When you say you are ‘bad’ at something, it suggests you have already given up and accepted your limitations. That’s a fixed mindset. And, studies show, it’s wrong. Call Hope Rising (405-676-4140) and give your students hope!
Your school could perform better. You know that. And is SEL the answer? No. But are its ingredients part of the mix than can improve students' lives, grades, teacher experiences, and the school's bottom line?
Definitely, yes.
Hope Rising has updated its ‘My Best Me’ SEL curriculum with age-appropriate exercises designed to develop the growth mindset of children from elementary school through 12th grade. A growth mindset refers to a student’s frame of mind rather than his or her raw intelligence - one that is characterized by curiosity and the desire to learn and improve oneself, regardless of the obstacles.
Check it out at https://hoperisingsel.com
The non-profit education organization's updated curriculum, created and honed by dozens of experts in the field of education, teaches social-emotional learning from a range of pedagogical perspectives. For example, one typical ‘growth mindset’ exercise that aligns neatly with SEL best practices is known as the ‘hard thing’ rule, wherein students identify a difficult task - whether that's tying their shoelaces or writing a long essay - and persist with their efforts until that task is completed.
You can look at a summary of the arguments promoting SEL at https://hoperisingsel.com/the-case-for-sel
School boards often push back against added ‘soft skills’ coursework, such as SEL and growth mindset initiatives, noting that students’ schedules are full and time cannot be taken away from mandatory academic coursework.
For this reason, organizations such as Hope Rising encourage school districts to imbue all classes with the principles of SEL - a better learning environment breeds superior student academic outcomes. For example, one study showed that students who held a growth mindset were 3x more likely to score in the top 20% on tests. The achievement test scores of students who received thorough social and emotional learning instruction increased by 11%. Moreover, 93% of instructors in grades PreK-12 agree that SEL is fairly important or very important for the in-school experience, according to one national survey.
You can review a sample lesson at https://info.hoperisingsel.com/social-emotional-learning-sample
Hope Rising’s ‘My Best Me’ curriculum is designed to help these teachers impart the lessons of SEL in a way that improves students’ performance but does not detract from regular class time. The coursework requires 45-60 per lesson, but each lesson can be broken up into smaller ‘bite-sized’ segments each week.
Every course follows a consistent structure that starts with Goal Setting, Pathways - which may include videos, stories, activities, etc.), and Willpower. Moreover, the lessons are non-sequential and can be taught in conjunction with other topics, such as current events. However, each course includes questions that can frequently spark more discussion and other queries. If the teacher so chooses, this can result in extra time.
Are you a teacher, a parent, or a school board member - or all three?! Just for a moment, ignore the bureaucracy, the budget fights, and the day-to-day grind. Try to focus on one thing: the children. Can you make their lives better?
As they say in Alaska, you betcha!
Go to https://hoperisingsel.com/purchase and see how you too can turn rain into rainbows!
