Difficulty #3: Providing social-emotional learning
Whole-Child Development:
It is no longer an option for teachers to focus solely on academics while working with their students – they must educate the whole child to help best prepare them for the future. Students at every grade level are experiencing social and emotional growth while they navigate through their core academic classes. There are many important non-cognitive factors built into the Focused Instructional Model that will help teachers understand the unique needs of students.
Bay City Western Middle School in Michigan showcases her Brag Tags
During training, teachers learn about Habits of Mind and how social-emotional learning can make a big difference in the lives of students. These non-cognitive skills are often overlooked, but they are incorporated into the FIM on a daily basis. Skills like persistence, resourcefulness, attention to detail, and determination help prepare students to be able to think flexibly when they encounter a math problem they don’t know how to solve. Without these skills, students often feel defeated and quickly give up when they’re struggling with a math problem.
Through FIM, students can earn “Brag Tags” when they master academic standards and when they exhibit positive social-emotional characteristics during class. Students are excited to collect these Brag Tags and they like to show off what they’ve earned.
Upgrading Math Class Series:
Introduction
Difficulty #1 – Information Retention
Difficulty #2 – Targeted Intervention
Difficulty #3 – Providing Social-Emotional Learning
