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<p>The purpose of this project was to cultivate a series of professional development training sessions for secondary teachers to incorporate concepts of Critical Race Theory in their classrooms, through the use of social justice education, social emotional learning, and student-centered learning. The researcher examined material in favor and in opposition to the project topic to collect information on how to best serve educators and students. The researcher engaged with academic writing as well as with high school teachers and administrators about this project topic. This manuscript and attached training material is the result of the researcher’s findings and serves to answer the question of whether aspects of Critical Race Theory should be implemented in secondary classrooms as well as if so, how should teachers do so—all in hopes of better supporting more equitable and just education for high school educators and students. </p><br>

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The aim of this study is to investigate work on social and emotional learning in the everyday practice of 221 educators working in preschools and schools. With using a mixed method both quantitative and qualitative information was gathered. In the introduction and background, the state of knowledge is problematized, SEL is defined, previous research reports and the education in SEL is described. The literature review describes SEL in relation to educators, children/pupils and children with special needs. An expansive learning approach permeates the performance analysis. The study's results are largely in line with previous research in the field of SEL and shows correlations between educators and child/pupils social and emotional skills and relational competence. The educators describe that they perceive children's behavior in a different way, had better understanding themselves, gained a common understanding and a common language, and become better at working inclusively and making adjustments based on the children’s/pupils needs. The educators felt that the children/pupils managed routine situations better based on the environment's expectations. The children/pupils were also perceived to have developed a better self-esteem and self-confidence based on the fact that they more often succeeded in interacting with others and that they were seen and confirmed based on their needs. The thesis concludes with suggestions for further research and hopes. / Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur pedagogerna upplever att en kompetensutveckling i socialt och emotionellt lärande - SEL påverkar deras vardagsnära praktik och barnen/eleverna. 221 pedagoger verksamma inom förskola och skola deltar i studien. Med hjälp av en mixad metod samlades kvantitativ och kvalitativ data in. I inledningen och bakgrunden problematiseras kunskapsläget och SEL definieras. Tidigare forskning redovisas grundligt utifrån socialt och emotionellt lärande i förhållande till hälsofrämjande och förebyggande arbete, pedagoger, barn/elever samt barn i behov av särskilt stöd. Engeströms teori om expansivt lärande tillsammans med tidigare forskning om SEL används i resultatanalysen. Studiens resultat visar på samband mellan pedagogers och barns/elevers sociala och emotionella kompetens och relationella kompetens. Pedagogerna beskriver att de har fått bättre förståelse för barns beteende, fått en samsyn och ett gemensamt språk, och blivit bättre på att arbeta inkluderande och göra anpassningar utifrån barnens/elevernas behov. Pedagogerna redogör för hur barnen/eleverna klarar rutinsituationer bättre utifrån omgivningens förväntningar. Barnen och eleverna upplevs också ha utvecklat en bättre självkänsla och självförtroende utifrån att de oftare lyckades i samspel med andra och att de blev sedda och bekräftade utifrån sina behov. Uppsatsen avslutas med förslag på vidare forskning och förhoppningar.

This study's aim is to shine a light on students' attitudes on board games in the leisure time centre. Do students in middle school know the social benefits of board games, and what resources do they need to experience board games? The study looks into students' attitude on the importance of an engaged teacher in leisure time centres and also an engaged adult person in other similar environments. Vygotsky's theories around mediation and proximal development are the foundation of the study and terms such as cognitive development and social development are central for the analysis. The empirics consists of pair interviews with ten (10) students in the age range 9-13 which has been analysed from a content analysis perspective. The conclusion is that the sociocultural perspectives’ different ideas are very much present while pupils play board games in the leisure time centre, and that there is a mainly positive attitude toward board games. However, the study cannot prove that students experience the same learning as studies prove exists.

This study explores how self-imposed limitations affect anxieties about art-making and the art-making process. As a teacher, I was interested in how limitations affected student art-making. I used arts-based research methodology to explore spiritual and personal quandaries in my own life through the process of art-making. A consistent thread throughout this investigation was using the process of making art as a way to gain understanding about my own life and teaching. I was also able to create a culture of vulnerability and honesty in my classroom and help my students embrace themselves and their physical, emotional, and situational limitations through the art-making process.

