Social and Emotional Learning Through Literature
It’s Thanksgiving, and before the chaos and festivities kick in, I wanted to take some time to reflect back on the last two weeks. They have been crammed full with Wurrly work, motherhood, and the launch of my new book: My Mama Says Inside Me Lives A Village. Together, with the WURRLYedu curriculum team, we developed a curriculum around the book that utilizes the arts for deeper learning. I am thrilled to see it being adopted in schools in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Texas to teach social and emotional skills.
Anyone who knows me sees that I am clearly passionate about education. I have been in hundreds of classrooms in the past three years, and have recently noticed an obvious shift in focus, with a growing importance on social and emotional development in the classroom, and I find it very exciting!
In this digital age, with automation, robotics, and AI potentially displacing so much of the workforce, it clearly changes the landscape of our future. Social and emotional skills are undoubtedly fundamental to all future jobs, and to driving innovation. If the goal of school is to prepare students for the workforce, then schools HAVE to be thinking about how they need to adapt with this changing landscape. And indeed they have.
I am so encouraged when I encounter schools that are ready and open to trying new ways of teaching. Take a look at this video of a lower elementary classroom at PS1 Pluralistic School in Santa Monica during one of my book workshops.
The kids were participating in a creative writing activity, and the teachers prepared the room as they would ordinarily, and here’s where I got very excited by what I saw:
The projector was showing a cozy fireplace
Music was playing to awaken creativity
Art projects adorned the walls to heighten their imaginations
Kids had many different levels to work on: either sitting in chairs, sitting on floors at lower tables, or even lying on the floor
On the walls were word boards for inspiration
The kids clearly felt extremely comfortable to be creative and write their stories. There was no fear of being wrong or otherwise judged. There were no obstacles to the kids using the plasticity of their brains for creative thinking. It was beautifully set up to foster a growth-mindset. It ensures that each child will want a lifetime of learning fostered by their natural curiosity and a desire to be the best version of themselves.
I can’t wait to see more classrooms like this. Thank you to PS1 Pluralistic School for hosting this workshop!
Any teacher in the USA can utilize this curriculum as part of our join the Village of Teachers, and receive the following:
A free copy of My Mama Says Inside Me Lives A Village
A 10 lesson module that is standards aligned
Student worksheets for creative writing worksheets/art activities
And it’s 100% free for schools! The curriculum is already being used in several schools in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Texas from Preschool through 3rd Grade to teach social and emotional skills.
You can email me HERE to get started!
