If you've noticed that the standard responses of many teachers and parents to the strong-willed and neurodivergent kids in their care only creates more problems - for everyone, then you really want to tune into this conversation with Kirk Martin. Kirk is a master at providing deeply effective and easily implemented strategies that actually make life better for everyone - - - in the classroom and at home. I can confidently assure you that this conversation will exceed your highest expectations for providing wise and practical solutions. Please fill out the poll that coincides with this episode and/or send in your question for Kirk to address in the next conversation he and I share.
Welcome again to the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning podcast, even though this upcoming conversation, in defense of SEL, is one I would never have predicted needing to be shared… but, and you don’t need me to tell you: these are wild times, in which just about any topic, especially around education, can ignite extreme and heated reactions. So troubling!
…and so I reached out, again, to Elizabeth Peterson, a teacher with many years experience, who lights up with energetic joy and appreciation for what she accomplishes -alongside her elementary and middle school students- year after year, by incorporating SEL into the curriculum of all the subjects she teaches, from math to science to English. We all have a LOT to learn from Elizabeth.
Listen all the way through this conversation. There are gems of empowering insight from start to finish, whether you’re a whole-hearted advocate of Social Emotional Learning - always on the lookout for more creative ways to integrate SEL into your classroom’s culture, OR …if you’re on the other end of the SEL spectrum, and you’ve been swayed by the disparaging remarks some groups have been promoting for whatever reasons... this conversation is sure to bring clarity to your thoughts and your conversations around this topic so central to our students' growth and development, not only socially and emotionally, but academically as well.
Learn more at https://theinspiredclassroom.com/
In this episode of the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning Podcast, I share conversation with Elizabeth Peterson, a 3rd grade teacher in the state of New Hampshire.
Our conversation started with Elizabeth’s deeply considered definition of a term with which we’re all familiar: whole child. I wanted to learn her personal perspective, because I feel that how we, as educators, define this term has an impact on how we relate to our students. See if your definition aligns with hers…
Other topics we discussed included the need for teachers who are inspired, and the very real fact that inspiration is not a switch that can be flipped on, BUT it CAN be nurtured in ways that are truly meaningful for significant and enriching benefits in the classroom for students and for us, as well.
We went on to learn about ways in which Elizabeth has explored ways to grow inspiration that are real, and fun, and truly rewarding on many levels using art, even tho she does not consider herself an artist in the common understanding of that word.
Check out Elizabeth's website: www.theinspiredclassroom.com
You know how sometimes you learn about something you didn’t have even a clue about the fact that you were completely unaware of what you didn’t know? That’s what happened to me in the following conversation with Sherri Fickensher who is an Education Support Specialist, serving deaf and hard of hearing students at Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech for more than 20 years.
Hearing is a sense most of us take for granted. In this conversation I learned about the multitude of ways that not hearing impacts, really impacts, social and emotional interactions.
Throughout this conversation you’ll notice Sherri’s whole-hearted dedication to continual learning of ever-evolving resources and methodologies for serving deaf and hard of hearing students (and their families) to address and manage inevitable challenges so they can live and enjoy to their fullest potential.
Please remember… if you’re enjoying this podcast, your Likes and Comments help it to become more visible for everyone’s benefit.
Helpful links from this conversation:
Low Empathy in Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Pre)Adolescents Compared to Normal Hearing Controls. Hearing impairment poses many challenges to the developing child. Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children for instance frequently encounter language and communication problems. These difficulties in communication may result in reduced opportunities for incidental learning. Especially abstract concepts such as emotions are therefore more difficult to understand for children with hearing loss [1]. Regulating and understanding one’s own emotions is essential for the development of adequate empathic abilities. Consequently, DHH children are prone to develop lower empathic skills than normal hearing (NH) peers. Because empathy is of major importance in initiating and maintaining social relationships, this could have ongoing consequences in the development of DHH children.
Predicting social functioning in children with a cochlear implant and in normal-hearing children: The role of emotion regulation Cochlear implant children have less adequate emotion-regulation strategies and less social competence than normal hearing children. Since they received their implants relatively recently, they might eventually catch up with their hearing peers. Longitudinal studies should further explore the development of emotion regulation and social functioning in cochlear implant children.
