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By Robin Finley, Ed.D. | September 2023

So, school counselors, I'm thinking you have heard at least a little about artificial intelligence (AI) at this point in the school year; some of you have likely been involved in a counseling issue concerning AI. What will your school do about AI? What are classroom teachers doing about AI? Are we planning a complete ban? Or are we going to allow it in our classrooms? Or are we just going to see what happens and roll with it? What is your role as a school counselor when approached with the topic?

Components of AI can take us down a good or bad path. If you attended the ArSCA Summer Conference session I gave on AI, you saw some great ways educators could save time with AI tools. But when we talk about student use, we have to look at the privacy laws that govern the use of whatever AI app we are using. Then, if the app is allowable for students, what are the cautions that need to be communicated to the student? Those of you who have been in education for a while will remember that we educators really struggled initially with allowing students to use the internet. We had great angst about whether or not the internet would be safe for students and how to teach them to use the internet responsibly. We are still striving to teach this responsibility. In fact, isn't what we do in counseling students helping them look at the good and bad of situations and make decisions to act appropriately? School counselors have been the continued presence in teaching students how to look at the pros and cons of situations.

As you help educators and students decide on the pros and cons of AI, it is important that you have resources to help you learn about AI. You can visit our TeachingTIME AI Resources page at any time to find needed information. If you haven't encountered any AI concerns yet, just hold on because you will, and I know how awesome our Arkansas counselors are. You will be ready for the challenge.

Contact Robin Finley, Ed.D., a founder of TeachingTIME, at info@tasseltime.com.

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So, school counselors, I'm thinking you have heard at least a little about artificial intelligence (AI) at this point in the school year; some of you have likely been involved in a counseling issue concerning AI. What will your school do about AI? What are classroom teachers doing about AI?

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Research shows that when schools fully integrate social, emotional, and academic development into K-12 education, academic performance improves, students are more engaged in school, and-as a result-they are more likely to graduate high school and attend and graduate from college. The evidence also shows that students with healthy social and emotional development are more successful in the workforce and experience greater lifetime well-being. See our fact sheet for more research and data about social, emotional, and academic development's benefits for students.

In much the same way that academic skills can be cultivated, research also demonstrates that social and emotional competencies can be nurtured and developed over the course of a student's school experience.

The goal is to prepare students who-among other things-are able to connect with others, make responsible decisions, communicate, solve problems, think critically, be resilient, persevere, and work in teams-many of the same skills that employers tell us through surveys that they are looking for in their workforce.

While a range of language is used to describe this more comprehensive approach to education, the Commission is using social, emotional, and academic development because it emphasizes the need for schools to fully integrate social, emotional, and academic development. Surveys of teachers tell us that large majorities want this integration to boost the success of students.

WHY IT MATTERS

Research demonstrates that making K-12 education a true integration of social, emotional, and academic development matters because it gives students a better chance of thriving in school, career, and life.

A student's ability to focus, manage emotions, and stay engaged, plays a large role in his or her ability to perceive, process, and ultimately learn. Students who can work collaboratively and communicate effectively are better able to harness their academic knowledge to perform in school now and in the workplace later. At the same time, these competencies help young people build the strong relationships that are such a big part of leading a fulfilling life.

WHAT IT TAKES

The Commission's charge is to explore how to make social, emotional, and academic development part of the fabric of every school. But we know that effective social, emotional, and academic development doesn't happen on its own-it requires dedicated commitment from everyone. Just as families and communities foster social, emotional, and academic development, K-12 schools must play a role by incorporating explicit and intentional instruction and rethinking school design and culture. Doing this demands an education system that recognizes how social, emotional, and academic skills and competencies are complementary, and addresses each of them with equal fervor.

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What is Social, Emotional, and Academic Development?

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Social, emotional, and academic development is the integration of social and emotional development with academic learning in K-12 education. Research shows that when schools fully integrate social, emotional, and academic development into K-12 education, academic performance improves, students are more engaged in school, and-as a result-they are more likely to graduate high school and attend [...]

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Explore free resources to help you plan, apply, and pay for college. Get expert advice on how to file the FAFSA, apply for scholarships, and get college ready.

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The Occupational Outlook Handbook is the government's premier source of career guidance featuring hundreds of occupations-such as carpenters, teachers, and veterinarians. Revised annually, the latest version contains employment projections for the 2022-32 decade.

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Marr - Community Resources (by zip code) Website

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Marr - Community Resources (by zip code) Website

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EVERFI’s engaging and interactive online Career Readiness resources to inspire students to pursue the careers of tomorrow.

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Marr - Link for staff, parents, and community members to find their local school board district

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Marr - Link for staff, parents, and community members to find their local school board district

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Registration Information Confirm your address, party association, absentee/provisional ballot status, and polling place locations. Not yet registered?

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SILVIO - Supports for Elementary Students and Families

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SILVIO - Supports for Elementary Students and Families

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LPS Social and Emotional Supports | Elementary School Resources

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Accreditation/Rule 10 & School Improvement Adult Education and GED® Afterschool Programs AQuESTT Coordinated Student Support Services Early Childhood Education English Learner Programs Expanded Learning Opportunities Family and Community Engagement Federal Programs Migrant Education Program Multicultural/Diversity NDE STEM Nebraska eBooks Nebraska Math and Science Partnerships Nebraska Milken Educators Nebraska Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (NPBIS) Nebraska Teacher of the Year Nutrition Services Poverty and Limited English Private Postsecondary Career Schools (PPCS) and Veterans Education Response to Intervention (RtI) School Safety Special Education Teach In Nebraska 21st Century Community Learning Centers Work Based Learning Vocational Rehabilitation

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Hinrichs- Examples of Social and Emotional Learning

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Hinrichs- Examples of Social and Emotional Learning

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in Middle School Social Studies Instruction

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Marr - App that helps you apply for college

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Marr - App that helps you apply for college

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apply to college with common app | your future starts here

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Apply to college with Common App | Your future starts here

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Common App is a nonprofit organization of 1000+ colleges and universities that simplifies, informs, and supports your college application journey.

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Marr - PreK-12 Career Development Program Planning

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Marr - PreK-12 Career Development Program Planning

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PreK-12 Career Development Program Planning – Nebraska Department of Education

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Today’s schools seek to prepare students to be college and career ready. Often, we want to reduce all of the expectations, attitudes, competencies, skills, and behaviors required to be college and career ready to a single score. However, postsecondary schools and workplaces expect college and career readiness to mean much more than doing well on a written or online test. A better approach is needed.

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Silvio - 5 KEYS for a successful SEL program 

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Silvio - 5 KEYS for a successful SEL program 

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5 Keys to Social and Emotional Learning Success

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Marr - ASCA Academic Development Position Statement

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Marr - ASCA Academic Development Position Statement

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The School Counselor and Academic Development

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School counselors deliver programs that have an impact on student growth in three domain areas: academic development, career development and social/emotional development (ASCA, 2019). School counselors recognize students should demonstrate growth in these domains equally to be successful. School counselors understand these domains are not considered separate but are intertwined, each affecting the other (Schenck, Anctil, & Smith, 2010, p.

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Gamified Learning Management System | Definition & Benefits | mintbook

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A gamified learning management system is developed with built-in features to support gamification in eLearning to maximize the benefits.

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Marr - Boystown FREE printable and downloadable resources and posters 

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Marr - Boystown FREE printable and downloadable resources and posters 

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Home / Free Educator Resources

With over 100 years of experience, we have created resources to help you through the school year. These resources put Boys Town's research-proven child-care methods to work in a variety of educational formats - making learning opportunities for both students and staff.

Teaching love through positive self-talk

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10 Tips for Teaching Students Positive Behavior

Misconception: If my lesson is interesting and engaging enough, students will be so enamored and awed, they will not misbehave-at all. Anyone who's spent considerable... Read More

by Courtney Dealy, Manager, Boys Town National Training

Emotions, Not Emojis: Closing the Communication Gap with Social Skills

We are seeing today's kids using wireless devices at early ages to do everything from staying connected with family and friends to using applications for education... Read More

Chaos to Calm: 7 Tips for Addressing Individual Student Needs

23 of your 27 students are at their desk working quietly. Occasionally, one of them raises his or her hand with a question. But then there are the other four...... Read More

10 Tips for Teaching Students Positive Behavior

Misconception: If my lesson is interesting and engaging enough, students will be so enamored and awed, they will not misbehave-at all. Anyone who's spent considerable... Read More

by Courtney Dealy, Manager, Boys Town National Training

Emotions, Not Emojis: Closing the Communication Gap with Social Skills

We are seeing today's kids using wireless devices at early ages to do everything from staying connected with family and friends to using applications for education... Read More

Chaos to Calm: 7 Tips for Addressing Individual Student Needs

23 of your 27 students are at their desk working quietly. Occasionally, one of them raises his or her hand with a question. But then there are the other four...... Read More

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Free Educator and Classroom Resources | Boys Town National Training

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These resources put Boys Town's research-proven methods to work in a variety of educational formats, making learning opportunities for both students and staff.

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School counselors help LPS students thrive with ABCs of life

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JoLynn Sturek, McKenzie Potthoff and Tara Claridge are teaching LPS students the ABCs of academics, behavior and careers every day.

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Dredge - How to focus on learning instead of grades

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Dredge - How to focus on learning instead of grades

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On a recent morning, I had the chance to read poems my ninth-grade English students had written about encounters with racism. I was struck by the beauty and poignance of many of their lines. Yet I knew, and they knew, that I was also reading to issue them a grade.

Alongside the encouraging comments I left to appreciate their good work and acknowledge their insights, I worry that the grade sent the loudest message about the meaning of our exchange. The fact that this was a graded homework assignment-even in the modest category of student commitment-meant that more was at stake than the value of their words. On some level, I was affirming to each student that the reason to write the poem was to get the grade.

