Social-Emotional Learning and the Brain

<p><strong>Today's teachers face a daunting challenge: how to ensure a positive school experience for their students many of whom carry the burden of adverse childhood experiences such as abuse poverty divorce abandonment and numerous other serious social issues.</strong> Spurred by her personal experience and extensive exploration of brain-based learning author Marilee Sprenger explains how brain science--what we know about how the brain works--can be applied to social-emotional learning. Specifically she addresses how to</p><p>- Build strong caring relationships with students to give them a sense of belonging.<br />- Teach and model empathy so students feel understood and can better understand others.<br />- Awaken students' self-awareness including the ability to name their own emotions have accurate self-perceptions and display self-confidence and self-efficacy.<br />- Help students manage their behavior through impulse control stress management and other positive skills.<br />- Improve students' social awareness and interaction with others.<br />- Teach students how to handle relationships including with people whose backgrounds differ from their own.<br />- Guide students in making responsible decisions.</p><p>Offering clear easy-to-understand explanations of brain activity and dozens of specific strategies for all grade levels <em>Social-Emotional Learning and the Brain</em> is an essential guide to creating supportive classroom environments and improving outcomes for all our students.</p>