Instagram - @clarkeschools Twitter - @clarkeschools Facebook - @Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech LinkedIn - @Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech
Peter Vermeulen, Ph.D., doesn't feel there's much value in ‘defining’ people on the #autism #spectrum by describing their difficulties around social interaction, communication, patterns of behavior, etc., etc. - because he sees all those elements as #consequences of having brains that work in #autistic ways. Conversely, he's written that autism can only be defined in terms of perception and cognition…and only in the context of how an autistic brain experiences the world. JUST THAT, RIGHT THERE opens doors for more empathetic and respectful interactions with our autistic children, family members, students and neighbors.
Peter is not so fond of the term 'neurotypical.' See if you agree with his reasoning... (I did. Surprised?)
AUTISM in CONTEXT - from neurodiversity to neuroharmony:
https://petervermeulen.be/autism-in-context/
A short video that clearly explains autism in context: https://videos.files.wordpress.com/21y5fGDp/autism-as-context-blindness-introduction_hd.mp4
Resources:
The Autism‐Good‐Feeling‐Questionnaire is an informal assessment tool. It’s aim is to give educators, caretakers and other professionals ideas to increase the well‐being of people with an autism spectrum disorder. Here’s a link to a free, English version: https://petervermeulen.be/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/autism-good-feeling-questionnaire-peter-vermeulen-english.pdf
Some inspiring presentations by Peter shared on YouTube:
Peter Vermeulen at Good Autism Practice Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbrVfIlCfJA
Autism and Happiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRXdJ3XFKUE
Autism as Context Blindness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEP_QJnN1bU
An upcoming webinar with Peter Vermeulen, titled “Autism and the Predictive Mind: A new and refreshing look at autism”
Many ideas about the autistic brain are based on conceptions about the human brain that are outdated. The computer as a metaphor for the brain, with its input, processing and output, has been very useful in the past, but seems to be incorrect in the light of recent discoveries in brain science. A Copernican revolution is going on in neuroscience and it will change our ideas about the brain significantly. The brain is not working like a traditional computer: the brain is guessing more than it is computing. The brain does not work in a stimulus-response way. The brain predicts the world and it does so in a very context sensitive way. This is known as the predictive coding account of human information processing.
Instagram link to the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning Podcast
Here’s a link to a Bill’s book: The Self-Driven Child, showing the Table of Contents to give you a quick overview of the book’s value.
Here’s a link to a quick YouTube video that explains the difference between Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset… and here’s another way to understand MINDSETS, and some fascinating brain science around learning, according to Carol Dweck’s highly respected research.
The PERMA Model: Your Scientific Theory of Happiness
https://positivepsychology.com › perma-model
The Penn Resilience Program and PERMA workshops are evidence-based training options that strive to build resilience, wellbeing, and optimism.
Peter Gray, Ph.D., research professor at Boston College, is author of Free to Learn (Basic Books) and Psychology (Worth Publishers, a college textbook now in its 8th edition). He has conducted and published research in neuroendocrinology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He did his undergraduate study at Columbia University and earned a Ph.D. in biological sciences at Rockefeller University. His current research and writing focus primarily on children's natural ways of learning and the life-long value of play. He a founding member of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education and a founding board member of the nonprofit Let Grow. His own play includes not only his research and writing, but also long distance bicycling, kayaking, back-woods skiing, and vegetable gardening.
An thought-provoking post for parents and teachers focused on our over-emphasis on competition: Kids Want to Cooperate, But We Make Them Compete: What’s the harm of all the competitions imposed on kids, in and out of school?
Communication is a major component of children’s social and emotional learning and development… but some children experience persistent challenges with one or more elements that are necessary for successful verbal communication… and then they can spiral into frustration, or negative self-image, or retreat into various forms of social isolation... so I know this conversation will be valuable for learning some of the many, many ways in which Speech and Language Therapists can help alleviate, or at least greatly reduce, major challenges and frustrations some kids experience with speech impediments, delayed speech, inadequate vocabulary, even listening skills, development of neuronal pathways related to speech, and so much more.
You can reach Rona, via email: rroweintraub@earthlink.net
A couple of Google searches related to Speech and Language Therapists/Pathologists:
https://www.asha.org/public/who-are-speech-language-pathologists/
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=speech+pathologist&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
https://monicawesolowska.com/leo-lea
Author, Editor, Speaker, Teacher
Leo + Lea, illustrated by Kenard Pak (Scholastic, August 2022)Elbert in the Air, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey (Dial, February 2023) Holding Silvan: A Brief Life (Hawthorne, named a "Best Book" of 2013)
So… just a quick reminder to check out Monica’s website for more info and a resource or 2 that will help you to extend students’ learning around LEO and LEA’s perspectives.
