Social- Emotional Curriculum Assignment
The following four social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculums have been selected: Conscious Discipline, PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies), Second Step, and The Incredible Years. These programs are offered for early childhood and lower elementary education (birth to age 8) and aim to enhance the emotional well-being, social competence, and regulative abilities of infants, toddlers, preschool children, and young students (Kostelnik et al., 2016).
Brief Synopsis for Each Curriculum
Conscious Discipline
Overview
Conscious Discipline is an empirically validated, evidence-based, complete program for the social and emotional learning of teachers and children. An objective of the curriculum is to set up a classroom climate that is compassionate and conducive to children ‘s learning and well-being to ensure that they can manage themselves when offended or frustrated. Conscious Discipline is a way to effectively deal with one’s and children’s emotions and build relationships with children, so discipline is not about punishment but teaching required skills.
Target Age Group
Conscious Discipline is designed for children in preschool through early elementary school (ages 3-8). However, the principles of the curriculum can be adapted for older students as well.
Key Features
This curriculum features seven powers for self-regulation and seven skills for discipline. These are relaxation techniques for handling feelings, stress, anger, and other resentment indicators, meditation, conflict-handling methods, and relationship-building techniques for children and their teachers. The program focuses on trust and a secure base as the key to learning and discipline in children.
Research or Effectiveness
Conscious Discipline is backed by numerous studies that show its effectiveness in improving children’s emotional regulation, reducing behavioral issues, and fostering a sense of community within the classroom. Research also indicates that teachers who implement the program feel more confident managing classroom behaviors and experience less burnout.
Classroom Integration
Conscious Discipline involves training teachers through workshops or online training in the aspects involved in Conscious discipline. Specifically, the program offers lessons, teacher guides, workbooks, web links, and other learning aids. This gives the teachers an opportunity to learn mindfulness and techniques for controlling emotions before teaching the students. In the instructional concepts, warm-ups, breathing exercises, and interpersonal relationship activities are procedural.
Cost
The basic kit for Conscious Discipline costs approximately $299, with additional costs for teacher training and supplemental materials.
Website
https://consciousdiscipline.com/
PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies)
Overview
PATHS is a structured program that enhances young children’s appreciation of feelings, self-regulation and reasoned thinking. The curriculum has been developed for use in class as an accompaniment to various class activities and academic lessons to help children learn to identify their feelings and the correct way to handle them. Another component is that PATHS assists learners in building friendly contacts and understanding what can be expected in social interactions with other people with understanding and goodwill (Kusché & Greenberg, 2005).
Key Features
PATHS comprises a sequence of lessons that are well-programmed to cover areas such as recognition of feelings, impulse control, and prosocial skills. Other lessons include narrative, props, drama, group discussions or focused discussions, and games. Peer relationships are also encouraged and supported as they are important tools for students: Students engage in conflict-solving cooperation within the program.
Research or Effectiveness
PATHS is a highly researched social-emotional learning program associated with high levels of support in its learning process. The evaluation of the program reveals increased academic performance, fewer behavior problems, and better emotional self-control among children undertaking PATHS. Moreover, teachers experience improvements in classroom interactions and claim that there are fewer disruptive students.
Classroom Integration
The taught PATHS includes teachers’ instructions, visuals, and students’ activity books with scripted lessons. The contents of the curriculum can be easily incorporated into the whole school’s timetable, and the activities do not take much time to prepare. While program implementation does not necessarily mandate teacher training, specially designed professional development workshops are suggested for effective program implementation.
Cost
The preschool curriculum package costs approximately $849, with additional costs for training materials and support resources.
Website
https://content.pathsprogram.com/paths-current-users/502005-D-4c2c-DP-OT-EG.pdf
Second Step
Overview
Second Step is a very popular SEL curriculum that aims to teach children what they need to do to be successful in school and beyond. The curriculum focuses on the following topics: children’s emotional literacy, aspects of building relationships, and decision-making. Second Step also equips teachers with strategies for handling behavior issues in class in a positive manner.
Target Age Group
Second Step is suitable for children in early learning (ages 4-5) through Grade 8 (ages 6-14), making it adaptable for a wide range of developmental stages.
Key Features
Second Step has several teaching tools, including weekly lessons, multimedia, and role-play resources. The curriculum covers major sectors within it, including skills for learning, self and others, feelings and emotional understanding, and solution-focused approaches. The program has both a teacher and student edition, enabling it to be incorporated into current learning environments. Second Step lessons are sequenced for instructional continuity and repeat critical skill practices over the school year.
