Understanding and Teaching SelfManagement A Key Component of

Understanding and Teaching Self-Management A Key Component of Social-Emotional Learning Equipping students with the mindsets, skills and habits they need to succeed © 2015 by Transforming Education

Contents – Introduction – Self-Management Matters – What Does Learning Self-Management Look Like? – Strategies and Techniques – Self-Management in Your Classroom – Wrapping Up 2

Introduction In this session you will – Build a deeper understanding of self-management, one example of a socialemotional competency that can help students succeed – Understand the profound role a teacher can play (even via a simple technique) in helping students learn self-management – Leave with at least one specific strategy or technique that you could try in the classroom to support your students in developing self-management skills In this session, you will not – Be asked to implement a new program or trendy curriculum related to selfmanagement and other social-emotional skills 3

Introduction Skills beyond academic knowledge are crucial to college and career readiness – E. g. , perseverance, motivation, social skills, growth mindset, etc. – They are often referred to as social-emotional skills or non-cognitive skills Many teachers and parents know the importance of social-emotional skills – But schools don’t always prioritize these skills or give teachers the support they need and the credit they deserve for teaching these skills 4

Defining Self-Management Self-management is the ability to manage your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations – It is a competency that students at every level of schooling and ability level must practice over the course of their development – While some students may need to work on developing their self-management skills more than others, in fact all students (and adults!) can and should continue to hone their self-management competency at every age 5

Defining Self-Management Most teachers deal with self-management in their classrooms on a regular basis – Self-management includes a range of skills such as o Managing your emotions o Delaying gratification o Motivating yourself o Focusing attention o Setting and working toward goals Self-management is a key enabler for all learning, whether for academic subjects, other content areas, or skills like playing a musical instrument 6

Self-Management Matters Exploring the concept and its implications © 2015 by Transforming Education

If the video doesn’t play, please open up the file Video_1_Self-Management_Marshmallows_Stop_Signs_Squeezy_Balls_and_Teaching. mov to play it directly 8

The Video and Your Own Experience Discussion – What resonated with you in the video? – What strategies have worked with your students in helping them build self-management skills? 9

What Does Learning Self-Management Look Like? Student interviews and discussion © 2015 by Transforming Education

What Does Learning Self-Management Look Like? Student Interviews – We’ll hear from Vy, a 9 th grader – We’ll hear from Devon, an 8 th grader – Notice the specific self-management skills that each student struggles with and the techniques their teachers help them practice 11

Vy If the video doesn’t play, please open up the file Video_2_Vy_Student_Voice. mov to play it directly

Devon If the video doesn’t play, please open up the file Video_3_Devon_Student_Voice. mov to play it directly

Let’s Talk About Vy and Devon Discussion – What resonated with you in either of the interviews? – What strategies or approaches did the teachers use? o Is there anything either a teacher or student did that particularly stood out to you? 14

Strategies and Techniques Supporting students in developing self-management skills © 2015 by Transforming Education

Types of Self-Management Strategies Self-Management involves doing something different now (e. g. , resisting a distraction, avoiding an undermining behavior, seeking out a different situation, etc. ) in order to accomplish a goal later. That requires students to: – Think about the future they hope to reach (e. g. , earn an A on a project, get the second marshmallow, etc. ) – Think about how they approach situations and make decisions. The most effective strategies are typically proactive: – They involve action long before the distraction or decision point occurs. – They can, and should be, practiced repeatedly long before they are needed. 16

Self-Management Strategies: Three Categories The earlier a student acts on one of these strategies, the more likely he or she is to succeed, but students need strategies at multiple levels. I. Situation-Oriented Strategies – typically require lead time to put in place – Choose the situation: Choose to be in places or with people that help you manage yourself. o E. g. , hang out with students who are working diligently; take a route home that avoids the mall; etc. – Modify the situation: Modify a situation you can’t avoid. o E. g. , sit at the front of the class instead of in the back with distracting friends. 17

Self-Management Strategies: Three Categories II. Cognitive Strategies – may require lead time or be implemented immediately – Change your attention: Attend to aspects of a situation that reduce temptation or increase focus on a goal. o E. g. , track the speaker in class. – Change how you think about a situation or a choice: Make a distraction less appealing or the long-term goal more appealing. o E. g. , instead of thinking of homework as a chore, think of how good you feel when your homework is done and you are prepared for class. 18

Self-Management Strategies: Three Categories III. Impulse/Emotion Suppression Strategies – hard to implement, least effective, and require the most cognitive energy to attempt – Quash an impulse: Attempt to quash an undesired impulse or emotion after it has developed. o E. g. , try to stop thinking about eating the treat sitting in font of you. 19

The WOOP Method The WOOP strategy, which is positive thinking plus a dose of reality, contains four steps: 1. Wish: Students name an important but feasible wish or goal they want to fulfill. 2. Outcome: Students imagine, as vividly as possible, what the future will be like once they fulfill this wish (or reach the goal). 3. Obstacle: Students imagine the most critical personal obstacle that stands in the way of fulfilling that wish (or reaching the goal). 4. Plan: Students name an effective behavior to overcome the obstacle and create a specific plan, using an if-then statement: “If X happens, then I will Y. ” The if-then plan is a critical part. Let’s look at it in more detail. 20

