active listening

Being listened to helps human beings in profound ways. If listening exchanges are happening regularly, and with fidelity, there will be enough space for students to begin to really share their emotions.

This video and set of guidelines will give you and your students a chance to practice active listening and discuss the importance of taking equal turns and keeping the content of listening exchanges confidential.  

Being listened to helps human beings in profound ways. This video and set of guidelines will give you and your students a chance to practice active listening through an "equal listening exchange."

Here are some online games that can help you and your students get to know each other better, cooperate, and build empathy and connection. 

Students are often stumped when it comes to finding a resolution to a conflict beyond saying “I’m sorry.” To get over this hump, encourage students to take two additional steps: Ask creative questions to understand the other person’s needs, and make a written commitment to change. 

Deep learning often begins when students start applying the social and emotional skills you’re teaching to real-life problems.Try setting up a space in your classroom where students can cool down, resolve conflicts, and put their new skills to use.

Instead of stepping in to resolve a student's problem, try simply paraphrasing the student's point of view. Sometimes this is all it takes to calm a student down so that they can solve the problem on their own.