Research or Effectiveness
The second step is well-researched and evidence-based. It enhances prosocial skills and also reduces aggressive and disruptive behavior in students. Classrooms using Second-Step lessons demonstrated higher levels of empathy, superior peer relationships, and fewer instances of bullying.
Classroom Integration
The second step is also simple to use because these lessons are scripted, which helps the teacher conduct each activity. The curriculum also provides web-based professional development for educators, making it suitable, especially for new social-emotional learning educators. The program can be taught in SEL time or infused into other content areas, which gives the teachers the freedom to use the materials.
Cost
Second Step costs approximately $439 for a grade-level kit, with additional costs for online training and supplemental materials.
Website
The Incredible Years
Overview
The Incredible Years is a well-developed curriculum that aims to enhance children’s social-emotional skills and prevent conduct problems. This can be done through functional communication training; hence, the program is based on group activities, role-play, and teaching sessions to enhance self-control and relationships. In addition, The Incredible Years has a parenting package to ensure that students practice what they have learned at home in terms of social-emotional learning.
Target Age Group
This curriculum is designed for preschool through grade 3 (ages 3-8) but can be used with older children or children with certain behavior concerns.
Key Features
The Incredible Years has five interactive modalities: puppets and toys, videos and models, and group discussions. It is based on providing social-emotional learning activities for children, including storytelling, counseling, major play, and structured peer group engagements. The music and movement learning module is beneficial because it fosters cooperation, understanding, and problem-solving and involves parents in their children’s socio-emotional learning.
Research or Effectiveness
Based on more than thirty years of documented intervention, The Incredible Years has been found to decrease disruptive behavior, enhance emotional self-control, and increase appropriate behavior in the home and school environment. Other research has indicated a positive Reception of Class Interactive and Social Skills and decreased levels of disruptive behavior in class.
Classroom Integration
Huge material for teachers, such as video lessons, guides, and folders containing teaching materials for students, can be used as part of The Incredible Years. Face-to-face training should be given to the teachers, but the program is also available to continue through the Internet and other seminars. This makes an organization’s parent component a critical aspect of your curriculum because adult supervisors in a child’s life are reinforcing similar emotional messages from school to home or vice versa.
Cost
The full curriculum package costs around $1,400, with additional costs for training and parent involvement resources.
Website
https://www.incredibleyears.com/
References
Conscious Discipline. (2024). https://consciousdiscipline.com/
Kostelnik, M. J., Soderman, A. K., Whiren, A. P., & Rupiper, M. (2016). Guiding children’s social development and learning. Cengage Learning.
Kusché, C. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2005). Promoting alternative thinking strategies. Channing Bete Company. https://content.pathsprogram.com/paths-current-users/502005-D-4c2c-DP-OT-EG.pdf
Second Step. (n.d). https://www.secondstep.org/
The Incredible Years. (n.d). Building Brighter Futures Through Early Intervention Programs. https://www.incredibleyears.com/
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Question 
Module 8A: Shifting the Classroom to Connections and a Plan for Positive Guidance in the Classroom
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Did you hear her say that SHE is managing her emotions and it’s taught her to build the connections necessary to help her kids regulate their own behaviors? This is HUGE!
We will spend a good bit of time below going over classroom management and guidance tips. The classroom can be an overwhelming place if you let it! We all want you to succeed and teach for a LONG TIME. We need great teachers! The number one cause of burn out is the inability of teachers to control or manage their classrooms. Challenging behaviors CAN be managed with these tips and tricks of the trade.
It’s also important to mention that the need to switch from punishment to guidance has a lot to do with classroom implicit bias. Black boys and children with special needs are punished and suspended far more than other childrenLinks to an external site.. When you remove punishment and replace it with respect, you can help break the school to prison pipeline and really make a difference. We must work to give children the tools they need to be successful, and it starts with teaching through discipline and classroom guidance.
Most of the time we focus on the behavior of the child instead of the WHOLE picture. Social Emotional curriculum like Conscious Discipline takes our mindset and shifts from PUNISHMENT to DISCIPLINE. In order to have discipline and guidance, we must first have connections. Even before the connections, we must control our own emotions and behaviors. You can not control your classroom when you are overwhelmed, frustrated, and screaming at the top of your lungs. Flip your mindset first! Reframe any negative thoughts you have about the situation. Take control of your own emotions and thoughts before you try to connect with the child.
