provide several
strategies to deal with different situations that as educators, we can encounter
inside of our classrooms.

Joseline Roque: Has a degree in Psychology from Universidad Catolica de

Honduras, with more than 10 years working in education, this is her fifth year
working at EIS, she is the school counselor for lower Elementary and a strong
believer that academic success is achieved when a child's social emotional
needs are met.
Elizabeth Hernandez: Has a degree in Psychology with a concentration in
counseling and health from Emmanuel College, Boston, MA. She has a
background working with undeserved children, currently, she works as a
Elementary school counselor for 4th and 5th grade students. She believes that
all children deserve to grow up healthy by providing programs that ensure
support in the social emotional, physical and cognitive development.

Claudia Pizzati: Is a Psychologist, with a 4 year experience in the educational

field, who loves working with kids, teens and adults. She thinks that being able
to teach is one of the best opportunities that we, as human beings have,
because we can touch hearts and change lives.

We are somewhat pleased to offer you this highly-desirable

position at LaborWorks, and hope you will find a long and fruitful
career with us (even though youre somewhat underqualified and
your references were eh). Your starting annual salary will
$500,000 per calendar year. Im sure this is exciting to you,
because its well above what you might earn at another company,
and frankly, kind of more than you deserve. Wait, can we delete
that? You are likely salivating right now, and already mentally
deciding on the cushion colors for the interior of your new yacht.
We really want you to have that yacht, but lets go over a few
things first.

Every day, we we will be monitoring your efficiency, attitude, work

product and behavior in the office. A tiny man in a red cap will be
coming around every 15 minutes to check on you. He will have a
lengthy data sheet for recording purposes. He will not be very
friendly, and he will smell somewhat unpleasant. If at any time, he
finds you off-task in any way (including but not limited to
daydreaming, searching eBay for a new bike, texting your mother,
checking the Yankees score, staring at the clock, checking your
exs Facebook, etc.) there will be an immediate deduction of
$5,000 from your salary. This penalty can not be undone, and you
will have no way to earn back the loss. Similarly, if any of your
projects or reports are turned in after 5pm on the date they are
due, there will be a $10,000 salary deduction. Sick days are a $500
deduction. Standing by the water cooler for intervals longer than
30 seconds are a $20 deduction per incident. Wearing navy socks
with black loafers constitutes a $500 deduction, because that is a
rather serious infraction. If the man in the red cap stops by and
you are on a phone call with a client, and your demeanor is
assessed to be less than enthused, the deduction will be $4000.

After each two-week period, you will meet with Human Resources
to determine what your new salary is. The man with the little red
cap will be in attendance, and he will require coffee au lait. If you
get his order wrong, its a $100 deduction.

We want you to have that yacht though, and we just know you can
get it (tee-hee). Just as a final reminder, we do not offer
opportunities to earn back lost income. But youve got this. Go get
em tiger, and make us proud! Oh, and dont screw this up.

Got it? Okay. Heres the second scenario:

You just landed the same job. Youre just as excited. The same HR
manager invites you in (although this one has M&Ms on her desk)
and you show up just as bushy-tailed. Heres the contract:

Hey there, and welcome to RewardCorp! Were so excited that

youre coming onboard, and cant wait to tell you about all the
perks and rewards of working for our company. We all agree that
we really hit the jackpot when you applied for this position, and
were honored that youve chosen a career with us. If theres
anything we can do to make the transition smoother, please reach
out any time of day or night.

Were sure youre wondering about the salary, which is totally

understandable. Here at RewardCorp, were a little
unconventional. Heres how payment works:

We start you at a very competitive salary of $100,000 per year. As

if that werent exciting enough, we offerweekly bonuses in a
number of areas. These bonuses are tax-free, and are immediately
pinned on to your bi-weekly paychecks. Here are the bonuses we
currently offer on a weekly basis:

If you are on time (within 5 minutes) to the office all 5 days, you
earn $100.

If you reach your sales goal for the week, you earn $200. For every
5% you go above your sales goal, you earn an additional $50 for
the week.
If you refill the Poland Spring bottle at the water cooler without
being asked, thats $100.

Every time you bring the boss coffee, tack on $10.

Wednesdays we have a contest to see who can wear the ugliest

shirt! If you win, you get $50.

Every time you do a random act of kindness for a coworker,

consider yourself $20 richer.

And finally, whoever is chosen as the friendliest, most efficient

employee of the week earns a whopping $500 to add to their
paycheck!

Again, we are so happy youre going to be a part of our team, and

even happier to offer you these added incentives for going above
and beyond. See you on Monday, and have a great weekend!

Take a moment to think about both job options, and then answer
these questions:

1. Which job offer would you rather take?

2. If you were forced to take Job #1, how would you feel
initially? How would you feel 3 months in? How would your
work ethic be 6 months in? By 8 months in, whats the
likelihood that you will have burned down the building?
3. Which job would you be happier at?
4. Which job would you be more productive at?