Recently I read a critique of the “SEAL” initiative in the UK, a government mandate to ensure all students systematically and consistently learn about emotions. The critique is poorly grounded, sensational, and self-promotional — but there was one point that’s been hovering. It said, in essence: This approach has never been fully tested so it is unreasonable to experiment on a generation.

On the one hand, this is eminently reasonable. We ought to look before we leap. So we do a great deal of research (both empirical and observational) and use that to define best practice. There is now a substantial body of research on SEL (see the case), but of course not enough for certainty.

On the other, we are already experimenting, so the question isn’t “experiment or not,” it is, “do our best to rationalize this experiment or bury our heads in the sand.”

The experiment underway is a tsunami of social change. As a society we’re in the midst of a chaotic, uncontrolled experiment — introducing variables from GMO foods to youth who average 60 hour of TV time to instant messaging to billions spent on marketing to children (versus 1/50th only two decades before).

In the face of these unprecedented, chaotic, and stress-inducing forces, we must find ways to balance — like surfing on tidal waves. As educators, we do not have the luxury of certainly. We need both the immediate intervention — our best efforts crafted from a blend of reason and compassion — and the carefully considered and well-evaluated response.

But we can’t wait too long. Each year we spend contemplating and debating, millions of children miss another year of opportunity… and then the experiment changes again.

Further, it occurs to me that education has always been an experimental journey.

At one point, the field of education had never tested the teaching of anyone but nobility. At another point, the use of pencils had never been tested. Or teaching of girls - and girls and boys together - and teaching of people of multiple races together… more recently, education had never tested the effect of raising a generation who used electronic typewriters. I remember the joy when my parents bought an IBM Selectric which would re-type a report from memory! And the consternation of some of my teachers when I was bringing reports without white-out-corrections (was I cheating??)

To teach at all requires a certain arrogance — based in a belief that we know what will help the next generation solve the problems they will inherit from us (that’s right - those very problems we have patently failed to solve).  Ideally we balance that arrogance with incredible compassion, not just for humanity but more for these individual people, these delightful, confusing, challenging, and unique humans. In the abstract we can research and debate — but when it comes down to the mat, there are children who need us, and they are the promise, the one chance for tomorrow, and they can not wait for us to figure it out.  So in the end, teaching is an act of hope.

It has frequently been the practice of many teachers and administrators to “prepare” teachers for the students they will be having in their classes the next year. That preparation may entail learning about  students’ behaviors, learning styles, strengths, and areas needing improvement in their academics. This information can be very helpful so that teachers can plan to modify and enhance their lessons for their new students. I would submit that this is not enough.

Yes, I would agree it is important to learn about students before you teach them. It can help with the preparation of your “toolkit” of strategies. But too many times we remember those comments about a student, especially those comments from their former teachers that list their  weaknesses in academics and behaviors and we lose sight of the enormous power that our own optimism about each student can play in how they will live within our classrooms. I would suggest that when meeting new students it is extremely important to be prepared with a keen eye and ear to see and hear when students are working diligently, cooperating with others, using their optimistic messages with themselves and others, and exercising their citizenship skills in the classroom. Yes, it is a balancing act. We want to be prepared with information from the previous year. But we do not want students to feel that they are burdened with their history from the previous year in school.

 I know I hope to try to continue to use the opportunity with each new student as a time to practice my emotional intelligence skills. We know how emotions are contagious! We know that modeling those EQ competencies can be powerful! We know that students can change those patterns that have not worked with them in the past. Giving them a chance will help the balance move toward the positive.

Recently I was feeling like the strong link in a long chain composed of some weak links on either side of mine.  I realized that some of the stress I was feeling was a result of my largely unconcious efforts to be ever stronger in order to compensate for the weaker links that I was chained to ….

Once this metaphor came to mind, I realized that of course strengthening  me, my own link, would not really strengthen the total chain, in fact in might even have the opposite effect, creating  more tension and pressure on the weaker links.

Is there a way I can use my expertise and relationships to pass strength and skills along the chain in order to strengthen the other links? This seems a more effective, in fact the only effective way for me to influence and strengthen the myraid chains of which I choose to be a part. 

How do we as leaders, and links, mobilize and share our expertise in order to create strength and capacity in the links that we depend on and that depend on us? This metaphor most accurately describes the groups I am a part of. I am a necessary, indespensible, valuable link, depended on by and dependent on many other strong, capable links.  I feel both support and responsibility when I recognize the inherent and critical interdependence of  relationships in my work, my life and in our very existence on our precious planet. 

A new research report by the DfES into Social Capital in two inner-city Secondary Schools has recently been published.

Social Capital as defined by this study:

“Social capital refers to networks between people and the relationships of trust and reciprocity they develop. It is seen as a desirable characteristic of communities and societies and as a valuable asset for individuals, enabling access through social networks to employment, skills, health and other individual benefits. . . .The ability of young people to develop this network of relationships while in school and in their local community, and its possible impact on school outcomes, is of increasing interest to education policy makers.”

The study examined three types of social capital: sense of school belonging (a form of bonding social capital), access to social support networks, and attitudes to social diversity (bridging social capital), social background characteristics, socio- psychological resources and educational and wider outcomes.

The key findings of the report which are fascinating to read in full:

• Types of social capital are inter-related.
• Young people’s social capital is related to healthy socio-psychological resources.
• Social capital and socio-psychological resources are unevenly distributed.
• Schools have an important role in developing social capital.

School composition is important. In the highly culturally diverse schools in this study, most students held positive attitudes to ethnic diversity, but much more negative views of small minority groups within the schools, such as gay students.

Schools can develop social capital through different channels. For example, a feeling of safety, acceptance and support, and being treated fairly by staff and students all helped to build a sense of school belonging.

• School ethos can make a difference to students’ access to support. The school characterised by a ‘strict’ school ethos appeared to direct more academic support to students, while the school with a more liberal ethos seemed to facilitate students’ self-referral or informal access to socio-emotional support.
• Neighbourhood context and family support are important influences.
  Strong family ties are linked to more positive orientations to school and less stress for young people. Other research shows that close, supportive ties with family can protect young people from negative neighbourhood influences.

One of the most intriguing youtubes I’ve seen this year - students at Kansas State University and Mike Wesch (presumably the prof) put together this piece sharing some data about a group of 200 students. The result is a compelling “story” that traditional instruction is not going to cut it. Wearing my “EQ guy hat” I look at this as a cry for emotional intelligence — the need for educators and educational systems to get better at connecting w students at a deeper level and helping them capture not just facts, but also meaning! This reinforces Tessy’s post about multitasking (below).

In a new report on teenagers and social media by the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that there is a subset of teens who are ’super-communicators’ — teens who have a host of technology options for dealing with family and friends, including traditional landline phones, cell phones, texting, social network sites, instant messaging, and email. They represent about 28% of the entire teen population and they are more likely to be older girls.

Very striking is the percentages of teenagers who prefer telephone and face-to-face contact over email. Let’s teach them how to communicate well and with emotional intelligence!!!

This ‘multi-channel’ pattern could be described as transliteracy, defined as “the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks”.

There is a very good article with examples from history, orality, philosophy, literature, and ethnography here.The level of sophistication of using multimedia methods of communication is one that many adults are enjoying too! Lots of time juggling required.