Most educators readily acknowledge that grades are not the most important upshot of learning. But for various reasons, many parents and teachers of adolescents in particular find themselves harping on grades as the rationale for doing nearly everything in school. Too often, we fail to see this message from students' perspective: the constant pressure it sends to complete assignments and learn things just to forget them later; the obsessive worry it creates about where letter grades stand and what might send them careening downward.

In this environment, along with other factors affecting their well-being, it's no surprise that many adolescents feel anxious, depressed, demotivated, and frustrated at school. So it's worth asking what might shift if we took a different approach to learning, one rooted in empowering students to develop their own interests and values.

The problem with focusing on grades

In my and many educators' experience, pressure to get good grades and perform up to expectations is deeply embedded from sixth grade on. Because grades and competitive pressure are endemic parts of most students' educations, young people are poised to think mainly in "extrinsic" terms. As they grow up, it becomes harder and harder for many to separate a task from its utility in terms of a reward or punishment. And this drastically limits the kind of growth and learning that they experience.

Indeed, a wealth of research now suggests that what psychologists call external regulation-feeling pressure from outside the self, often from an abstract or real authority figure, to act in order to get a reward or avoid a punishment-dampens our quality of performance, constricts our awareness, and decreases our well-being. Decades of research also suggest that making tasks dependent on rewards like grades undermines the high-quality engagement we seek in school.

Self-determination theory (SDT) is a broad framework that has grown out of the research of psychologists Ed Deci and Richard Ryan over four decades. With evidence across a variety of cultures and contexts, SDT posits three basic human needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. From this perspective, what students need most at school is space to feel autonomous, like they're capable of succeeding at tasks, and like they're emotionally safe and connected to teachers and peers. When these needs are met, it's easier for them to access intrinsic or internal motivation and to engage in extrinsic goals with more alignment and personal investment.

What would it look like and feel like for more adolescents to consciously, presently value what we ask them to do in school rather than feeling pressure to complete tasks for external, abstract, often far-off reasons? For one thing, they might feel more connected to their own authentic interests, curiosity, care, and abiding values. The learning that follows from this is therefore more likely to stick. It's also more likely to lead young people to discover what they want to commit to personally, academically, and ethically. So if we value their character development, we adults should nurture their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

How to boost students' intrinsic motivation

In Supporting Students' Motivation: Strategies for Success, SDT psychologist Johnmarshall Reeve and his coauthors offer the following guidelines for nurturing students' basic needs at school:

Take the students' perspective: Find opportunities to explicitly tell them we see and value their concerns, especially when it seems like they're complaining.

Invite students to pursue their personal interests: Create projects and assignments that offer chances to explore what they're naturally curious about and interested in.

Present learning activities in need-satisfying ways: Integrate group work, pair shares, and other everyday ways for students to feel relatedness with peers. Give encouraging feedback at formative stages of projects and assignments to support their competence, while allowing as much space as possible for them to make choices and feel autonomous.

Provide explanatory rationales: Remember that it's developmentally appropriate and often healthy for adolescents to question adult authority; we build our credibility as educators by explaining our reasoning and expectations to students logically and respectfully.

Acknowledge and accept negative feelings: It's OK for students to feel upset, overwhelmed, and frustrated at times. We can provide a safe container for their feelings and encourage them to draw on their own resilience by meeting negative feelings with compassion.

Rely on invitational language: As often as possible, ask students to participate and engage in activities without coercion. Let them experience choice and volition and act from that source of motivation.

Display patience: Perhaps hardest of all, we need to model for students our own capacity to feel challenged and persevere through difficult moments. Doing our own inner work to cultivate patience and self-compassion supports everything else we do as educators.

With these in mind, I've been experimenting with new ways to motivate students in my classroom, and I've found that this can start very simply. For instance, after opening class with individual journaling, I often invite my ninth graders to share out. Each day, various students raise their hands to offer their reflections to the group. Though many of these same students are very focused on grades at other times, they know there is no reward for this participation. Their motivation appears to come from an inner source, and perhaps for this reason it also encourages other students to share.

In this way, we co-create a shared culture of trust and mutual support where what is at stake is the chance to be heard, and maybe well-received, by a teacher and peers. All of our needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness-mine and theirs-are nurtured in this context, and that seems to support what we do next.

I can hear some of my fellow teachers wondering, "OK, but what about the more challenging tasks we ask students to do? How do we motivate them to work harder than they will on their own?" These are valid questions, and I think we can answer them without resorting to traditional rewards and punishments.

Part of what matters is how relatively autonomous students feel while engaged in an activity. When something is interesting and enjoyable on its own, like writing, drawing, dancing, or solving a math problem, not much else is needed. The drive toward competence and mastery fuels a willingness to take on challenges for their own sake. So the more we allow students to direct their own learning in this state of engagement, aka intrinsic motivation, the more we can step out of the way and serve as adult resources rather than exhausted task masters.

That might look like students self-organizing an activity or approach to completing an assignment that then serves as a model for others. Similarly, when we offer leadership roles to students so that they learn to effectively run important parts of the classroom, that empowers them to take responsibility and maintain accountability.

What about students who don't feel intrinsically motivated to complete tasks we want them to?

We can still meet them where they're at by following the guidelines above and de-emphasizing coercive language and practices. Rather than focusing on grades, for example, we can try offering positive feedback and encouragement, opportunities for self-evaluation, and other non-punitive forms of accountability to support students' basic needs while offering clear guidance and direction.

Maybe the young person who appears resistant or unmotivated is just on the brink of a life-changing discovery. When we see students as worthy, competent, and capable, we build trust with them while helping them foster trust in themselves. Both kinds of trust support healthy self-confidence, rooted in emotional safety, which then fuels their ability to take risks and grow in the future.

The power of project-based learning

None of this is easy, of course. One helpful way to make the shift is through project-based learning (PBL), where assignments address real-world problems and ask students to make creative choices on their own. By working in groups toward a culminating project, students also practice navigating communication challenges and offering constructive criticism to one another, which shifts the power dynamic away from adult supervision and control. If they have the chance to present their work to authentic experts in the field, this adds an extra social incentive, which might lead to discovering new values and long-term interests.

One of the earliest examples I saw of this involved a series of presentations in answer to the question, "Are we alone in the universe?" Students offered their research and considered opinions to a group of professors and engineers, who then offered their own encouraging, sometimes edifying responses. As an observer, it was apparent that the level of engagement was extremely high, and many students wanted to learn and debate further after their projects were complete.

Teachers often use PBL to create competitions to motivate students to do their best work, and the prospect of winning a contest is certainly one way to appeal to adolescents. Yet this strategy can also reinforce their dependence on rewards, making it seem that winning a prize is the only goal. Many students I've talked to over the years assume this is how adults operate, that we work only to get a paycheck. In truth, those of us who are lucky enough to feel personally invested in our jobs seem motivated by more than this.

Rewards, whether in the form of paychecks or grades, can feel great when we experience them as appreciation for good work we're motivated to do on our own. Yet young people haven't seen us model this often enough. They need to see us connected to our interests, values, and deep sources of care; they need to hear us asking them what they truly value and giving them space to explore that. This is how we inspire them to aim higher than A's.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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How to Help Students Focus on Learning Instead of Their Grades

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We would serve students better if we helped them find their inner sources of motivation to grow and learn at school.

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Nebraska Career Connections provides education and career planning resources to bring Nebraskans together - students, parents, educators, adults, and employers. Whether you're planning for life after high school, exploring career options, or creating a portfolio of materials for a job search, this system can provide you with the tools needed.

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PBIS World | A Complete Tier 1 Through Tier 3 Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports System

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PBIS World is in no way affiliated, associated, or connected with any other website, entity, organization, or federal, state, local, or other government agency, department, program, policy, organization, or initiative.

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I have used this so many times in SAIG's and it is such a great visual for students!

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Dredge - Overcoming Obstacles; Activity based lessons for all grade levels

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Dredge - Overcoming Obstacles; Activity based lessons for all grade levels

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Please note: "My Overcoming Obstacles" is our new online platform that enables you to edit our curriculum materials. If you created an account before July 1, 2021, you will need to register again in order to use this new feature. If you want to download any of our K-12 curricula, please visit our free digital library.

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LPS Federal Programs | Youth Development Team

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The LPS Youth Development Team (YDT) is a group of diverse LPS Federal Programs staff members who work through a culturally appropriate, Developmental Assets-based model to help students reach their full potential. The YDT is comprised of two Student Advocates for the African American community, two Student Advocates for the Latinx/a/o/Hispanic community, three Native American Student Advocates, one Systems Transition Student Advocate, one LGBTQ+ Student Advocate, one Homeless Student Advocate, and a Supervisor. The YDT interfaces with individual schools, the Student Parent Program, English Language Learner Program, Community Learning Centers, Title I Part C Program, and the greater community including non-profit, business community, post secondary institutions, and human resources.

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Social-Emotional Learning Resources for Parents

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Parental buy-in is critical to the success of your school district’s SEL program. Click here to learn how to encourage engagement from parents.

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Social-Emotional Learning Resources for Parents

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“Hit the Road” is a financial adventure game that takes you on a virtual road trip across the country, but the journey is not an easy one. You must save and spend your money wisely to complete challenges along the way.

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Posted In: Blog Posts | September 9, 2024

Character development is vital for a complete education. But for teachers and parents like you, it can be hard to define the vital character traits students need to develop, and it's even harder to instill them within them when waging a multi-front war against endless distractions, time constraints, and resource limitations. Luckily, FREE teaching resources can help you engage students, inspire growth, and turn them into the leaders our country desperately needs. At the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, we have recorded the living histories of over 140 Medal of Honor Recipients, and these stories form the core of our Character Development Program and PATH TO HONOR.

Over 19,000 teachers nationwide have been trained to use the Character Development Program, and teachers report that the program promotes student skill improvement in collaboration, critical thinking, and personal reflection, and they report that it makes students more likely to volunteer within the community and make sacrifices for others. Learn how these resources could help you.

