Wired for Social Emotional Learning Matt Wilce takes a look at social emotional learning and the work begun to develop this strategic priority at ASIJ.
“My sculpture represents a timeline—the wires are braided into each other to represent our family, entangled in each other on a lazy Sunday morning,” says Melissa Bertling during a parent workshop on social emotional learning (SEL). Holding up her sculpture made out of red, black and white electrical wires she explains, “We decided to adventure out to Kamakura, which got us excited and then of course, there were highs and lows of our trip.” She points out the peaks and troughs in her design that illustrate the train ride there and finding the giant Buddha, the late summer heat and their trip to the beach. “Then my son hurt his foot on a shell, which was a real low but then we found the most amazingly peaceful outdoor spot for dinner which was a high,” she says. “From there we headed home and spiraled down into our bedtime routine, before we woke up again this morning, entangled in each other once again.”
“The purpose of the wire activity is to explore a creative experience for checking in with ourselves and sharing that with others,” explains Nick Haisman-Smith, director and co-founder of the Institute for Social Emotional Learning (IFSEL). “During the experience, the idea is to check in with ourselves and use the wire to sculpt, relay and represent those feelings. These can then be shared or kept to oneself.” This simple exercise was a common thread through a number of workshops for parents and faculty facilitated by IFSEL during their visits to ASIJ at the start of the school year. “The benefits of this kind of check in exercise are increased self awareness, increased social awareness and increased empathy,” adds Janice Tobin, managing director and co-founder of IFSEL. “This leads to better decision-making, stronger relationships with students and between students.”
THE AMBASSADOR \\ FALL/WINTER 2018
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