New Courses Support Social Emotional Learning as Students Return to School

Social Emotional Learning is More Important than Ever

Survey results published earlier this summer by America’s Promise Alliance indicate that teens are experiencing collective trauma caused by the changes in their immediate circumstances, combined with the uncertainty about the future as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the key recommendations the survey report outlines to support student mental health is to prioritize social emotional learning. The survey findings highlight the need for a renewed focus on ensuring students (and the teachers and families who support them) have resources to address their social, emotional, and cognitive well-being. In addition, a new guide on reopening schools developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), and 40 other education groups, highlights that regulating emotions, managing stress, empathizing with others, and maintaining relationships—all social-emotional skills—will be key to helping students overcome the trauma and challenges brought on by the pandemic so that they are in a state-of-mind to learn come fall.

New Student Courses Help Educators Address Social Emotional Learning

SafeSchools Training’s new collection of courses for students cover essential student wellness and social emotional learning topics and help educators facilitate important discussions with their students. The new collection of courses for grades 9-12 will be available in time for back to school and includes the following courses focused on student emotional and mental well-being: Stress & Anxiety

• Stress and Anxiety: There’s a Difference
• How Stress and Anxiety Affect the Body
• The Causes of Stress and Anxiety
• Stress and Anxiety Relievers

Depression

• What is Depression?
• What Causes Depression?
• How Depression Affects Your Health
• Strategies for Combating Depression

Good Decision Making

• Types of Decisions
• Six Elements of a Good Decision
• How to Avoid Decision Traps and Biased Thinking
• The Good Decision Process
• How to Build Good Decision Making Habits

Healthy Relationships

• Why Healthy Relationships Matter
• Building a Give-and-Take Relationship
• Becoming Self-Aware through Mindfulness
• Healthy Communication in Relationships
• Understanding Your Emotions

Resolving Disagreements

• Why It’s Important to Resolve Disagreements
• The Anatomy of a Disagreement
• How We Resolve Disagreements
• Resolving Disagreements Effectively
• Challenges and Pitfalls in Resolving Disagreements

Similar courses for grades 6-8 will be available in 2021. The expert-authored, video-based course modules are highly relatable and focus on the impact the topics can have on students personally or the people they care about. Peer presenters, animations, and live-acted scenarios help students visualize and apply what they’re learning. Each module comes with a lesson plan, discussion questions to help you talk with students about these important topics, and facilitated group activity ideas. Other student courses currently available for both grades 6-8 and 9-12 include: Alcohol, Drugs, and Vaping; Bullying & Cyberbullying; Digital Citizenship; Sexual Harassment; and Youth Suicide Awareness. And our COVID-19 course bundle includes: COVID-19 Awareness; Face Coverings; Handwashing; and Social Distancing. To learn more about our student training, please contact us at info@safeschools.com, 1-800-434-0154, or request a demo online.