PATH TO HONOR vs. the Character Development Program: What's the Difference Between these FREE Teaching Resources ?

PATH TO HONOR and the Character Development Program are similar in many ways, but these FREE teaching resources are also distinct. While both use first-hand testimony from Medal of Honor Recipients, PATH TO HONOR emphasizes character development, while the Character Development Program covers a broader range of subjects and topics. Here's what to know about each.
Related Article: Why is History Important for Students? The Foundation for Future Leaders
Character Development Program

The Character Development Program (CDP) is a FREE, engaging, and innovative resource for teachers that instills the core values that define the Medal of Honor Recipients: courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism.

Developed for teachers by teachers, these FREE teaching resources turn students into leaders and active citizens in their communities. This program provides elementary (K -6th grade) and secondary students (6th-12th grade) with engaging access points designed specifically for students of all levels.

These lessons serve as Social Emotional Learning resources, a classroom management system, or a tool to create a positive and healthy school culture. By reaching students young, you will teach them to respect others and make their schools and communities better places to learn and live.

These extraordinary military and civilian stories serve as concrete examples and a roadmap to live by. Rooted in cross-curricular academics, most teachers can incorporate them into an existing unit to maximize the accomplishments they can achieve.

As a flexible tool, these FREE teaching resources are great for public, private, charter, homeschool, and extra-curricular settings. Program includes:

Individual activities

Group activities

Thoughtful discussion prompts

Worksheets

Extended activity suggestions

Resources, such as Medal of Honor citations, live and archived webinars, and an extensive living history collection

Related Article: Our Favorite Home Education Ideas & Resources
The content-rich and non-fiction primary resources and engaging narratives set this program apart. Turn your students into citizen heroes and inspire them to reflect on their own character and strive for excellence.

PATH TO HONOR

PATH TO HONOR is a supplement to the Character Development Program and teaches the same values that Medal of Honor recipients embodied and exemplified to receive this award. These FREE teaching resources are different because they are more targeted.

PATH TO HONOR was designed by teachers who understand your dilemma - these core values can be challenging to define and instill, especially with limited time, resources, and ample distractions. This character development is crucial for social, emotional, and behavioral learning goals, too.

While the Character Development Program weaves cross-curricular academics into its lessons, PATH TO HONOR focuses specifically on character development, providing an essential addition that supplies the complete education that students deserve.

This program is best suited for history, government, and civics classes, while the Character Development Program can be used across several subjects.

Each of the 6 core values that define Medal of Honor recipients ( patriotism, citizenship, and commitment) will have 3 video history lessons that provide first-hand accounts from recipients themselves, detailing their tales of valor.

In other words, you will have 18 weeks of material with no lesson planning required at no cost. Created to be self-guided or teacher-led, these resources will help you:

Nurture connections with your students

Lead students in personal development and character self-exploration

Supplement civics and U.S. history courses easily and effectively

Related Article: Free Assignments for Unschooling to Forge Tomorrow's Heroes
These video lessons each have a written exercise, and a longer-form self-exploration exercise that sparks reflection, catalyzes growth and creates riveting discussion in your classroom as you witness your students turn into the leaders our country needs and deserves.

At the end of each activity, students receive a certificate of completion. More than just a collection of character development activities, PATH TO HONOR provides FREE teaching resources that are an incomparable leadership training tool.

Do You Need FREE Teaching Resources that Can Transform Your Students into Tomorrow's Leaders? Register for PATH TO HONOR and CDP Today!

Are you looking for a way to give yourself the gift of time and support so that you can give your students the opportunity to realize their full potential? PATH TO HONOR and the Character Development Program are excellent and engaging FREE teaching resources that will nurture character growth, inspire them to strive for excellence, and provide cross-curricular practice. Ultimately, both are vital to a quality education.

Visit the PATH TO HONOR page and the Character Development Program page to register today!

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FREE Teaching Resources for Middle School | No Lesson Planning Required!

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Our FREE teaching resources can give you the time you need to transform your students into future leaders. Learn how!

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Marr - Motivation Inventory & Application Survey

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Marr - Motivation Inventory & Application Survey

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This is a great tool for that student with some serious learned apathy... have them take this survey to help them (and you) get an idea on what motivates them (and a lot of the questions purposefully repeat so they can't skip through and just circle whatever they want mindlessly). Feel free to make a copy and change whatever you want!

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Screen Dependency Disorder: Effects of Screen Addiction

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Whether kids are playing video games or using smartphone apps, there is growing evidence that young kids are exhibiting addictive behavior due to screens.

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JQ Edpuzzle on Active listening

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Edpuzzle video lesson. Make any video your lesson. Take a video and crop it, add your voice or embed questions at any point.

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Silvio - Good link for strengthening relationship with family and community 

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Silvio - Good link for strengthening relationship with family and community 

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5 Culturally Responsive Family Engagement Strategies

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By creating ways for families to feel welcome and included, educators can strengthen the relationship between home and school.

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Find lessons on Digital Citizenship for all grades. Free interactive resources and activities for the classroom and home.

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Silvio - What  to expect for the future 

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Silvio - What  to expect for the future 

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Top K-12 Education Trends & What to Look for in the Future

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AI in the classroom and school choice are among top K-12 education trends. Learn about their impact on education & what to expect in the future.

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Hinrichs- NDE Lesson Plans- Career Ready

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Hinrichs- NDE Lesson Plans- Career Ready

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Accreditation/Rule 10 & School Improvement Adult Education and GED® Afterschool Programs AQuESTT Coordinated Student Support Services Early Childhood Education English Learner Programs Expanded Learning Opportunities Family and Community Engagement Federal Programs Title IC Migrant Education Program Multicultural/Diversity NDE STEM Nebraska eBooks Nebraska Math and Science Partnerships Nebraska Milken Educators Nebraska Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (NPBIS) Nebraska Teacher of the Year Nutrition Services Private Postsecondary Career Schools (PPCS) and Veterans Education Response to Intervention (RtI) School Safety Special Education Teach In Nebraska 21st Century Community Learning Centers Work Based Learning Vocational Rehabilitation

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JQ

Money Matters!

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Counselors - Job Seekers Free Salary Calculator

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Free Salary Calculator for Counselors and Job Seekers. Leading college salary program. Salary data for over 900 job titles.

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Hinrichs- NDE Career Exploration Resources

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Hinrichs- NDE Career Exploration Resources

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Nebraska Career Readiness Standards identified by Nebraska employers, consider them essential skills to career success. Career development is intentional about teaching these skills with increasing complexity and relevance, as students progress in career maturity.

This set of skills support individuals for transitions in life. They are transferable to any career and many other environments outside of the workplace. Every Nebraska student, regardless of background, interests or intent after graduation, need these skills.

Applied appropriate academic and technical skills

Communicates effectively and appropriately

Contributes to employer and community success

Makes sense of problems and perseveres in solving them

Uses critical thinking

Demonstrates innovation and creativity

Models ethical leadership and effective management

Works productively in teams and demonstrates cultural competency

Utilizes technology

Manages personal career development

Attends to personal and financial well-being

Career development begins at an early age. NCE offers Learning Progressions & Indicators for Nebraska Career Readiness Standards starting from early elementary through postsecondary. This comprehensive booklet of standards, progressions and indicators will help with program planning at all developmental stages.

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Nebraska Career Readiness Standards identified by Nebraska employers, consider them essential skills to career success. Career development is intentional about teaching these skills with increasing complexity and relevance, as students progress in career maturity. This set of skills support individuals for transitions in life.

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Children's problems include adapting to a new classroom, bullying by classmates, or abuse at home, but resilience is the ability to thrive despite these challenges.

Cite this

American Psychological Association. (2012, January 24). Resilience guide for parents and teachers. https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/guide-parents-teachers

We tend to idealize childhood as a carefree time, but youth alone offers no shield against the emotional hurts, challenges, and traumas many children face. Children can be asked to deal with problems ranging from adapting to a new classroom or online schooling to bullying by peers or even struggles at home. Add to that the uncertainties that are part of growing up in a complex world, and childhood can be anything but carefree. The ability to thrive despite these challenges arises from the skills of resilience.
The good news is that resilience skills can be learned.
Building resilience-the ability to adapt well to adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant sources of stress-can help our children manage stress and feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. However, being resilient does not mean that children won't experience difficulty or distress. Emotional pain, sadness, and anxiety are common when we have suffered major trauma or personal loss, or even when we hear of someone else's loss or trauma.

10 tips for building resilience in children and teens

1. Make connections
Teach your child the importance of engaging and connecting with their peers, including the skill of empathy and listening to others. Find ways to help children foster connectivity by suggesting they connect to peers in-person or through phone, video chats, and texts. It's also important to build a strong family network. Connecting with others provides social support and strengthens resilience.

2. Help your child by having them help others
Children who may feel helpless can feel empowered by helping others. Engage your child in age-appropriate volunteer work or ask for assistance yourself with tasks that they can master. At school, brainstorm with children about ways they can help others in their class or in grades below.

3. Maintain a daily routine
Sticking to a routine can be comforting to children, especially younger children who crave structure in their lives. Work with your child to develop a routine, and highlight times that are for school work and play. Particularly during times of distress or transition, you might need to be flexible with some routines. At the same time, schedules and consistency are important to maintain.

4. Take a break
While some anxiety can motivate us to take positive action, we also need to validate all feelings. Teach your child how to focus on something that they can control or can act on. Help by challenging unrealistic thinking by asking them to examine the chances of the worst case scenario and what they might tell a friend who has those worries. Be aware of what your child is exposed to that can be troubling, whether it's through the news, online, or overheard conversations. Although schools are being held accountable for performance or required to provide certain instruction, build in unstructured time during the school day to allow children to be creative.

