Session 17: Education

The right type of a learning environment is essential for teachers and students alike. Having the right attitude and the right space is important for a successful intellectual journey. Because all these components are so important, there has been an ongoing debate between traditional and active forms of learning. Some research findings show that one form of learning is superior to the other. However, experiments in the classroom have proven that both forms of learning have benefits and disadvantages. In the Teacher’s Antidote, the question of how to learn is answered by the teacher. The teacher becomes the great scientist that has gained the trust of students by trying the right things. Based on experience, the teacher-scientist finds the right antidote for their classroom. The right antidote does not have to be error free: it is based on trial and error. The results that it yields are the right degree of challenges for students to overcome and a great learning experience.

We no doubt would be closer to utopia if we could address low participation and high dropout rates that have been plaguing our school system. My research looks to address this problem. Developed at the University of Minnesota, the Check and Connect Program is a comprehensive student engagement intervention designed to build and maintain personal and trusting relationships. Student levels of engagement (expressed in attendance, grades, and behavior) are “checked” regularly by mentors and used to guide their efforts to increase students’ “connection” with school. I investigated how the Check and Connect program was implemented as a mentor at a local elementary school. My role consisted of weekly check-ins with students who were demonstrating signs of disengagement with school. I would work individually with these students concerning the completion of assignments and we would discuss any social/emotional issues they were concerned with. Throughout the school year, it became evident that the program was successful. The students with whom I worked demonstrated an enthusiasm for learning, high levels of engagement, and a measurable increase in completion of assignments. I hope to share the results of this research at the MEHA conference, and I thank you for your time and consideration.

Many contemporary researchers and educators agree on the need to implement social-emotional learning (SEL) in modern public education to teach necessary life skills not usually covered in academic instruction. Typically SEL instruction has focused on primary-level students, but research shows that middle and high school students also benefit from SEL instruction in a very meaningful way during the critical period of development these students experience during adolescence. The field of English Language Arts in itself is a venue for simple SEL instruction. Many English Language Arts teachers are already implementing SEL into their curriculum, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The very nature of the field of literature and the study of it embodies SEL as readers vicariously observe and empathize with the experiences of fictional characters. This creates a unique pathway to SEL instruction through the use of literature that allows for simple intercurricular implementation, requiring few changes to the existing curriculum. This work included a curriculum guide demonstrating this implementation based on the Ohio Department of Education’s new K-12 SEL Standards.