Welcome to module four of this third course expanding SEL titled, Moving Forward: A Critical Examination of the Self Competencies. In the fourth and fifth modules of this course, we will revisit the five core competencies of SEL and consider how we might approach them with issues of identity and culture in mind. As you might recall, if you joined us in course two, SEL programs almost universally adhere to the five competencies as an organizing framework. To briefly review, the five core competencies are: Self-awareness or the ability to understand one's emotions, personal goals, and values; Self-management or the ability to express and manage one's emotions; Social awareness or the ability to empathize, feel compassion, take the perspective of others, and to understand social norms for behavior; Relationship skills or the ability to establish and maintain healthy and sustainable relationships. And finally, responsible decision making or the ability to make constructive and well-reasoned choices about personal behavior and social interactions. As evidenced, by the color coordination in the competency wheel, the first two competencies are self or internally oriented, focusing on one's understanding and management of their own emotions. The second two competencies are externally oriented and understanding and relating to others. The final competency, responsible decision making, carries across both the self and externally oriented domains. This week in module four will be conducting a critical exploration of the self-competencies, self-awareness, and self-management. In the fifth and final module of this course, we will do the same with the externally-oriented domains. Before we introduce the readings and videos for this week, lets first review how the competencies of self-awareness and self-management are traditionally discussed in SEL programming. Then we will discuss how this approach can be enhanced through making an effort to understand the life experiences of students, particularly those facing institutional racism or inhospitable school environments. Finally, we identify and describe several practices that can promote greater critical awareness of self and promote student agency. As we just highlighted, self-awareness is defined as understanding one's emotions, personal goals, and values. The ability associated with self-awareness in particular include, accurately assessing one's strengths and limitations, having positive mindsets, possessing a well-grounded sense of efficacy and optimism, and recognizing how thoughts, feelings, and actions are interconnected. While these are all important skills, there's a notable absence of any mention of identity, social constructs, or culture. I argue that an exploration of one's emotions, personal goals, and values is not only an incomplete analysis of self-awareness, but it is impossible to complete without attending to the ways in which our identity and the ways in which we are positioned in a social world impact our emotions, goals, and values. I contend that a critical approach to self-awareness must be expanded to include greater awareness of issues of power, privilege, and identity. Let's now turn to the second self-oriented competency, self-management, which as explained is defined as the skills that facilitate the ability to regulate emotions and behaviors. The abilities associated with self-management include delaying gratification, managing stress, controlling impulses, and persevering through challenges in order to achieve personal and educational goals. As you complete the readings and activities for this week, consider how these abilities might be revisited and expanded upon to better reflect the role of identity and culture in approaching SEL instruction in the same way that we did above with the competency of self-awareness. Now, let's take a look at the specific readings and videos that guide this exploration. We have an engaging set of articles and videos. Overall, the message I want you to think about is this relationship between an individual child's social emotional learning and on one hand and on the ways in which our institutions and laws can pose a threat to SEL, particularly for African-American and Latino youth in the United States. In the first article, a short blog called, Black and Brown Boys Don't Need to Learn Grit; They need Schools to Stop Being Racist. Dr. Andre Perry worries that an emphasis on grit places too much blame on black and Latino youth for unjust systems and inadequate schools. This is an important point and it could strike some as counterintuitive to think there's a problem with grit. What could be wrong after all we're encouraging youth to be gritty? In my opinion, there's actually quite a few problems and I'm going to highlight two for today particularly as they relate to these readings. First, in a healthy democracy, we should not be telling black and Latino students just to adapt to systems that are unequal or actively poisoning them, such as in Dr. Perry's example from Flint, Michigan with the water. Too often the grit message asks students to put their heads down and grit it out without encouraging them to also make sense of the world around them and how to change that world for the better. Our democracy needs young people who learn to speak up about issues that affect them directly. The second problem is that an overemphasis on grit can add absolve the policymakers, researchers like myself, and educators of the responsibility to improve our systems. It's a quick fix. It avoids some of the deep entrenched challenges facing education for youth of color and youth from low income families in the United States. Take a look at the article by Dr. Perry and see what you think. The next article focuses on the experiences of undocumented youth in Southern California. The article draws on a Latin American indigenous tradition called testimonio whose origins involve a person who has witnessed state violence or oppression. Telling a first person account of their experiences and raising the awareness of the listeners. In this adaptation of testimonio, the authors recount their stories growing up and attending school as undocumented youth in American schools. We read this article for two reasons. First, we want you to pay attention to the emotional demands that children and youth face growing up as immigrants in the U.S. especially if they or a member of their family is undocumented. What strengths do they demonstrate in these stories in terms of persistence and even grit in the face of adversity? What kinds of emotional challenges are they facing? Just as important as listening and taking in these stories, I want you to ask what would it mean to support the social and emotional development of students facing this kind of precarious situation? You should know that all undocumented children have a legal right to obtain a free public kindergarten through twelfth grade education according to the United States Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe from 1982. But how might creating safe and brave spaces for students to bring some of their experience and identity into your classrooms affect their participation in class? We should think about how the opportunity to speak one's truth and not have to hide one's experiences could be risky on one hand but also very important for young people's development and their own trust in their teacher. Although it is against the law for teachers to ask students about their documentation status, there are ways to be an ally without intruding into student's personal lives. For example, it could be as simple as putting up posters indicating that your classroom is a safe space for immigrant students or undocumented students. You might also share readings written by and about the experiences of immigrant families as a way of making this part of the discourse of your class. As you learn more, you might also be interested in getting involved in the policy realm for making education more accessible for undocumented students. We have posted some resources for you to learn more about how to be an ally for children and youth who are undocumented or who have undocumented family members. After taking some time to reflect on the relationship between personal SEL and institutional barriers to SEL, we focus on one strategy gaining steam in education, mindfulness. The article by Lauren Davis provides a terrific overview of the new mindfulness movement that discusses the views of both its adherents and its critics. The video from Edutopia shows one example of a school in San Francisco that incorporated a silent meditation practice and how people within the school felt about it. In closing, this module introduces two distinct practices related to the self-competencies: testimonial and mindfulness. Because they are rooted in different histories and cultural context they both call for further learning before trying them out in your classroom. We hope this provides a useful introduction as you explore ways to expand approaches to SEL.