5. Teach your child self-care
Teach your child the importance of basic self-care. This may be making more time to eat properly, exercise, and get sufficient sleep. Make sure your child has time to have fun, and participate in activities they enjoy. Caring for oneself and even having fun will help children stay balanced and better deal with stressful times.

6. Move toward your goals
Teach your child to set reasonable goals and help them to move toward them one step at a time. Establishing goals will help children focus on a specific task and can help build the resilience to move forward in the face of challenges. At school, break down large assignments into small, achievable goals for younger children, and for older children, acknowledge accomplishments on the way to larger goals.

7. Nurture a positive self-view
Help your child remember ways they have successfully handled hardships in the past and help them understand that these past challenges help build the strength to handle future challenges. Help your child learn to trust themselves to solve problems and make appropriate decisions. At school, help children see how their individual accomplishments contribute to the wellbeing of the class as a whole.

8. Keep things in perspective and maintain a hopeful outlook
Even when your child is facing very painful events, help them look at the situation in a broader context and keep a long-term perspective. Although your child may be too young to consider a long-term look on their own, help them see that there is a future beyond the current situation and that the future can be good. An optimistic and positive outlook can enable children to see the good things in life and keep going even in the hardest times. In school, use history to show that life moves forward after bad events, and the worst things are specific and temporary.

9. Look for opportunities for self-discovery
Tough times are often when children learn the most about themselves. Help your child take a look at how whatever they're facing can teach them "what am I made of." At school, consider leading discussions of what each student has learned after facing a tough situation.

10. Accept change
Change often can be scary for children and teens. Help your child see that change is part of life and new goals can replace goals that have become unattainable. It is important to examine what is going well, and to have a plan of action for what is not going well. In school, point out how students have changed as they moved up in grade levels and discuss how that change has had an impact on the students.

Resilience and preschool children

Very young children will only recently have mastered the skills of walking and talking, and they may not be able to express their anxieties and fears. Although you may think they are too young to understand what is happening, even very young children can absorb frightening events from the news or from conversations they overhear.

Watch your children for signs of fear and sadness they may not be able to put into words. Have your children become extra clingy or needing more hugs than usual? Have your children started old habits after you thought they had outgrown the behavior? Are they suddenly more irritable? They may be feeling the pressure of what is going on in the world around them. Use play to help your children express their fears and encourage them to use art or pretend games to express what they may not be able to put into words.

Use family time like a security blanket for your children: wrap them up in family closeness and make sure your children have lots of family time. During times of stress and change, spend more time with your children playing games, reading to them, or just holding them close.

Resilience and elementary school children

Elementary school children may be starting to form new friend groups and participate in new activities as they come into their own. As they start to study subjects about the world outside of their homes, they look to teachers as well as to parents to make them feel safe and to help sort it all out.

Make sure your child has a place where they can feel safe, whether that is home or school (ideally, both would feel safe).

Talk to your children. When they have questions, answer them honestly and with reassurance that includes simple statements that let them know you are taking actions to keep them safe and are there to take care of them. Listen to their concerns and fears when they address them with you and let them know you are there for them.

When there is a situation outside of the home that is frightening, limit the amount of news your children watch or listen to. There is always the possibility that they misinterpret what they see or hear on the news. You don't need to hide what's happening in the world from your children, but neither do they have to be exposed to constant stories that fuel their fears. Check in on their understanding of what they have been exposed to.

Realize that extra stressors may heighten normal daily stresses. Your children might normally be able to handle a failed test or teasing, but be understanding that they may respond with anger or bad behavior to stress that normally wouldn't rattle them. Reassure them that you just want what is best for them and that you are there for them.

Resilience and middle school children

Even without larger traumas, middle school can be an especially difficult time for many children as they struggle to meet extra academic demands and avoid new social pitfalls. They look to teachers and friends as well as to parents to make them feel safe.

Reinforce empathy and help your child keep perspective. If your child falls into the shifting of social groups that form in middle school, help them understand that other children may be feeling just as lonely and confused, and help them to see beyond the current situation.

Talk with your child about your own feelings during times of extraordinary stress. Your children may be old enough to appreciate hearing about your own thoughts and feelings, but also the ways in which you cope. Share how the ways you cope are helpful to you, but also find techniques that may benefit your child.

Resilience and high schoolers

Although your teens may tower over you, they still are young and can keenly feel the fear and uncertainty of both the normal stresses of being a teen, as well as events in the world around them. Emotions may be volatile and close to the surface during teen years, and finding the best way to connect to your teen can be difficult.

Talk with them whenever you can, even if it seems they don't want to talk. Sometimes the best time to talk may be when you are in the car together; sometimes it may be when you are doing chores together, allowing your teen to focus on something else while they talk. When they have questions, answer them honestly but with reassurance. Ask them their opinion about what is happening and listen to their answers.

Find a place that your teen can create as their safe place, whether it's their bedroom or somewhere they find comfort. In high school, emotions can intensify, and rejection, taunting, or bullying can also be present. A space of their own can serve as a constant and a place for them to have as their own. Your children may prefer to be with their friends rather than spend time with you, but be ready to provide lots of family time for them when they need it and set aside family time that includes their friends.

When stressful things are happening in the world at large, encourage your teen to take "news breaks," whether they are getting news from the television, magazines or newspapers, or online. Use what they're seeing and hearing as a catalyst for discussion. Teens may act like they feel immortal, but at bottom they still want to know that everything will be ok. Having honest discussions of your fears and expectations can help your high schooler learn to express their own fears. If your teen struggles with words, encourage them to use journaling or art to express emotions.

Many teens are already feeling extreme highs and lows because of hormonal levels in their bodies; added stress or trauma can make these shifts seem more extreme. Be understanding of feelings and emotions, but also be firm when teens respond to stress with angry or sullen behavior. Reassure your child that they will be ok and you are looking out for their best interest

The journey of resilience

Developing resilience is a personal journey, and you should use your knowledge of your own children to guide them on their journey. An approach to building resilience that works for you or your child might not work for someone else.

If your child seems stuck or overwhelmed and unable to use these tips, you may want to consider talking to someone who can help, such as a psychologist or other mental health professional. Turning to someone for guidance may help your child strengthen resilience and persevere during times of stress or trauma.

Acknowledgments

APA gratefully acknowledges the following experts: Mary K. Alvord, PhD, Robin Gurwitch, PhD, Jana Martin, PhD, and Ronald S. Palomares, PhD.

Information presented here should not be used as a substitute for professional health and mental health care or consultation. Individuals who believe they may need or benefit from care should consult a psychologist or other licensed health/mental health professional.

Recommended Reading

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Resilience guide for parents and teachers

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Children's problems include adapting to a new classroom, bullying by classmates or abuse at home, but resilience is the ability to thrive despite these challenges.

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JQ

General guide to school counseling.

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School counselors play a vital role in the welfare of children and the operation of schools, building effective and impactful practices based on lasting trust and their practical knowledge of counseling theory, techniques, and tools (Coleman & Yeh, 2011).

While there are guidelines, job descriptions, and school policies to follow, school counselors are driven to craft their role in response to their professionalism and the wellbeing of their students (Wright, 2012).

This article introduces techniques to help school counselors perform their valuable role and resources to support their students.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your students.

Counselors' Toolkit: 5 Valuable Resources

School counselors should be optimists, believing in their own skills and the capacity and ability of their students to grow and develop (Wright, 2012).

Like all mental wellness and mental health professionals, school counselors benefit from practical, well-thought-out resources.

The following websites are beneficial both to those new to the role and more experienced counselors:

School-Counselor.org
School-Counselor.org provides a wide range of information for individuals at all stages of their career, from those considering a role as a school counselor to those seeking tools to help them excel in their current position. These tools include anxiety and anger management, career counseling, communication techniques, and worksheets.

ElementarySchoolCounseling.org
Elementary School Counseling was created by an elementary school counselor from the United States to provide resources and tools to run effective counseling programs. Along with tips and techniques for individuals, small groups, and classroom counseling, there is a list of blog and website resources that counselors will find invaluable.

Counseling.org
TheAmerican Counseling Association offers policy, practice and research guidance, and support for school counselors in their role and profession. Topics of particular interest include managing stress, bullying, grief and loss, and LGBTQ issues.

Teacherspayteachers.com
Teachers Pay Teachers is a website that provides many helpful tools and downloadable worksheets created by teachers that are valuable for anyone performing a school counseling role.

Confidentcounselors.com
TheConfident Counselors website contains many downloadable worksheets to help maximize time and budget and support students and their families.

10 Counseling Techniques to Use With Students

School counselors (or teachers filling in for the role) rely on many counseling skills and techniques to enhance the "development of children and youth and in averting maladjustment for individuals at risk of mental disorders or other negative outcomes" (Coleman & Yeh, 2011, p. 381).

Among others, helpful counseling techniques for use with students include (Fagell, n.d.; Coleman & Yeh, 2011):

1. Artful reframing
Making mistakes in class or being left out by peers can dramatically affect school children's self-confidence and self-esteem. Reframing the situation can help them see the problem differently - even positively. Asking the child to think about what advice they might give to a friend in a similar position can provide the psychological safety to reframe what has happened more positively.

2. Relaxation techniques
Students should be encouraged to engage in self-care, mindfulness, and breathing techniques to reduce stress and anxiety.

3. Open-ended questioning
Showing genuine interest and curiosity, using open-ended questions, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving build trust and a more authentic relationship.

4. Labeling feelings
Students may feel uncomfortable or ill equipped to label their emotions. They may be helped by learning to name their feelings, accepting the negative emotions, and being encouraged to focus and savor the positive ones.

5. Active and reflective listening
Matching body language, concentrating, making eye contact, and aligning verbal andnonverbal communication can improve active listening. Consistency, honesty, and openness build stronger, more reliable bonds that lead to more positive outcomes.

6. Incremental exposure
It is not realistic to attempt to remove all stress from a student's life; however, it is possible to reduce triggers and provide them with more control over the situation. For example, they may be more comfortable at the edge of the exam hall or with access to a quiet room before a test begins.

