This week I used Canva to enhance my slideshow presentations for my Math lesson plan, and then I really started getting into using it to make different resources and such so I decided to also present my learning for this weeks inquiry post using a slideshow video as well! This is a way I hope to incorporate technology into my classroom and also into my learning throughout this assignment!

I would like to incorporate mindfulness into my classroom by setting aside time each day for mindfulness minutes.  
Taking time to be mindful and reflect and reset before a lesson is extremely beneficial when it comes to not only prepping students for the learning to come, but also encouraging students to spend time being present and reflecting on how they are feeling (emotionally, physically, etc)

After exploring some strategies regarding different ways mindfulness can be brought into the classroom, I personally found my favourite is simply taking 5 minutes, whether that be after recess or after Phys Ed, or anytime students are feeling busy and energetic and need to refocus. I would use resources such as the Calm app, which has mindfulness meditation sessions for kids and even mindful calm stories! I am super passionate about mindfulness and really taking time to reflect and reset and strongly believe taking that time is extremely beneficial to the students in many different aspects of wellness and SEL.

According to the site, Mental Health America.org, they list an idea called the "Calm-down Corner". Personally, I feel more drawn to a name such as a "Calm Corner" or something closer to that, but I really like the idea of having a space within the classroom where students can go sit and take 5 and just simply refresh their minds and bodies. Having this accessible is extremely beneficial as it encourages and promotes students being able to recognize when they are feeling overwhelmed, over stimulated, frustrated, sad, etc. Simply normalizing and allowing students to know when they need to sit out and take some time to feel what they are feeling and then re-join the activity, is a great way to incorporate and encourage Social Emotional Learning in the classroom!

By taking the time at the start of each day to encourage the students to think about how they are feeling that day, it allows them to explore their emotional side of Social Emotional learning. Through understanding and reflecting on their current feelings and mood, they ultimately learn more about their emotions. 

What can a daily check-in look like?

• Daily Check-in worksheets
• Anonymous Check-in on the board
• Draw what emoji you feel like today
• Morning Meetings

How Does Group Work Encourage SEL In The Classroom?

Introducing group work into our classroom regularly would encourage students to work on progressing their social skills and building connections and friendships within the classroom. Group work directly ties into the social aspect of SEL and is a skill all students should constantly be developing.

Learning how to work together and problem solve using the help of others is extremely critical in the development of children’s social skills as well as communication skills. Social Emotional Learning encourages students to gain social confidence and be able to work as a team to complete tasks. Through working as a team, kids also are bound to gain other important characteristics such as being agreeable, learning to make compromises, communicate, voice your opinion, listening skills, and many other traits that are crucial for students to learn as they grow and build connections.

How can reflective writing benefit students and integrate SEL into the classroom?

Through incorporating reflective writing into assignments or day to day classroom activities, this provides an opportunity for students to take the time to reflect on their learning, feelings, experience and emotions from any situation, and express how said experience impacted them, etc.

Some students may feel that they connect with their personal emotions better if they take time to write it down.

I think that having reflective writing time is not only beneficial for the students to process their thinking and learning, but also in some situations where the teacher may want to gather a general idea of how students are feeling about a particular subject or unit, so we as teachers can reassess our approach, etc.

Below I have attached some worksheets/posters/resources that I have found on Pinterest that I really loved! I will definitely use these ideas as inspiration when it comes to choosing what I use in my class as well as posters and worksheets I could make for my students.

This was my main resource for finding ideas of how to incorporate SEL!

https://www.mhanational.org/blog/10-tips-for-classroom-social-emotional-learning

This podcast was also a great resource that gave me many ideas for how to incorporate SEL in easy and quick ways!! She also talks about Social Emotional Learning games!!

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-teaching-behavior-together-podcast/id1507570457?i=1000557195180