Also, I’ve included a link to learn more about Jo Boaler, an educator Monica mentioned who’s helped thousands and thousands of young students grow in confidence around mathematics, banishing their math anxiety…
Anxiety, whatever its cause, impacts a child’s sense of self, to one degree or another, which will impact a child’s mindset and interactions… which is one of the many reasons this, the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning podcast has such a wide-armed embrace around various influences and experiences that impact our students’ development.
Jo Boaler is a Professor of Mathematics Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, and she has headed up powerfully engaging projects that empower educators, even early childhood educators, with accessible and practical approaches to teaching mathematics. Her website provides tons of free resources: https://www.youcubed.org/ If you’re interested, I highly recommend a conversation Jo Boaler shared with Lex Fridman. Here’s the link.
In a future episode I plan to share more insights about how to develop conversation with young ones, so they have the benefit of gaining skills around expressing their own ideas, about following and exploring topics of interest so that the architecture of their brains can receive the benefit of more fully integrated neural pathways… FASCINATING and important stuff…
Okay ~ until next time. Oh: Instagram!!! It would be great if you’d follow this, the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning podcast, there. Okay, for real: BYE. BYE.
Oooops... sorry... I couldn't include the resource that Monica wanted to share, so now I hope you'll definitely check out her website.
Connect with me on Instagram - on the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning Podcast page: https://www.instagram.com/nini.white/
SEL is about the human and humane sides of all our actions and interactions… and since “different” people ARE treated differently in the world, on the street, in the classroom, on playgrounds… differences must be acknowledged.
Have you heard that expression ‘oppression with a hug? For me, that implies a form of oppression or supremacy by way of pretending, or denial, or simple non-acknowledgement of others’ experiences… with long-range effects that silently and invisibly seep into the air we breathe …the air we inhale and the air we exhale, all pervasive unless it’s called out for what it is.
Who doesn’t love and seek to expand Win-Win situations? Why would anyone be against Win-Win situations? If there are no losers in Win-Win situations how could anyone have a problem with that? I’ve never understood that, but there is a whole group, fueled by powerful conservative entities (who are promoting their ideas on social media, through privately funded organizations and think tank foundations, PACs, and politicians) that exploit and agitate local ideas about what should be taught and what should be learned in schools. Targets include school district policy, state law, and …most troubling… specific local educators themselves.
At this point I want to quickly let you know that my source is a research paper produced at UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access, titled: The Conflict Campaign: Exploring Local Experiences of the Campaign to Ban “Critical Race Theory” in Public K–12 Education in the U.S., 2020–2021. The report can be accessed online, and I’ve included the link in this episode’s show notes: (https://idea.gseis.ucla.edu/publications/the-conflict-campaign/)
“IF we believe in the promises of equality, how are we supposed to live in equality if we can’t talk honestly about inequality.” That’s like inviting me and my family to Thanksgiving with your family, without ever telling me what to bring to contribute to the celebration and without ever telling me where your actual home is. More info, please!!!
If you’ve been listening to this podcast for awhile, you know I’m all about discovering and sharing solutions, so here’s some good news: There are school leaders, and there are school districts around the country that have not caved to the intimidation tactics of the Conflict Campaign. One inspiring example is Aaron Spence, superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Superintendent Spence wrote an op-ed for The Virginian Pilot.
I always love to hear from listeners. I hope you'll connect with me on Instagram or Facebook. Thank you!
Homeschooling has really come up in the world thanks, in no small part, to the pandemic we all just lived through.
In this episode we get to learn from 3 parents who share heartfelt insights that have led to, literally, expanding and deepening their definitions of parenthood, family life, and even how they perceive the role of education for kids, and for ourselves.
Of course we got into one of the main issues people raise around homeschooling: socialization / social-emotional learning… We explored some realities about different kids’ developing sense of self, experiences and influences that crush a healthy sense of self, and what it looks like when a healthy sense of self has not been crushed.
This was definitely not a Black + White, Either/Or, One-Size-Fits-All kind of conversation… in other words, some kids sense of self develops much better away from the big school environment, while for other kids it’s the exact opposite. One of the many things I so much appreciated about this conversation was the openness and flexibility, dedication and love with which each of today’s parents addressed the wide variety of their homeschooling challenges, including curriculum selection, finding meaningful and supportive community, homeschooling multiple children, homeschooling neuro-diverse kids. We even got into the fascinating topics of de-schooling and un-schooling… and identifying personally relevant resources - some of which are included in this show’s notes.