Top 8 Ideas & Topics for Counseling Sessions

Students' academic and personal development "occur within the context of a number of interpersonal relationships among peers" and the challenges brought on by the educational setting (Coleman & Yeh, 2011, p. 381).

As a result, there are plenty of ideas and topics for discussion in student counseling sessions. While led by the needs of the client, the situation they find themselves in, and the obstacles they are trying to overcome, the following socio-emotional challenges are important subjects for discussion (modified from Coleman & Yeh, 2011):

Friendships
While research has consistently recognized the importance of friendships to overall psychological wellness and happiness, conflicts can arise. However, with experience, it becomes clear that occasional disagreements are less significant than how the disputes are handled.

Social networks
Students' relations go beyond individuals and out into larger cliques and crowds. Students' social status and identity can be a source of great perceived self-worth or result in a sense of isolation or lack of self-belief and self-acceptance.

Crowds
Individuals can be stereotyped by their attitudes, behaviors, style of dress, musical taste, or cultural background. While not always negative, it can leave students feeling marginalized or unfairly judged.

Rejection
A sense of rejection can result in students feeling aggressive or withdrawn. Those students experiencingaggressive rejection are more at risk of dropping out and may intentionally hurt others' feelings, reputations, and relationships. Withdrawn-rejected students are more likely to experience feelings of depression, loneliness, and anxiety.

Romantic relationships
"The prominence of dating and romantic relationships in childhood and adolescent life are very important as evidenced by their depictions in popular culture" (Coleman & Yeh, 2011, p. 594). These interpersonal relationships are not trivial and can be the source of great happiness or upset - often impacted by expectations.

School failure
The pressure of performing well in front of peers and school staff can place a considerable burden on the student. Perceived failure can be a significant source of anxiety and stress and detrimental to wellbeing. It is vital to avoid placing the responsibility for poor results solely on the shoulders of the child, instead of addressing the system or structure to which they belong.

Family factors
Often unseen by school staff, families can have a tremendous impact on what happens to students within schools, including academic performance and relationships. Family cohesion, structure, discipline, and monitoring (academic and otherwise) are all impactful factors.

Bullying
All too commonplace, victimization and bullying can profoundly affect students and their time at school. Bullying behaviors must be seen as unacceptable and dealt with swiftly and firmly to provide an environment of psychological and physical safety for the entire student body.

School counselors adopt many roles and must be empathetic in dealing with students' wide range of issues. While guided by instinct and what they are told when students are referred, counselors should remain open to what the student has to say (Coleman & Yeh, 2011).

Useful Templates, Forms, and Questions to Ask

The following downloadable worksheets comprise helpful templates, questions, and intake forms for counselors to use with students, as homework, or by others referring the student for help.

Student Referral Form

Students often arrive at the student counselor as a result of referral - whether identified as needing help or following some form of crisis.

The Student Referral Form can be made available for those needing to refer students for support and includes details about the student, the referrer, and the reasons for referral.

Using the 'I-Message' to Manage Emotions

Communication is an essential tool to learn and can help us share feelings and behave more appropriately. When we get angry or upset, it can be difficult to explain clearly how we feel (Peters, 2018).

The Using the I-Message to Manage Emotions worksheet can be helpful for students attempting to understand and share their feelings and can lead to more controlled communication.

Ask the child (work with them if needed) to complete the worksheet to create a statement for identifying and sharing how they feel:

I feel (name the emotions, for example, sad, upset, angry, jealous, etc.)

When you (describe the behavior or circumstances, for example, shout at me, tell me what to do, etc.)

Because (why, for example, I feel scared, don't know how to react, etc.)

Students can share the completed statement with others to share their feelings more easily and effectively.

Student Session Notes

Time spent discussing issues, problems, and obstacles in students' lives is essential; the counselor must take care to record details of the issues and goals discussed and the steps taken.

The Student Session Notes form should be completed with the student and made available for them to take home and review. It includes student and caregiver details, counseling goals, and progress made.

Student Self-Referral

There may be times when students themselves recognize a need to seek support and guidance from a school counselor.

The Student Self-Referral form should be made available for all students so that they can request help.

It includes asking the student their degree of urgency and where in their lives they are having issues (for example, school, home, other kids, or whether they simply want to talk).

Self-Esteem Checkup for Kids

Students go through many physical and mental changes and experience the beginning and end of many social relationships during their time at school. Such uncertainty and feelings of lack of control can affect self-esteem and self-confidence.

The student can fill in the Self-Esteem Checkup for Kids to understand how they are feeling about themselves, for example:

I am just as important as everyone else.
I believe in myself.
I would rather be me than anyone else.
I can handle my mistakes.
I respect myself.
I love myself even if others reject me.
I am happy being me.
I know what my positive qualities are.

The student is then asked to provide an overall rating of their self-esteem.

Self-Awareness Checkup for Kids

Self-awareness is vital for starting and maintaining healthy relationships and managing behavior. For most of us, our self-awareness develops during our school years, making us ready for further education, our professional career, and adult relationships (Goleman, 2006; Adams, 2016).

The Self-Awareness Checkup for Kids can help build self-awareness in students, identifying their strengths and weaknesses in a non-threatening way.

It includes prompts such as:

I am strong in these areas ...
I struggle in these areas ...
My favorite thing about school is ...
My least favorite thing about school is ...
My most difficult part of the day is (and why) ...
I would like some help with ...

Our 3 Favorite Books on the Topic

We have chosen three of our favorite counseling books on school counseling below:

1. Handbook of School Counseling - Hardin Coleman and Christine Yeh

This handbook is a detailed and extensive review of school counseling theory and practice.

This book is a valuable addition to any school counselor's library, especially in their early years when forming a deep understanding of the subject and their profession.

Find the book on Amazon.

2. Career and College Readiness Counseling in P-12 Schools - Jennifer Curry and Amy Milsom

This detailed and practical text is written for those studying school counseling as an undergraduate or new to the profession.

The book includes plenty of guidance and ideas on how to work with and support students at each grade level.

Find the book on Amazon.

3. Introduction to School Counseling - Robert Wright

This comprehensive text prepares the reader for the responsibilities of being a school counselor and includes plenty of practical interventions for subjects as diverse as racism, bullying, disabilities, and beyond.

The real-life examples and case descriptions take the reader outside of the theory, preparing them for what they might expect in the role.

Find the book on Amazon.

A Note on Positive Education

Positive educational experiences that encourage motivated, growth-minded students foster deeper learning and a greater understanding of the subject matter (Ritchhart & Church, 2020).

We have plenty of resources that explore the application of positive psychology in schools, including:

Tools From PositivePsychology.com

To support mental health professionals working with students and children, we have a huge range of tools in our Toolkit, but also provide free worksheets as well.

Free resources include:

More extensive versions of the following tools are available with a subscription to the Positive Psychology Toolkit©, but they are described briefly below:

The Self-Compassion Box
Students can learn to develop self-compassion through daily practice by showing themselves warmth and kindness, accepting imperfection, and practicing mindfulness.

Students can be helped to:

Step one - Identify when they are being hard on themselves.

Step two - Select items that remind them to be more self-compassionate.

Step three - Redirect attention toward self-compassion.

Self-care Vision Board
Self-care activities are highly beneficial for young people, ensuring personal needs receive regular focus.

This activity involves students gathering images, illustrations, and words to create a self-care vision board that promotes self-compassion.

17 Positive Psychology Exercises
If you're looking for more science-based ways to help others enhance their wellbeing, check out this signature collection of 17 validated positive psychology tools for practitioners. Use them to help others flourish and thrive.

A Take-Home Message

School life can be challenging for students. It is a time of dramatic physical and psychological change where children learn about the ups and downs of social relationships while navigating the school curriculum.

A school counselor can provide valuable guidance throughout the school years and offer urgent interventions and support when crises form. The services they provide will vary based on the needs of the students and the situations they find themselves in.

It is paramount that counselors remain optimistic and open, hearing students' problems without bias. Initial facts may not truly or comprehensively represent the situation; instead, experienced professionals listen to what the child has to say and understand the context of the incident or behavior.

A good theoretical knowledge of developmental psychology and techniques that can help deal with challenges and foster a growth mindset are crucial.

Explore the article's material, techniques, tools, and books for a more complete understanding of the role and areas for further research, study, and practice.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free.

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School Counselor Resources: Best Techniques & Questions

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School counselors play a vital role in the welfare of children and the operation of schools, building effective and impactful practices based on lasting trust and their practical knowledge of counseling theory, techniques, and tools (Coleman & Yeh, 2011).

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Foster knowledge, skills, and attitudes across five areas of social and emotional competence;

Establish equitable learning environments and coordinate practices across four key settings that support students' social, emotional, and academic development.

Download more information on the framework (available in and Spanish).

Use our reflection protocol to facilitate a discussion on implementation efforts in your school, district, or other setting.

Read more about the 2020 update to our framework, which highlighted the potential of SEL in promoting educational equity and excellence.

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Communities

Communities. Community partners often provide safe and developmentally rich settings for learning and development, have deep understanding of community needs and assets, are seen as trusted partners by families and students, and have connections to additional supports and services that school and families need. Community programs also offer opportunities for young people to practice their social and emotional skills in settings that are both personally relevant and can open opportunities for their future. To integrate SEL efforts across the school day and out-of-school time, school staff and community partners should align on common language and coordinate strategies and communication around SEL-related efforts and initiatives.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL - Community Partnerships

Families & Caregivers

Families & Caregivers. When schools and families form authentic partnerships, they can build strong connections that reinforce students' social and emotional development. Families and caregivers are children's first teachers, and bring deep expertise about their development, experiences, culture, and learning needs. These insights and perspectives are critical to informing, supporting, and sustaining SEL efforts. Research suggests that evidence-based SEL programs are more effective when they extend into the home, and families are far more likely to form partnerships with schools when their schools' norms, values, and cultural representations reflect their own experiences. Schools need inclusive decision-making processes that ensure that families-particularly those from historically marginalized groups-are part of planning, implementing, and continuously improving SEL.