Today’s elementary school students face myriad traumatic issues including poverty, violence, physical and emotional abuse, homelessness, and parental substance abuse. These adverse childhood experiences are responsible for an increased risk of academic failure and behavioral problems in childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs, provided through school and community partnerships, attempt to address these needs in both school-based and out-of-school-time (OST) learning settings. The purpose of this action research study was to examine one northern California-based nonprofit organization’s OST SEL program for third through fifth grade students and determine actions and interventions for greater program effectiveness. Students, parent/guardians, site administrators, school-staff, and community members engaged in focus groups, completed surveys, participated in validation groups, and acted as research associates throughout the iterative plan, act, observe, reflect action research cycle conducted during the winter of 2020. Qualitative data from focus group meetings included identified themes from authenticated and coded transcripts while quantitative data included descriptive statistical analysis of pre-program and end-of-program surveys. As the lead researcher for the study, I worked with action research participants to make program modifications and identify new actions for program improvement. Based on themes and data trends, as well as the application of self-determination theory’s basic psychological needs theory, findings demonstrate that student self-management skills improved during the 4-week action research cycle, as did their sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. At the same time, findings suggest additional growth opportunities in the areas of responsible decision-making and program improvement through development and implementation of integrated and universal SEL supports in classrooms, schools, families, and the larger community. Linking the literature to these findings, recommendations for future action research cycles include age and developmental considerations regarding instruction and application of responsible decision-making skills, and integration of all five SEL competencies for greater harmonization of emotion and thought. To that end, the nonprofit organization’s educational design team and I have begun redesigning the curriculum. Program modifications address child development of perceptual and higher-level memory and cognitive skills, and intentional integration of instruction and practice in all five SEL competencies throughout each program module. Teaching, combined with real-time application of planning and decision-making skills, will include opportunities for active role-playing, adult guidance, and experiences in which students learn and grow from mistakes. In addition to student program modifications to build responsible decision-making skills, literature supports the call for universal SEL in the form of partnerships between schools, families, and community organizations for resource coordination resulting in more positive youth outcomes. Again working with the educational design team, the nonprofit organization and I have taken initial steps to establish a city wellness task force, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to partner in wellness for children and families in the community. We also continue to iterate as we develop a community of practice for educators, focused on building SEL knowledge and practice. By focusing on continuous improvement through an ongoing action research process, this study not only serves as an opportunity to celebrate successes, but highlight growth opportunities to advance the work of the northern California-based nonprofit organization and its programs. Utilizing study findings in combination with supporting literature, we are taking immediate action towards more positive outcomes for those we serve. This study also provides tools and guidance for other community partners in their design and implementation of effective SEL programs for the social and emotional well-being of elementary school students and families, and the communities in which they live.

The thesis is divided into two parts, theoretical and research part. The theoretical part is dedicated to reading workshops, specifically to their importance. Reading workshop is a teaching method that develops reading skills and creates a reading community in the classroom. Furthermore one of the cross-curricular themes, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), is introduced. The goal of the research part of the thesis is to identify the possibilities of connecting these two areas, to describe how reading workshops are led by elementary school teachers, to determine whether and how can the cross-curricular theme of SEL be incorporated into the reading workshop. This goal was achieved through semi-structured interviews with teachers. The interviews show that the teachers aim at various goals during the preparation for reading workshops, nevertheless they usually don't implement the outputs of the SEL. They would appreciate using inspiring lesson plans. In response to their need, eleven lesson plans for reading reading lessons were added to the thesis. They are aimed at fulfilling the objectives of SEL. KEYWORDS cross-curricular theme of social and emotional learning, reading workshop, reading literacy, reading comunity, sharing

This qualitative single case study examined the connections between social-emotional learning and academic achievement in adolescents. Questions that formed the foundation for research include the background of how one middle school developed social and emotional practices for their student population, the ways in which those practices are implemented and sustained in the school community, how social-emotional learning practices interface with academics, and approaches which can be shared with other school sites. Qualitative research methods included formal and informal participant interviews, site and field observations, and the collection of artifacts and documents such as test scores and student work. Data was coded and analyzed by themes: 1) Building Relationships and Developing Trust; 2) Learning Engagement and Achievement; 3) Teaching Accountability and Responsibility; 4) Collaboration; 5) Resolving Conflicts; and 6) Budgets, Curriculum and Standards, and Teacher Demands. Data show convincing connections between creating caring school communities and the academic, social, and emotional development of adolescents.

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