DISCIPLINE means TO TEACH. In order to teach, we have to control ourselves first. We have to take the time to see the needs and background of ALL children and students. We have to lead with LOVE. A wise person once told me you have to make the CONNECTION to make the CORRECTION.
There is no one size fits all, but the foundation must be LOVE first. Care first. When you love and care and expect the best of your students and children, they see the best in themselves and give their best selves in the classroom.
Find the needs and meet them.
Find the stressors and defeat them.
Find their skills deficits and TEACH them.
How can you take control of your classroom and manage your classroom with guidance?
- Stay calm and focused. FIRST, get your own emotions in check. Speak in a normal, calm voice. Even try a whisper. Raising your voice just raises the volume and energy of the entire space.
- Ask yourself – Is what I’m requiring developmentally appropriate? This is the MAIN problem we see with new and young teachers. What they are attempting to require of students isn’t developmentally appropriate and it leads to frustrated teachers AND frustrated students who aren’t even attempting to listen. Asking a group of 4 year olds to wait silently for 15 minutes in their chairs before lunch? NOT OK and NOT developmentally appropriate for the age. Plus it’s a HUGE waste of academic time. Make sure the rules in your classroom are appropriate for the children in your class. Some little things are easy to fix. Is it really appropriate to make children sit when they have the wiggles? Let them stand up in the rear of the room or give them a sensory toy to fidget with at their desk. Meet their true needs.
- See the whole child. EVERY BEHAVIOR IS TELLING YOU SOMETHING IMPORTANT. Did they get enough to eat? Are they tired? Did their parents just separate? Does dad have a new special friend and is never home? Is mom working a new job and is traveling? Did they just loose a grandparent? Are they newly homeless? Is mom working three jobs and is never home to help with homework or spelling words? Our little kids unfortunately have lives filled with big adult trauma. It may sound crazy, but part of connection is almost like being a social worker for children and their families. You have to think about the child and their family and make sure their basic needs are being met before you can focus on discipline. Observation and making anecdotal notes to see behavior patterns are a huge part of curbing unwanted behaviors. Once you can identify the root problem, you are more capable of understanding a child and filling in the needs or gaps. It’s just as important to know what to do with the behavior. A wiggly squirmy child isn’t the fault of the child. It’s the TEACHER’S responsibility to give them enough opportunities to get their wiggles out or include movement into the learning. Reframe EVERYTHING in the classroom back on to the teacher and what YOU can do.
- Make connections. Do the children know and feel loved? We don’t want them to feel FEAR of punishment or FEAR of you. We want them to feel loved and respected so they are secure enough to do their best for you. This is a key leadership ingredient (even with adults and parents) as you go throughout your career. Part of connections is also making sure the classroom environment feels safe. So many of our children come to school with trauma and insecurities. One important part is valuing how they feel. If they tell you they are mad or are acting mad at a friend help them acknowledge their feeling and connect with the emotions.
- Is their LOVE bucket filled? It may sound crazy, but it goes along with all the connections you need to make. This is a FABULOUS book we read with both staff and children.Links to an external site. Children (and co-workers & families) need giving, caring, and sharing to reinforce positive behaviors. A little kindness and appreciation can help create a classroom of bucket fillers instead of a bucket emptier or bucket stealer!
- Do they know the expectations and have they practiced this new skill or requirement? One of my favorite young teachers would take her classes during the first week of school to practice walking through the cafeteria line, practice how to sit for assembly, practice going to the hall communal bathroom, practice coming in from recess, practice walking to the car line – ALL of the things. As you go though your educational training and career you will learn this is the brilliance of behavior strategist Harry Wong!Links to an external site. This young teacher knew that PRACTICE is the key to PERFECTION. Make sure your children know and understand any expectations you require. A lot of our time in early childhood is devoted to TEACHING children how to name their emotions and give them the words and tools to handle frustrating situations. Those skills are all taught and should be practiced frequently. Often times we assume they know not to push or hit or yell when they are mad. But that may be what they see in their home and we need to give them the right tools to handle their feelings. As Mr. Rogers would say, they must know what to do with the mad that you feel.
- Learn how to handle conflicts and behaviors without accusations. This is something that can head off a lot of negative responses and confrontations. As soon as you accuse a child goes into defensive mode. Give the child an out. Instead of saying “Johnny you need to get on task” or “Johnny stop talking” say “Johnny, it looks like you have a question” or “Johnny, can I help you answer the question?” Also work on NOT accusing the child. Take the time to always ask what happen and give them the opportunity to get their thoughts together.