Schools can also create other avenues for family partnership that may include creating ongoing two-way communication with families, helping caregivers understand child development, helping teachers understand family backgrounds and cultures, providing opportunities for families to volunteer in schools, extending learning activities and discussions into homes, and coordinating family services with community partners. These efforts should engage families in understanding, experiencing, informing, and supporting the social and emotional development of their students.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL - Family Partnerships

Schools

Schools. Effectively integrating SEL schoolwide involves ongoing planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement by all members of the school community. SEL efforts both contribute to and depend upon a school climate where all students and adults feel respected, supported, and engaged.

Because the school setting includes many contexts-classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, playground, bus-fostering a healthy school climate and culture requires active engagement from all adults and students. A strong school culture is rooted in students' sense of belonging, with evidence that suggests that it plays a crucial role in students' engagement. SEL also offers an opportunity to enhance existing systems of student support by integrating SEL goals and practices with universal, targeted, and intensive academic and behavioral supports. By coordinating and building upon SEL practices and programs, schools can create an environment that infuses SEL into every part of students' educational experience and promotes positive social, emotional, and academic outcomes for all students.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL

Classrooms

Classrooms. Research has shown that social and emotional competence can be enhanced using a variety of classroom-based approaches such as: (a) explicit instruction through which social and emotional skills and attitudes are taught and practiced in developmentally, contextually, and culturally responsive ways; (b) teaching practices such as cooperative learning and project-based learning; and (c) integration of SEL and academic curriculum such as language arts, math, science, social studies, health, and performing arts. High-quality SEL instruction has four elements represented by the acronym SAFE: Sequenced - following a coordinated set of training approaches to foster the development of competencies; Active - emphasizing active forms of learning to help students practice and master new skills; Focused - implementing curriculum that intentionally emphasizes the development of SEL competencies; and Explicit - defining and targeting specific skills, attitudes, and knowledge.

SEL instruction is carried out most effectively in nurturing, safe environments characterized by positive, caring relationships among students and teachers. To facilitate age-appropriate and culturally responsive instruction, adults must understand and appreciate the unique strengths and needs of each student and support students' identities. When adults incorporate students' personal experiences and cultural backgrounds and seek their input, they create an inclusive classroom environment where students are partners in the educational process, elevating their own agency. Strong relationships between adults and students can facilitate co-learning, foster student and adult growth, and generate collaborative solutions to shared concerns.
Learn more: CASEL Guide to Effective SEL Programs

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness: The abilities to understand one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts. This includes capacities to recognize one's strengths and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence and purpose.

Such as:

Integrating personal and social identities

Identifying personal, cultural, and linguistic assets

Identifying one's emotions

Demonstrating honesty and integrity

Linking feelings, values, and thoughts

Examining prejudices and biases

Experiencing self-efficacy

Having a growth mindset

Developing interests and a sense of purpose

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Self-Management

Self-management: The abilities to manage one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. This includes the capacities to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation and agency to accomplish personal and collective goals.

Such as:

Managing one's emotions

Identifying and using stress management strategies

Exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation

Setting personal and collective goals

Using planning and organizational skills

Showing the courage to take initiative

Demonstrating personal and collective agency

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Social Awareness

Social awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This includes the capacities to feel compassion for others, understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings, and recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.

Such as:

Taking others' perspectives

Recognizing strengths in others

Demonstrating empathy and compassion

Showing concern for the feelings of others

Understanding and expressing gratitude

Identifying diverse social norms, including unjust ones

Recognizing situational demands and opportunities

Understanding the influences of organizations and systems on behavior

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Responsible Decision-Making

Responsible decision-making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. This includes the capacities to consider ethical standards and safety concerns, and to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being.

Such as:

Demonstrating curiosity and open-mindedness

Learning how to make a reasoned judgment after analyzing information, data, and facts

Identifying solutions for personal and social problems

Anticipating and evaluating the consequences of one's actions

Recognizing how critical thinking skills are useful both inside and outside of school

Reflecting on one's role to promote personal, family, and community well-being

Evaluating personal, interpersonal, community, and institutional impacts

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Relationship Skills

Relationship skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacities to communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate conflict constructively, navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities, provide leadership, and seek or offer help when needed.

Such as:

Communicating effectively

Developing positive relationships

Demonstrating cultural competency

Practicing teamwork and collaborative problem-solving

Resolving conflicts constructively

Resisting negative social pressure

Showing leadership in groups

Seeking or offering support and help when needed

Standing up for the rights of others

Check out this video from PBS Learning Media for more information.

Social & Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities.

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Our SEL framework, known to many as the "CASEL wheel," helps cultivate skills and environments that advance students' learning and development.

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JQ Easy way to quick gauge how kids are doing.

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This mood meter activity develops students' vocabulary for describing their feelings and their empathy muscles.

Advisory

Civics & Citizenship

English & Language Arts

History

Social Studies

Culture & Identity

Equity & Inclusion

Using the strategies from Facing History is almost like an awakening.

- Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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This mood meter activity develops students' vocabulary for describing their feelings and their empathy muscles.

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Emotional Learning (SEL)

through Children’s Books

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JQ kids need more of this.

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Students explore the idea of “community” in order to identify its key aspects and deeper meaning.

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Advancing Social and Emotional Learning - CASEL

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CASEL is helping make evidence-based social and emotional learning an integral part of education, preschool through high school.

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Horner-Check lists for college readiness elementary - high school

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Horner-Check lists for college readiness elementary - high school

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JQ High school kids need more perspective like this.

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Use this quick way for students to demonstrate their engagement with a text, image, or video by having them identify what they find surprising, interesting, and troubling.

Advisory

English & Language Arts

History

Social Studies

The resources I'm getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable.

- Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

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Use this quick way for students to demonstrate their engagement with a text, image, or video by having them identify what they find surprising, interesting, and troubling. Advisory English & Language Arts History Social Studies The resources I'm getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable.

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Humphrey- Reality Check- lifestyle simulator

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Humphrey- Reality Check- lifestyle simulator

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Explore free resources to help you plan, apply, and pay for college. Get expert advice on how to file the FAFSA, apply for scholarships, and get college ready.

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JQ You can take the teacher out of the social studies classroom but....

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Get all students involved by asking them to show their stance on a statement through their positioning around the room.

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Social Emotional Learning For Kids: Benji, the Bad Day, and Me | Vooks Storytime

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JQ Prep them before you teach them.

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Engaging Secondary Students in SEL: Creative Ideas for Teachers and Counselors

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What career is best for you? Take this quiz to find out.

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College and Career Readiness - MOST Network

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MOST’s College and Career Readiness Toolkit is a comprehensive guide to help out-of-school-time programs get laser focused on building 21st century skills and supporting young people as they navigate through…

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Humphrey- MyLNK- resource hub for families in Lincoln/NE

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Humphrey- MyLNK- resource hub for families in Lincoln/NE

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Humphrey- ZeroChatGPT- AI Detector to use on student essays

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Humphrey- ZeroChatGPT- AI Detector to use on student essays

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AI Detector - Trusted AI Checker for ChatGPT, GPT4 & Gemini

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AI Content Detector and ChatGPT Detector, simple way with High Accuracy. AI Checker & AI Detector Free for AI GPT Plagiarism by ZeroGPT.

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Teaching strategies that leverage insights on the impact of a growth mindset on learning by Stanford professor Carol Dweck.

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Humphrey- EducationQuest 6-8th grade Resources

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Humphrey- EducationQuest 6-8th grade Resources

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There are a ton of lessons and resources for Career and College Readiness. EducationQuest puts together really great presentations if you ask them to be guest speakers.

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Help students explore colleges and careers, succeed in school, and find money for college.

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Detailed descriptions of the world-of-work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, developers, researchers, and more. Individuals can find, search, or browse across 900+ occupations based on their goals and needs. Comprehensive reports include occupation requirements, worker characteristics, and available training, education, and job opportunities.

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Humphrey- SnoopDogg Affirmations YouTube Channel

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Humphrey- SnoopDogg Affirmations YouTube Channel

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Best for K-5th

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Humphrey- CommonSenseMedia- Digital Citizenship & Literacy tools/lessons

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Humphrey- CommonSenseMedia- Digital Citizenship & Literacy tools/lessons

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Common Sense Media: Age-Based Media Reviews for Families

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Common Sense Media is the leading source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families. Parents trust our expert reviews and objective advice.

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Horner - How do you know you're successful? 7 ways to show students they are growing academically 

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Horner - How do you know you're successful? 7 ways to show students they are growing academically 

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7 Ways to Show Students Their Academic Growth

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Teacher-tested, motivating activities that get students out of their own performance loop and make learning visible—even when they struggle to see the forest for the trees.

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Humphrey- NDE Suicide Prevention- Staff Resources

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Humphrey- NDE Suicide Prevention- Staff Resources

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School Staff Resources – Nebraska Department of Education

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School staff play a vital role in suicide awareness, prevention and response. The Nebraska State Legislators implemented additional requirements beginning in school year 2023-24, all public-school employees who interact with students and any other appropriate personnel, as determined by the school superintendent, shall receive at least one hour of behavioral and mental health training with a focus on suicide awareness and prevention training each year.

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This is a helpful handbook to familiarize yourself with the foster care system/jargon and how to help foster students in school.

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Note-Taking Tips & Strategies - Educate. Radiate. Elevate.

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Learn note-taking tips that will help you uncover the techniques, strategies, and insights to improve your notes.

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Resources for academic development

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The School Community Journal is a refereed journal that includes research and field reports related to the school as a community of teachers, students, parents, and staff. The journal has been published twice annually since 1991—Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter.