After this conversation, Emma wrote that she enjoyed our conversation, because it gave her an opportunity to step back and reflect on her family’s life through the homeschooling, de-schooling and unschooling lenses, which helped her to know, even more solidly, what she thinks and what she knows to be best for her family’s wellbeing!
The resources Emma shared (which you can find in this show’s notes) are created by current or veteran homeschool mamas who know the territory because they’ve lived it. (Emma, who described a little of her work as an acupuncturist, can be found on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/earthonmyskin/)
You will also want to check out Dawn’s site, which I learned about after this conversation, but as soon as I saw it, I extended another invitation to her, asking her to share her knowledge and expertise as a Board Certified Holistic Health Coach since 2013, who has helped her son overcome learning and behavioral challenges by making simple changes to his diet. Dawn’s website is: dawnnavacoaching.com.
“If children are to keep alive their inborn sense of wonder, they need the companionship of at least one adult who can share in their sense of wonder, by rediscovering with them the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in." ~ Rachel Carson
Maggie O’Reilly is an Occupational Therapist (OT) who uses a strengths-based approach, along with evidenced based interventions and curriculums, to enhance young children’s skills and confidence in the great outdoors, including their social, emotional learning and development. Maggie loves outdoor and Nature education so much, in fact, that she chose not to give into her own natural shyness about public speaking so she could share knowledge about all kinds of ways to make the very most of time in Nature with young children. Thank you, Maggie! I loved this conversation.
We started this conversation with an important and inspiring quote from Rachel Carson, then we moved into discussing the very real, but perhaps not-so-obvious benefits, both short term and long term, provided to very young children when they share experiences in Nature with family and other caring adults. I learned so much from Maggie about easy and natural ways to increase children’s awareness about the liveliness all around them when they’re outdoors.
We also talked about the research-based benefits of time spent in natural environments that positively impact children’s mental, physical and social wellbeing.
Even if you’re located in an urban environment, with little access to what is typically considered a natural environment, this conversation with Maggie will expand your awareness about possibilities for enriching the lives of the young children in your care.
First, about Maggie and her website:
Maggie O'Reilly, MOT, OTR/L
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Owner, Occupational Therapist
Live Oak Kids (LOKi)
Facebook/ Instagram
@liveoak_kids
Natural Start Conference and Website
North American Association for Environmental Education
ECHO (Early Childhood Health Outdoors)
https://www.therapyinthegreatoutdoors.com
Sensory Processing <- Maggie hopes you’ll check out this resource, because there’s so much more to know about this important area of young children’s development that she didn’t have time to explain.
How to Break Up With Your Phone (book)
Article: The importance of outdoor play for young children's healthy development:
The importance of play for children's healthy development is grounded in a strong body of research.1,2,3 As a natural and compelling activity, play promotes cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being, offering the necessary conditions for children to thrive and learn. Through play, the child can experiment, solve problems, think creatively, cooperate with others, etc., gaining a deeper knowledge about his/herself and the world. From an early age, the possibility to experience several opportunities for unstructured play, in which the child can decide what to do, with whom and how, promotes positive self-esteem, autonomy, and confidence.
We hear a lot in educational circles about preparing today’s youth for the future, most often in terms of increasing academic scores and achievements, but Destination Imagination casts an even wider net, by inspiring and equipping Kindergartners - 12th graders to imagine, innovate and collaboratively problem solve, with peers, while focusing on STEAM challenges.
Some of the Social Emotional values that naturally develop for kids when they participate in Destination Imagination challenges include collaboration, respect, perseverance, and integrity… and in the short time we had for this conversation, we were able to dig deep into how those values are evoked and exercised.
The leadership team at Destination Imagination (DI) is self-described as small but mighty. It was my extreme good fortune to share conversation with Adam Law, who currently serves as Director of Affiliate Relations, and who grew up participating in DI challenges, year after year. His enthusiasm is deep and deeply contagious.
From the DESTINATION IMAGINATION website:
We inspire young people to imagine and innovate today so they become the creative and collaborative leaders of tomorrow.
As parents and educators, our most important goal is to prepare our kids for the future. In Destination Imagination (DI), students work together in teams to solve open-ended STEAM challenges designed to teach the creative process. Why is that important?
The creative process is a step-by-step approach that helps students better understand problems and ask better questions, come up with solutions, learn from failure, and celebrate their achievements.