Plan With If-Then Statements (With WOOP or standalone) Ask each student to name an effective behavior to overcome their obstacle and create a specific plan, using an if-then statement: – Writing: If I write a sentence, then I will read it aloud to see if it makes sense. – Tracking assignments: If the teacher writes an assignment on the board, then I will immediately make sure I understand it and write it down on my assignments list. – Test anxiety: If I’m worried about a test that takes place on Friday, then I will meet with my teacher on Monday to talk about how to study. 21

Create Awareness of When Students Learn Best Help students understand when they learn best so that they can seek out and create situations to maximize their learning. – Each student creates a list that completes the phrase “I focus best when. . . ” or “I learn best when…” o Ask each student to identify three things to seek related to when they learn best and three to avoid. o Students record how often these situations occur and track their progress over time. o Revisit this exercise regularly. 22

Focus on How to Do Things, Not Just What to Do Support achievement by focusing on strategies to complete projects and assignments rather than focusing only on the project content itself. Discuss different processes a student might use to complete a report or project. For example: – Create a set of milestones for when particular parts of the project should be done. – Build an outline, then add in details for a full draft. – Work on sections sequentially vs. starting on the difficult sections. 23

General Self-Monitoring Create clear self-management expectations and provide opportunities for students to track their own progress towards these goals over time. Consider adding a public reporting component. Readiness to learn: Create a checklist and set aside time at the beginning of class for students to assess their readiness to learn. Track the results so that students can see progress over time. Classroom behavior: Create a simple series of expectations for students that they can track. At the end of each class, have students rate themselves and record their results. – Am I listening to others? Am I waiting for people to finish before I talk? Am I using appropriate language to disagree? Am I using an appropriate tone and not raising my voice? 24

Self Monitoring With Lists and Planning Tools For some students, lists and planners (physical or on a smartphone or other device) are critical supports that can enable them to keep track of assignments, prioritize, maintain focus on their work, etc. – Create routines: For example, listen when a teacher gives an assignment, watch what she writes, repeat it in your own words so you know you understand it, then write it in an ongoing list of tasks to complete with most important things at the top. 25

Pausing, Calming, and Visualizing Techniques that help students ride out difficult emotions or or gather themselves when they are anxious or confused. – Step back and breathe: Students take a physical step backward and a deep breath before reacting positively or negatively to any situation. – Expanding breaths: Students notice how many seconds of breathing in and breathing out they do. For each new breath, extend the inhale by one second and the exhale by one second. Take five slow, extended breaths. – Visualize memories: Students visualize a memory of a time when they were happy, calm, proud, or another feeling they want to evoke. 26

Self-Management in Your Classroom Identifying a strategy that could work for you Please get a copy of the Introduction to Self Management handout © 2015 by Transforming Education

Self-Management in Your Classroom We already talked about strategies you’ve used to teach self-management. Now pick out a new one to try. Discuss the following with a partner or in small teams. Instructions: Identify one of the strategies we have discussed (or one of your own ideas) that you would like to try. Pick something that will take relatively little effort to implement. – Think about particular students you would like to use the strategy with o Why did you pick the strategy you did? o How would you put it in place or get started? o How would you practice it? Or how would your students practice it? o What will your immediate next steps be? The Introduction to Self-Management handout contains all the strategies you just saw, as well as some additional ideas for how to implement them 28

Wrapping Up A few more details © 2015 by Transforming Education

Want to Know More? Self-Management Social-Emotional Learning – Don’t!: The secret of self-control – Social-Emotional Learning – General Resources for Self-Regulation – – The Duckworth Lab Resources for Educators A National Teacher Survey on How Social and Emotional Learning Can Empower Children and Transform Schools – CASEL Guide to Effective SEL Programs – Transforming Education News Digest – Smart Hearts: Social and Emotional Learning Overview – Character Lab – Self-Control – WOOP – Walter Mischel Interview – The Marshmallow Test – Emotional Intelligence Is the Missing Piece – University of Michigan Emotion & Self. Control Lab – Can Emotional Intelligence Be Taught? – The Teacher Toolkit – Classroom Management – The Heart-Brain Connection: The Neuroscience of Social and Emotional Learning Please note: The links above will only function in “presentation” mode. 30

Looking for Some Quick Feedback – Transforming Education is constantly trying to improve the resources we create for educators – You may have received a link to a very short survey about this session to help us improve it o The survey is also at: Tiny. URL. com/SMTeacher. Survey, o Please share your feedback with us so that we can improve the free tools we create for teachers 31

Equipping students with the mindsets, skills and habits they need to succeed 32

Additional Information © 2015 by Transforming Education

What Is Transforming Education? – Transforming Education is a nonprofit supporting educators and education systems in equipping students with mindsets, skills, and habits they need to succeed in school, career, and life. We believe these mindsets, skills, and habits should be taught in school alongside academics. – Transforming Education is redefining success for one million students as the lead advisor on social-emotional learning to a collaborative of seven districts across California, including Fresno, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, San Francisco, Sanger, and Santa Ana. In partnership with these districts, we are refining measures of students’ social-emotional skills and implementing them at scale to help schools foster student growth. – We also work with other schools and districts around the country. – For more information, please visit www. transformingeducation. org. Equipping students with the mindsets, skills and habits they need to succeed

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