- Make sure you have enough activities planned that are fun and engaging. If my mom, a teaching veteran, could tell you the biggest secret to classroom management it would be to always plan way more activities than you think you need. You need to pre-think and plan for any problems or lack of engagement. Think 5 steps ahead of the kids.
- Use positive language. This is a main principle with the younger ages. Instead of telling a child to “stop climbing” say “feet go on the floor.” Instead of “stop running” say “we use walking feet inside. “
- Focus on the positive. Another trick of the trade with younger children is to focus on the positive. If you are transitioning to circle time and the group of friends is having a hard time settling in to their spot, focus on the child with the best behavior and brag. Peer pressure does a lot for a 5 year old! The same would go for pulling on a child’s strengths. If you have a talker or a leader, find them a place in your classroom to appropriately use their skill.
- Use time out correctly and infrequently. Time out should be just that – a time out for a brief moment for a child to regain composure or get themselves together and for the adult to help the child navigate the situation and unwanted behaviors. Check out this article on changing time-outs to time-ins.Links to an external site. In our classrooms we use calm down centers for kids that need a minute to go to a safe place or calm down on their own. If they start feeling overwhelmed or frustrated they have a spot to pull themselves away and figure out their emotions. As kids get older, this can be a safe place where they go and get something quick to eat (like a granola bar) or grab a fidget toy to take back to their desk to help them focus.
- Learn to offer choices. Sometimes children (and adults) need to feel in control. For a child that may have difficulty transitioning or cleaning up, give them two acceptable options. “Julia, would you like to help clean up this center or would you like to help me clean up home living?”
- Give natural consequences. If Julia refuses to clean up at center transition time, her natural punishment could be to stay inside with the co-teacher to clean all centers more thoroughly and miss the beginning of music time. On that note, it is NEVER wise to use gross motor play or outdoor time as a punishment. Active children need active play to release the energy. A wise teacher once told me that keeping children from recess really only hurts the teacher who is now stuck with wiggly kids who need to move. (Movement is as necessary to a child as breathing!)
- Encourage and teach calm down techniques. Little kids can have GIGANTIC emotions. Their little bodies and brains are growing at such a huge rate their ability to process information can’t keep up. Some techniques, like STARLinks to an external site. , really help them learn how to slow down and compose themselves. Sensory and calm down centers are another great tool to include in the classroom.
I know I keep saying that it may sound crazy, but it is a HUGE shift to move from a punishment based mentality of spanking, popping, and paddling or embarrassing clip charts to a world of connections, respect, and true teaching through discipline. It is a lot more work to step in and coach your children using guidance. But you CAN do it!
This video is a little long, but it’s excellent. It’s on shifting from punishment to discipline.
Episode 61: Shifting from Punishment to Discipline (youtube.com) Watch this video
Harry Wong is another behavior theorist that believes effective teachers use procedures and the procedures lead to management. I happen to agree. When students know exactly what to do and what is expected, everything runs so much smoother! If your goal is to be in the classroom, you need this book in your life!
Harry K. Wong’s Theory of Classroom Management (youtube.com) Watch this video
Link to an article (must visit this site) Instead of Discipline, Use Guidance | NAEYC
Module 8A – Social Emotional Curriculum Assignment (Due October 20-November 11)
- Due Oct 20 by 11:59pm
- Points 100
- Book: Yuzu Reader: Guiding Children’s Social Development and Learning: Theory and Skills
Social- Emotional Curriculum Assignment
Assignment Requirements:
- Select Four SEL Curriculums (25 points each)
Identify four social-emotional curriculums tailored for early childhood and lower elementary education (birth to age 8). The curriculums should promote emotional intelligence, self-regulation, relationship skills, and problem-solving. Curriculums can target infants, toddlers, preschoolers, or early elementary students. - Write a Brief Synopsis for Each Curriculum
For each curriculum, write a 200-word synopsis that includes the following:
- a) Overview: Briefly describe the curriculum’s structure and goals.
b) Target Age Group: Identify the specific age group or grade level it is designed for.
c) Key Features: Highlight the unique components or teaching methods used.
d) Research or Effectiveness: Mention any supporting research or studies validating its effectiveness (if available).
e) Classroom Integration: Explain how the curriculum can be implemented in a classroom setting, including teacher training or resource requirements.
- Provide Curriculum Details
For each curriculum, include the following:
- a) Cost: Mention the price of the curriculum package.
b) Website: Provide the official website or a link to where the curriculum can be purchased or accessed.
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