In going through this process, kids learn vital life and career skills—creative thinking, critical thinking, public speaking, and collaborative problem-solving—that help them feel empowered and set them up for success in their future.
Each Challenge season, we produce one Early Learning Team Challenge designed for preschool through 2nd grade. Early Learning teams will work over several weeks or months on a solution or presentation, which they will present at a DI tournament for feedback, kudos and standing ovations! These teams will not be ranked or scored in any way.
And here's the link to the Big Picture SEL Podcast Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BigPictureSocialEmotionaLifeskillsPodcast
First thing: Please accept Holly's invitation to ask questions (and share stories, too). You can post your questions by connecting with us on the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning Podcast FACEBOOK PAGE.
Here's the marvelous (short YouTube) link of Sir Ken Robinson describing a young girl who barely escaped a terrible life by being misdiagnosed. Definitely worth watching!
Here is a partial list links for the thought leaders in the field of ADHD research and services mentioned by Holly:
Melissa McCabe on YouTube ~ How to ADHD: The Channel Trailer
Russell Barkley, also on YouTube - with many videos and much fascinating research for managing and doing well while living with ADHD.
Holly Seerley, MFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) has been in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1979. She specializes in ADHD therapy for all ages, as well as couples therapy. Throughout the upcoming conversation you will experience Holly’s dedication to increasing understanding about ADHD and effective treatment for ADHD, in alignment with her insights around the trajectory of all relationships.
Over the years, Holly has worked in schools as a credentialed school psychometrist, which is the person who provides assessments for special education, as well as counseling for all students, K-12 grades. For decades, Holly has worked with families and couples, and has also taught other therapists.
Holly has presented at numerous schools and conferences and she has served on several boards related to her expertise on ADHD and co-occurring conditions.
Interestingly, Holly has ADHD, Inattentive Subtype while her son Dash, who has served on many panels of students who learn differently, has ADHD, Combined Subtype plus dyslexia, or as she and her son say, “ADHD, Turbo Type.” Holly beams with love and pride when describing her son’s many accomplishments, despite his ADHD challenges, sharing that he teaches PE and math as an assistant at a school for students with dyslexia as well as being a soccer referee.
I learned so much about ADHD in this conversation… what it is, what it isn’t, and most importantly WHY we all need to know and understand as much about the condition as we can, because it’s affecting all of us, in one way or another… and by understanding that fact we’ll all be more motivated to adopt a solutions-oriented mindset towards ADHD when we notice its symptoms in ourselves, in the children we care for…. in any of the people we work and live with….and speaking of a solutions-oriented mindset, Holly shared many constructive, and even life-changing ways to successfully manage ADHD in young children, and the full range of ages.
Afrika Afeni Mills is an Education Consultant and the author of Open Windows, Open Minds: Developing Antiracist, Pro-Human Students. Afrika is all about helping teachers, coaches and administrators develop and sustain student-centered learning experiences that are diverse, that are inclusive, and that are equitable. Afrika is brilliant at providing the essential support that enables, empowers really, educators to become dynamic practitioners and leaders who can trust themselves to create fun, relevant, student-centered, anti-bias, anti-racist, culturally responsive learning environments that are an inspiration to all participants. Education Consultant may be Afrika’s official job title, but this work is so much more than a job-job to her.
Afrika’s Website and Social Media Platforms, etc:
Twitter: @AfeniMills
Instagram: Open Windows, Open Minds
Facebook: Open Windows, Open Minds and Afrika Afeni Mills - Equity Guardian
LinkedIn: Afrika Afeni Mills
Personal Blog: Continental Drift
Here are some great resources Afrika:
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is as wide-reaching as any subject matter that we can be incorporating into our students' education and development.
The way to experience most success at our efforts to nurture kids' SEL is to give careful attention to maintaining a healthy balance between the 2 root definitions of "EDUCATION." Teachers need courage and creativity to go beyond the norm to facilitate the active engagement of children's innate wisdom, intelligence, problem-solving skills, built-in ability to empathize, and natural ability to creatively break boundaries, and so much more. We really owe it to them to be that kind of courageous educator.
Here's the YouTube link to this episode: https://youtu.be/wFkixDhkiSA
Everyone, even (and maybe especially) little ones, feel when they're respected (and when they're not). This episode is a quick look at the deeper elements of, as well as the long term impacts of early exposure to, respect.
If you would like to receive the PDF of a cool poster inspired by today's topic, please send a quick note to me and ask for it: niniwhite@icloud.com
Thank you.