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LESSON PLANS

Below are lesson plans shared by Indiana School Counselors on a variety of topics.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Academic Development

College/Career Readiness

Social/Emotional Development

RESOURCES

CONTENT FEEDBACK

If you have suggestions, feedback, or resources, please email counselor1stop@inspiresuccess.org and let us know.

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Lesson plans shared by Indiana School Counselors on a variety of topics.

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Student Learning / Student-Centered Teaching, Learning Activities & Instruction | AVID

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AVID classrooms use student-centered learning to promote team building through active communication strategies. See how schools thrive with AVID.

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Elementary school assembly plans.

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School assemblies can be a terrific way to foster a sense of community and school pride. But if your students are going to miss class, you want to make sure the experience is worth it. These school assembly ideas will engage everyone, from kindergarten through high school!

1. Alumni Visit

Invite former students to come back and share their achievements or favorite school memories. This is especially fun during spirit week, when older alumni can share their experiences from their own time at your school.

2. Animal Visit

Local zoos often offer school assembly ideas, and they'll bring animals for kids to see. You can also work with an animal shelter-ask them to bring some of their adoptable pets and share what the shelter does to help find their forever homes.

3. Anti-Bullying Assembly

Fight bullying behavior with a school assembly dedicated to the topic. Bring in a special speaker, show anti-bullying videos, or teach kids how to be upstanders in their school community.

4. Art Show

Put together a curated collection of your students' artwork, whether it's been created at school or at home. Give everyone time during the school day to visit the "exhibits," and let the artists stand by to answer questions about their work. (Consider adding a section for teacher-created artwork too!)

5. Athon

Raise money or awareness for your school or a favorite cause with a walk-athon, bike-athon, dance-athon, read-athon, math-athon, or other fun ongoing activity. The bigger the school, the longer you can keep the "athon" going!

6. Author or Artist Visit

Source: @ccss_sg

Many authors are available for in-person or virtual school visits. Look for their websites or contact their publishers to find out more. Local artists also make terrific presenters at school assemblies, where they can lead students in creating their own masterpieces.

7. Awards Assembly

Don't wait until the end of the year to celebrate success! Consider holding monthly, quarterly, or semester-end awards assemblies. Be creative in your awards and look for ways to recognize students who often fly under the radar.

8. Break a Record

What can your school set a record for? Longest paper chain? Most students jumping rope at once? Biggest ice cream sundae? Nothing brings kids together like a giant cooperative project for the record books!

9. Career Day

Ask for community volunteers to come share their jobs with students. Set up booths around the gym and let kids go around to meet the visitors in person, or invite people to speak to the school as a whole.

10. Celebrate Special Months

Source: @manorhouseschool_bookham

Start Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Women's History Month, Poetry Month, or other special months with a school assembly. Invite speakers to inspire your students as they get ready to celebrate that month's topic or honorees.

11. Community Service

Service learning projects can be excellent school assembly ideas. Find lots of terrific student service ideas here, like setting up a school or community garden and working on a collaborative art project.

12. Concert

Whether it's a chance for kids to hear their peers perform, or a special performance from a local orchestra, choir, or other group, concerts make terrific school assembly ideas. Use the opportunity to introduce kids to kinds of music they might otherwise not listen to.

13. Field Day

Get the whole school together for a day of friendly competitions! Check out our list of inclusive field day games and activities for all ages here.

14. Fundraiser Kickoff

Like it or not, fundraisers tend to be part of school life these days. Help yours succeed with a kickoff assembly that shows kids what you're raising money for. When they know what they're working toward, they'll be more likely to participate. Find 40+ unique and effective fundraising ideas for schools here.

15. Kindness Week Kickoff

Source: @rcsdsch17

Kindness Week takes place each February, but you don't need to wait until then to kick-start kindness at your school! Hold a school-wide assembly using some of these ideas for teaching kids to show kindness and gratitude every day.

16. Lip-Sync Battle

Challenge each class or homeroom to create their own lip-sync battle routine. Then, battle it out in a school-wide assembly to find the ultimate winners.

17. Morning Assembly

Traditional morning assemblies have fallen by the wayside in most schools, but some administrators find they're a terrific way to build school community. Learn how one principal starts each day with a 10-minute purposeful assembly that makes a real difference.

18. Outdoor Learning Day

Set aside a day that's all about outside learning! Give teachers plenty of advance notice so they can plan activities that take advantage of time outside. (Be sure to set a rain date in case the weather doesn't cooperate, and have plenty of sunscreen on hand if it does!)

19. Pep Rally

This is one of those traditional school assembly ideas that kids continue to enjoy. Bring some fresh spirit to yours with one of these 30+ pep rally ideas for kids of all ages.

20. Picnic Lunch

For one day only, have everyone eat lunch outside-at the same time! It will be crazy chaos, but students can mix and mingle, getting to know each other outside of the classroom. This is especially important for kids who don't get to participate in after-school activities on a regular basis.

21. Poetry Slam

Show kids the magic of written verse with a school-wide poetry slam. It takes some preparation in advance, but the results can be incredible. Learn how to hold your own poetry slam here.

22. Post-Testing Party

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when testing weeks are finally over. Get the whole school in on the celebration. Even kids who weren't taking tests deserve props for being quiet and respectful of those who were. Hold a dance party, ice cream sundae bar, or glow-up day to blow off some steam!

23. Principal Stunts

Surprise gestures and a willingness to step outside of the comfort zone can help administrators connect with their students, energize their staff, and even raise money for school fundraisers. Check out 10 of the best principal stunts from administrators who proved they can take one for the team.

24. Recycling Kickoff

Many schools are committing to going green by starting a recycling program (or enhancing their existing one). A kickoff assembly is a great time to get everyone on board with the new habits. Show everyone when, where, how, and why they should recycle-consider holding a contest to see who can contribute the most!

25. Red Ribbon Week Kickoff

Red Ribbon Week is held each year from October 23 to October 31. It's the largest drug-abuse prevention campaign in the country, targeting K-12 students. Try these Red Ribbon Week ideas to encourage students to make smart choices and live drug-free every day!

26. School Birthday Party

Hold a birthday party to celebrate your school's founding! Decorate the halls or classrooms, give out balloons or party hats, and hand out cake (or healthy snacks). Gather everyone together to sing "Happy Birthday," then share a video on social media of your celebration.

27. Spelling Bee

Here's another school assembly idea that's been around for decades. Host a school-wide spelling bee, then send your winners on to regional competitions. You could even see one of your students compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee!

28. Spirit Fashion Show

Dress up and show off your moves on the catwalk! Students and teachers can vote for their favorite displays of school pride. This one is a fun way to start or wrap up a school spirit week.

29. STEM Demos

Source: @jeffevansmagic

Contact your local science center to see if they do school STEM assemblies. Or ask your own science teachers to plan spectacular demos to get kids excited about science. Everyone loves a big elephant toothpaste display!

30. Students vs. Faculty Competition

It's always fun to watch students try to beat faculty at pretty much anything. Make it a kickball game, relay race, or even a trivia contest.

31. Talent Show

Put together a school talent show, and encourage both students and faculty to participate. You can make it a competition, or simply use the time to recognize some of the amazing abilities found around your school.

32. Trivia Contest

Create your own school trivia quiz on Kahoot!, then hold a school-wide trivia competition to see who really knows their school!

What school assembly ideas have been real hits with your students? Come exchange ideas in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!

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30+ Exciting School Assembly Ideas Your Students Will Love

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School assemblies can be a terrific way to foster a sense of community and school pride. But if your students are going to miss class, you want to make sure the experience is worth it. These school assembly ideas will engage everyone, from kindergarten through high school!

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Labor Market Information – Nebraska Department of Education

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Career choices should consider talents and passions; however the economy determines income and job openings. It is a high-risk decision to select and prepare for occupations with very limited career opportunities. Be mindful of labor market information.

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Duc-Junior & Senior Guide for Career Planning

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Duc-Junior & Senior Guide for Career Planning

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This guide covers how to start figuring out your next steps, explore options and address common career development topics

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Duc-Social & Emotional Support in Distance Learning 

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Duc-Social & Emotional Support in Distance Learning 

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Relationships matter. When educators and students practice physical distancing, it does not mean that they must lose social and school connections. During the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) response, it is critically important to place adult and student wellness first and foremost to establish a positive, safe, and supportive learning environment.

Leading with social and emotional learning (SEL) is essential not only because children need social and emotional support as they, like the adults around them, navigate the unprecedented challenges of alternative learning contexts, but because SEL helps students access academic content through building essential self-management skills, resilience, and connections. To learn more about the fundamentals of SEL, visit the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning website . To learn more about the California Department of Education's (CDE's) SEL Guiding Principles (PDF) and 2018 Guide to SEL Resources (PDF) , visit the CDE's SEL web page.

The resources that follow provide a range of SEL options for educators, administrators and other school leaders, and families/guardians to utilize as they support their students-and themselves-during this time of learning remotely. Please note that while this page refers to many specific resources to support local educational agencies (LEAs) in developing, improving, and extending instruction through their distance learning capabilities, individual LEAs are responsible for assessing the appropriateness of any specific resource prior to implementation.

WestEd's Center to Improve SEL and School Safety
View the slides, handouts, and webinar (recording available May 29), Strategies for Districts to Support Self-Care for Educators During the COVID-19 Pandemic, to learn about supporting teachers experiencing primary and secondary trauma.

Webinar 1: Supporting Social Emotional Learning Throughout Your Systems
This August 6, 2020 presentation (PDF) focused on SEL supports for those in leadership positions throughout the education system.

Last Reviewed: Tuesday, October 6, 2020

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Social and Emotional Support in Distance Learning

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Relationships matter. When educators and students practice physical distancing, it does not mean that they must lose social and school connections. During the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) response, it is critically important to place adult and student wellness first and foremost to establish a positive, safe, and supportive learning environment.

