Jonathan C. Erwin - The SEL Solution

Copyright 2019, 2016 by Jonathan C. Erwin

The SEL Solution was originally published in 2016 as The School Climate Solution .

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Erwin, Jonathan C., 1954

Title: The SEL solution : integrate social and emotional learning into your curriculum and build a caring climate for all / written by Jonathan C. Erwin.

Description: Minneapolis, MN : Free Spirit Publishing, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018061371 | ISBN 9781631984372 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781631984396 (epub) | ISBN 1631984373 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781631984389 (web pdf)

Subjects: LCSH: Affective education. | Social learning. | Academic achievement.

Classification: LCC LB1072 .E78 2019 | DDC 370.15/34dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018061371

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Edited by Eric Braun
Cover and interior design by Emily Dyer

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to my loving children,
Nathan David Erwin and Laena Maryn Erwin.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to world-renowned educator and psychiatrist, the late Dr. William Glasser. His work in the fields of psychology and education continues to empower people to be better teachers, managers, and parents, and to achieve their full potential as people. I am also thankful to the William Glasser Institute (WGI) for giving me permission to use Glassers Choice Theory as the philosophical and psychological foundation of this book. Specifically, thank you to Kim Olver, the executive director of the WGI; Bob Hoglund, the president of the WGI-US advisory board; and all the WGI faculty members and friends who helped me apply Glassers ideas over the last 25 years, including special thanks to Nancy Buck, Cathy Curtis, Ellen Gelinas, Bob Hoglund, Carleen Glasser, Judy Hatswell, Al Katz, Lynn Sumida, and Bob Sullo.

Next, Id like to thank Marjorie Lisovskis and the whole Free Spirit Publishing team for the opportunity to publish with such a high-quality organization, with special thanks to my tireless editor, Eric Braun, for his time, effort, and all his excellent questions and suggestions throughout the editing process.

Third, Id like to thank all the students Ive had the honor to teach and learn from over the last 30 years, not only the K12 students, but also the thousands of teachers and school administrators who have attended my seminars and workshops. Id like to thank my family and friends for your encouragement, patience, and honest feedback during the years it took to complete the manuscript.

Fourth, my deep appreciation goes to the following people who reviewed my manuscript during development: Lauren Grader-Fox, Bradley Evans, and Kristen Bivens.

And, finally, Id like to acknowledge that that my wonderful children, Nathan David and Laena Maryn Erwin, are the inspiration behind The SEL Solution.

List of Reproducible Forms

Page numbers listed below refer to thumbnail previews. All reproducible forms can be downloaded at www.freespirit.com/sel-forms . Use password care .

Introduction

Beginning this book with an analogy may belie its practical nature. But as a former middle and high school English teacher, I love analogies. And actually, analogies are very practical: They are a wonderful teaching tool, helping people see clearly that which otherwise may be obscure.

Heres the analogy: Educating students is like growing a garden.

Imagine an empty lot, one that we want to transform into a lush flower garden. As those responsible for this garden, we might begin by hiring a well-respected landscape architect to create a design for it, just as in education we spend billions paying teams of experts to create federal, state, and local curricula. Once we have our design, we might then hire a knowledgeable landscaper to plant, fertilize, water, weed, and nurture our new garden. Similarly, in schools we hire the best teaching candidates, expecting them to use the most effective instructional and classroom management practices available, resulting in our students learning and growing to their potential.

In time, we will evaluate our garden in terms of how we originally envisioned it. Based on our evaluation, we may need to make adjustmentsmoving a plant into a sunnier spot, watering more or less frequently, and so on. In schools, educators use a wide variety of assessments to evaluate our students learning: formal, informal, formative, summative, standardized, teacher-created, and more. As in the gardening scenario, the results of the assessment may call for adjustments or improvements. In such cases, we may reexamine and revise our curriculum, our instructional or classroom management practices, and/or the assessment tool, hoping for better scores on the next assessment.

Common sense would tell us that these three elementsplanning (curriculum development), planting and nurturing (instructing and managing), and assessing and adjustingwould be everything we need to create a beautiful garden or educate our students.

There is a fourth element, however, which seems so obvious that we may not even consider it: the climate in which we attempt to grow our garden. For example, if a landscape architect from the American Southwest doesnt consider the climate of a garden planted in a southern Quebec provincemany of the flowers and fruit trees he plants wont survive the harsh winters. His design will fail. No amount of tending will make a difference.

Similarly, if we dont attend to the climate in which our students are planted, we, as educators, will also failno matter how well-designed the curriculum or how effective the teaching is.

Of course, some plants can thrive in a wide variety of climates, just like many students can learn and thrive in almost any learning environment. However, many plants thrive only within a limited range of temperature, rainfall, and other climate factors, and many students require specific school climate conditions in order to reach their growing or learning potential.