IMAGINE!

Cultivating Culture in Times of Testing

Every year, school systems design and nurture healthy and joyful school cultures for students, staff and families. Habits and routines, environment, events and communications are intentionally constructed to enrich the culture. And then, standardized testing season arrives and the culture we’ve been fostering is abruptly impacted - students are anxious, staff is stressed, the school vibe is tense. Suddenly, the school just doesn’t feel the same.

So how do we create a human-centered testing season that doesn’t negatively affect our culture? Investing in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) practices is one way to do that. According to CASEL (The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) and their “SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook,” research shows that “SEL leads to beneficial outcomes related to: social and emotional skills, academic performance, mental wellness, healthy behaviors, school climate and safety, and lifetime outcomes.”

Through SEL we learn skills we can apply to situations that may otherwise be difficult to handle. SEL practices develop our social-emotional muscle so that when things like “testing season” come along, we have some tools to help us persist, persevere, and self-regulate.

We offer the following SEL practices & activities that can contribute to a “testing season” that keeps people - students, families, and adults - at the center.

• Brain Breaks: Check out Edutopia’s “4 Brain Breaks for Different Classroom Needs.”

• Stretch Breaks: Take a look at “Try These 4 Mindful Movement Breaks from Calm Classroom”

• Nature Breaks: Use the research on the impact of nature to reduce stress, “3 Ways Getting Outside into Nature Helps Improves Your Health”

• Breathing Exercises: Try “Five Deep Breathing Exercises for Kids and Teens”

Additional human-centered approaches that benefit both adults and students: 

• Maintain school routines and rituals as the need for normalcy in a not-so-normal environment can keep folks grounded and connected.

• Music “...research shows that music can have a profound effect on both emotions and the body. Faster music can make you feel more alert and concentrate better. Upbeat music can make you feel more optimistic and positive about life. Slower tempo music can quiet your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day.” (Harmony & Healing)

• Food, as we all know, boosts brain power. Making time for snack breaks goes a long way. Fun fact! Mints stimulate the brain’s hippocampus telling us to “wake up and pay attention.”

Standardized testing is around the corner. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to plan to maintain the healthy, joyful culture the school community values.

ON THE HORIZON!

eLearning Micro Sessions

Next month, get ready for the launch of Abeo’s eLearning Micro Sessions. Our first micro session is on Active Listening - a skill that can elevate your personal and professional interactions.

As you know, we believe that learning should be dynamic, impactful, human-centered, and rooted in our core principles: Inquiry, Leadership, Collaboration, and Equity. With theses core principles, our goal is to create micro sessions that leave you with fresh insights and practical strategies you can immediately apply.

Understanding that time is precious, we’ve designed our micro sessions to be brief and impactful—no more than 15 minutes! Short bursts of learning are manageable and effective, ensuring you gain meaningful takeaways in a time-efficient format.

To support the development of new micro sessions, we want to hear from YOU. Take a moment to fill out our survey and share the topics you're most curious about. We can't wait to hear your thoughts!

CONNECT!

Optimistic Closure: “One and One”

In August, we introduced the Connector: “Stick with It” as a way to open a meeting. This month we focus on closing a meeting.

Optimistic Closures  are a CASEL signature practice that builds community and centers the human experience. Optimistic Closures are a purposeful routine to close meetings, focusing on people and supporting a climate of belonging. Optimistic Closures are quick and intentionally build bridges to next steps, celebrating people, or connecting to the content of the meeting. 

One of our favorite Optimistic Closures, “One and One,” offers an opportunity for learners - students, teachers, community members - to reflect on the work and move to action. We invite you to use these SLIDES to try on the Optimistic Closure: “One and One.”