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Duc-15 best SEL activities for high school students

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Duc-15 best SEL activities for high school students

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15 Best Social Emotional Learning Activities for Students — Schools That Lead

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Learn how Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities foster self-awareness, self-control, interpersonal skills, and responsible decision-making.

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Duc-7 Tips for Academic Success in High School

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Duc-7 Tips for Academic Success in High School

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7 Tips for Academic Success in High School | NSHSS | National Society of High School Scholars

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Here are seven tips for high school students to keep in mind as they strive for academic excellence during these formative years.

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It's fair to say that a lot of teaching is based on presenting students with facts. This means successful students tend to be those who retain facts easily, while students who struggle to process large amounts of information at one time can quickly become disengaged. This arguably applies to all types of learners, whether it's in a school setting, on a workplace training course, or in lifelong learning.

Some people are visual learners, after all, which means the ability to "see" a process (rather than read or hear about it) is far more impactful for them. This is where virtual reality ( VR) and augmented reality ( AR) can add real value to the learning process. These "extended reality" (XR) technologies can create immersive worlds where students can visualize concepts and learn new skills and information in an interactive way.

Here are five ways VR and AR could transform education.
1. Creating a more immersive experience for schoolchildren
Thanks to its highly immersive nature, VR can transport students to different places, and even different times. One great example comes from 1943: Berlin Blitz, a VR experience produced for the BBC by Immersive VR Education. Recreating the events that took place on September 3 rd 1943, this experience portrays the true story of a Lancaster Bomber on a mission to Berlin.

Alongside the regular crew, the plane was also carrying BBC reporter Wynford Vaughan-Thomas and his sound engineer, Reg Pidsley. The VR experience recreates this historic event, using a mixture of VR simulations and real archive recordings from inside the plane (which were broadcast on UK radio following the team's successful return). What a fantastic way to bring history to life, and make historical events more accessible - more human, even.
2. Enabling exciting new field trips
As a parent, I know that school trips can be expensive, which means they aren't necessarily open to all students. But with VR, field trips could become a lot more accessible, affordable, and, dare I say, more interesting. After all, in theory, any kind of experience is possible with VR. Walking on the moon? No problem. Seeing polar bears in the Arctic? Sure.

Google is removing the typical barriers to field trips and creating amazing experiences for students through its Google Expeditions app. Designed for teachers to use with their classes, the app offers hundreds of adventures - some using VR and some using AR - spanning history, science, the arts, and the natural world. In the VR experiences, students embark on an immersive simulated experience to destinations like the Louvre or Mount Everest (and this can be done using super-cheap Google Cardboard VR headsets). Meanwhile, the AR experiences bring abstract concepts to life in the classroom - for example, the teacher could project a swirling tornado or beehive into the classroom, so students can get a closer look.
3. Transforming hands-on learning
Did you ever have to dissect a frog in high school? I did, and I hated it. (The frog had a worse time, obviously, but it was pretty traumatic for me, too.) Now, this gruesome experience can be replaced by AR.

Froggipedia is an AR app that lets students study the internal organs of a frog. Students can either study frog organs individually, or there's a dissection option, which lets them poke around the complex internal structure of frogs' organ systems - without harming any poor frogs. Plus, students get to see the incredible transformation that frogs go through, from egg to tadpole, then from tiny froglet to a fully formed frog.
4. Improving workplace training
In the future, I believe all manner of workplace training will be enhanced with VR and AR. VR can be especially helpful when it comes to simulating dangerous situations, or scenarios that are difficult to recreate in real life.

One great example comes from Australian company FLAIM Systems. Australia has been devastated by wildfires in recent years, as have parts of America. Now, some fire departments in Australia and the US (as well as the UK, Netherlands, and other countries around the world) are using FLAIM to train their firefighters. The VR technology immerses firefighters in virtual scenarios that are just too dangerous or difficult to recreate in the real world - including wildfires and aeroplane fires. Amazingly, the VR tech realistically renders all the fire, smoke, water, and fire-extinguishing foam - as well as the heat, thanks to a special heat suit that can heat a firefighter up to around 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit), depending on their proximity to the virtual fire. The system even replicates the powerful force firefighters feel from the water hose.
5. Enhancing the lifelong learning experience
Whatever you want to learn in your everyday life, AR or VR could improve the experience. Take public speaking as an example. Award-winning VR provider VirtualSpeech has created a VR tool to help people practice public speaking in a more immersive, realistic way.

Whether you want to master speaking in front of a large audience, become more confident in networking settings, or simply deliver better pitches and presentations to smaller audiences, VirtualSpeech's VR e-learning courses can help. After donning a VR headset (remember, these can be very inexpensive), you find yourself in front of a simulated audience (there are a range of audience sizes to choose from). You can then practice your speech or presentation (with your real presentation slides, if you want), get real-time feedback on your delivery, and monitor your improvement over time. The tool can even be used by corporations to train their teams. An impressive 95 percent of VirtualSpeech users said practising in VR helped them better prepare for real-world situations.

From elementary school right up to university level, in lifelong learning and corporate training, extended reality technologies have the potential to make learning more effective, more engaging, and more relevant for today's tech-driven world.
Where to go from here
If you would like to know more about measuring HR effectiveness, check out my articles on:

Or browse the Augmented, Virtual & Mixed Reality to find the metrics that matter most to you.

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Extended Reality In Education: The 5 Ways VR And AR Will Change The Way We Learn At School, At Work And In Our Personal Lives

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It's fair to say that a lot of teaching is [...]

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One of the most popular committees at our school is the school-wide events team, which plans activities that are fun for students, families, staff, and even the larger community. These events are used as incentives, academic boosters, fundraisers, etc. I absolutely love seeing school communities come together, so I hope this list helps you think of fun new school-wide events beyond the typical movie/pizza party!

Educational School-Wide Events

Mix up learning with themed educational days that are perfect for individual grade levels or the entire school.

STEM Day: Teachers work in teams to host a STEM activity and then students rotate through centers during the day. This is great way to take advantage of specific teachers' strengths to benefit the whole school. We have also done a Math fair, where we have stations for math games, books, etc. Parents LOVE these!

Hobby Day (sometimes called Enrichment Day): Teachers, staff, and even upper elementary students sign up to teach a session on their favorite hobby. Then everyone in the school (even teachers!) sign up to learn something new. Topics like coding, jewelry making, origami, gardening, musical instruments, etc. have all been popular. You'll be amazed at the talents hiding right inside your school.

Buddy Day: Upper elementary classes are paired with lower elementary classes, as well as special adults in the building to help facilitate small groups within each classroom. Each month, special activities are planned for that day. Students can read stories to each, complete a craft, share a snack, etc.

Community School-Wide Events

Community events make great fundraisers because you can sell admission tickets and/or charge for activities and snacks during the events.

BINGO for Books: Invite the community to a BINGO night where the prizes are all books. Ask for book donations (new and gently used) from local businesses, churches, etc.

School Carnival: Turn each classroom into a themed carnival game. Challenge classes to a "door decorating" contest to help decorate each room before the event.

Food Trucks: Invite local food trucks to the school parking lot one evening or weekend. A portion of all sales goes back to the school.

Healthy Living Fairs: We had an awesome company that sponsored this event, but you could definitely put it together yourself! The whole school participates, and it's like field day, BUT BETTER! Different classrooms can have different fitness classes (Zumba was always a friend), healthy living sessions, a jump rope marathon, a dance party, etc. This was always one of our favorite days.

Incentive School-Wide Events

it really helps build community when classes, grade levels, or even the entire school works toward a common goal. Then a fun event is held to celebrate the goal being met.

Teacher Plunge: Students earn chances to soak staff members in the dunk tank or toss water balloons at them.

Kiss the Pig: This one is especially fun when the pig belongs to a student!

Staff Makeover: Your staff members will be looking extra fancy after these makeovers performed by students

Pie in the Face: Plan this one at the end of the day!

Sticky Wall: Students earn strips of tape and work as a team to tape an adult to the wall while the adult stands on a chair. Then the chair is removed and the adult is stuck.

Dance Party: Turn up the music and have a dance party. You earn bonus points for making it a glow theme!

Treat Cart: The principal visits a special class/grade level with a rolling treat cart. The cart might have candy, stickers/erasers, popsicles, hot cocoa, etc.

Staff Events

Simple staff activities are perfect school-wide events that build community and help teachers (and staff!!) feel appreciated. The key here is FUN and not just something extra on your plates.

Egg Hunt: Principals stuff eggs with things like jean days, duty coverage, read to your class, etc. There can also be silly "rotten" eggs with funny prizes, like having to wear bunny ears on the last day of school before Easter. This could easily be modified for other seasons too, not just eggs.

Secret Buddy: Draw names out of a hat to pair teachers up for the month. Everyone who wants to participate completes a question sheet with their favorite color, snack, school supply, etc. Then they drop off small gifts for each other, with the goal of not being caught so partners stay a mystery until the end.

Staff Games: One school had a "Survivor" competition and matching staff shirts made in team colors. Teams were made up of members across different parts of the school to build relationships outside of immediate teams. The best part was that teachers could substitute a student to compete in their place during any of the events. Some examples were a free-throw competition, eating competition, photo taken at the highest elevation during the competition, etc. "Amazing Race" would be another fun theme! "Minute To Win It" style competitions are also fun for this.

Want More Ideas?

Love these ideas for school-wide events? Be sure to join our FREE Inspired In Upper Elementary Facebook group, where we're always brainstorming ways to make learning (and teaching!) more engaging and fun.

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School-Wide Events: Fun and Educational Ideas to Build School Spirit - Teaching with a Mountain View

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School-wide events are fun for students, families, staff, and community. Includes ideas for academic days, incentives, fundraisers, etc.

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Duc-Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Duc-Integrating Technology in the Classroom

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Integrating Technology in the Classroom: Best Practices

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Discover the best practices for integrating technology in the classroom, including effective strategies, the role of AI in education, and digital literacy for a tech-savvy future