Social-Emotional Learning Lab: A Comprehensive SEL Resource Kit

Social-Emotional Learning Lab: A Comprehensive SEL Resource Kit (SEL Lab) provides students with concrete lessons to help them think rationally in the emotionally charged, stressful situations that children face every day. This valuable resource helps school counsellors, psychologists, and social workers, as well as educators and after-school program providers by giving students the tools to develop the skills needed to deal with the stressors occurring in and out of school.

Counsellors and educators use this important tool to help students achieve personally, socially, academically, and vocationally. This curriculum is designed to complement and enhance any program that addresses both self-awareness and social skills by focusing on self-control, cooperative skills for working within groups, problem-solving, decision-making, and everyday skill application. The SEL Lab can also function as a “stand-alone” in schools where there are no social-emotional programs being implemented.

The book includes an implementation manual, tutorials, a decision-making guide and more than 100 downloadable worksheets to assist instructors in the step-by-step process of initiating and implementing an SEL Lab in your setting. You will find all the forms, worksheets, games, and activity instructions you will need, available for photocopying, or you can download the Lab Kit materials. Note, the book is plastic coil-bound.

These materials are designed to prepare you for your work as a Social-Emotional Learning Lab Facilitator or Lab Co-ordinator for your school or after-school program. In setting up this program, you will have many roles, including teacher, problem-solver, and mentor to your students.

Who Should Take Advantage of the SEL Lab?

The following is a list of behaviours that suggest who should be considered. Students who:

• Behave inappropriately in social interactions with peers.
• Exhibit aggressive or violent behaviours.
• Exhibit low self-esteem.
• Are verbally abusive to others.
• Lack self-control.
• Take a long time to settle down or are unable to “process” following a “meltdown.”
• Are unable to problem-solve to prevent trouble.
• Have special needs, ADD/ADHD, or physical and other challenges.
• Have weak family support.
• Demonstrate an inability to work effectively and co-operatively with peers.
• Are new to the school.
• Need to fill out more than one problem-solving worksheet or reflection log.
• Have three or more incident reports in a marking period.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

• Overview and Philosophy
• Rationale
• Structure of the Program

Chapter 1: Foundations of the Social-Emotional Learning Lab

Chapter 2: Organizing the Lab: Working in the School Environment

Chapter 3: Administrative Forms

Chapter 4: Working with Students

Chapter 5: Putting It All Together

Chapter 6: The Five CASEL Competencies and the Corresponding Skills

Chapter 7: Concluding the Sessions

Chapter 8: Supervising Lab Facilitator Interns

Chapter 9: Frequently Asked Questions

Appendices

• Appendix A: Alignment of the Lab to Counseling Context
• Appendix B: The Social-Emotional Lab Tutorials
• Appendix C: The Social-Emotional Decision-Making Guide
• Appendix D: Administrative Forms (Green)
• Appendix E: Games/Activities Instructions (Orange)
• Appendix F: Self-Awareness/Feelings (Blue)
• Appendix G: Self-Management/Emotional Regulation (Yellow)
• Appendix H: Relationship-Building/Effective Communication (Purple)
• Appendix I: Social Awareness (Turquoise)
• Appendix J: Decision-Making/Problem-Solving (Red)

About the Authors

"This practical guide is a wonderful, informative resource for those who want to promote the social and emotional learning and character development of elementary-school children in one-on-one or group sessions. Educators and counselors who implement this book’s activities will develop greater expertise in teaching young people to be more caring, responsible problem solvers who handle daily interactions and life challenges more effectively."
- Roger Weissberg, Chief Knowledge Officer, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

"Dr. Elias and Victoria Poedubicky outline a collaborative, step-by-step approach to implementing a meaningful SEL program supported by research and practice. For the school counselor, the SEL Lab described in this book is particularly exciting because it targets SEL competencies, character education, and mental health and can be adapted to fit the needs of your school and student population."
- Grace Rivetti, MA, School Counselor

"Grounded in evidence-based practices, this guide extends the day-to-day application of the five core SEL competencies to a variety of contexts. The authors have provided a rich, user-friendly, highly engaging, and interactive SEL resource. I enthusiastically recommend it."
- Norris M. Haynes, Ph.D; APA Fellow; Licensed Psychologist; Professor