Welcome again to the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning podcast, even though this upcoming conversation, in defense of SEL, is one I would never have predicted needing to be shared… but, and you don’t need me to tell you: these are wild times, in which just about any topic, especially around education, can ignite extreme and heated reactions. So troubling!  …and so I reached out, again, to Elizabeth Peterson, a teacher with many years experience, who lights up with energetic joy and appreciation for what she accomplishes -alongside her elementary and middle school students- year after ..read more

We see so much division, and it's terrifying some of us. People trying to change others opinions is not doing much more than splitting us further apart, because (research has proven, beyond a doubt) people will ground into their own opinions, their own biases, their own perspectives when they experience differences of opinions and ideas. What to do? Give children, starting at an earlier age, thinking skills, unbiased analysis skills and critical thinking skills. Critical doesn't mean criticizing - it just implies the ability to analyze and consider from various points before coming to well-inf ..read more

Details are good, essential really, but when we get lost in them, tied down to them and we lose the big picture... everyone loses. Everyone. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nini-white/message ..read more

In this episode of the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning Podcast, I share conversation with Elizabeth Peterson, a 3rd grade teacher in the state of New Hampshire.  Our conversation started with Elizabeth’s deeply considered definition of a term with which we’re all familiar: whole child.   I wanted to learn her personal perspective, because I feel that how we, as educators, define this term has an impact on how we relate to our students. See if your definition aligns with hers… Other topics we discussed included the need for teachers who are inspired, and the very real fact that ..read more

You know how sometimes you learn about something you didn’t have even a clue about the fact that you were completely unaware of what you didn’t know?  That’s what happened to me in the following conversation with Sherri Fickensher who is an Education Support Specialist, serving deaf and hard of hearing students at Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech for more than 20 years. Hearing is a sense most of us take for granted. In this conversation I learned about the multitude of ways that not hearing impacts, really impacts, social and emotional interactions. Throughout this conversation you ..read more

Instagram link to the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning Podcast Here’s a link to a Bill’s book: The Self-Driven Child, showing the Table of Contents to give you a quick overview of the book’s value. Here’s a link to a quick YouTube video that explains the difference between Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset… and here’s another way to understand MINDSETS, and some fascinating brain science around learning, according to Carol Dweck’s highly respected research. The PERMA Model: Your Scientific Theory of Happiness https://positivepsychology.com › perma-model The Penn Resilience Program and PERM ..read more

Communication is a major component of children’s social and emotional learning and development… but some children experience persistent challenges with one or more elements that are necessary for successful verbal communication… and then they can spiral into frustration, or negative self-image, or retreat into various forms of social isolation... so I know this conversation will be valuable for learning some of the many, many ways in which Speech and Language Therapists can help alleviate, or at least greatly reduce, major challenges and frustrations some kids experience with speech impediment ..read more

Too few parents and teachers are having actual back-and-forth conversations with young kids… conversation that last for awhile, that have a progression, that build on exchanged ideas… What a wasted opportunity if ever there was one… in terms of bonding, building trust, and because the brain development that can happen when back-and-forth conversations do happen can make all the difference in children’s overall well being, including, most definitely, the social emotional sides of their life’s well being. If all we’re ever doing is talking to children, rather than drawing upon their potential to ..read more

https://monicawesolowska.com/leo-lea Author, Editor, Speaker, Teacher Leo + Lea, illustrated by Kenard Pak (Scholastic, August 2022)Elbert in the Air, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey (Dial, February 2023) Holding Silvan: A Brief Life (Hawthorne, named a "Best Book" of 2013) So… just a quick reminder to check out Monica’s website for more info and a resource or 2 that will help you to extend students’ learning around LEO and LEA’s perspectives. Also, I’ve included a link to learn more about Jo Boaler, an educator Monica mentioned who’s helped thousands and thousands of young students grow in con ..read more

Connect with me on Instagram - on the Big Picture Social Emotional Learning Podcast page: https://www.instagram.com/nini.white/ SEL is about the human and humane sides of all our actions and interactions… and since “different” people ARE treated differently in the world, on the street, in the classroom, on playgrounds… differences must be acknowledged. Have you heard that expression ‘oppression with a hug? For me, that implies a form of oppression or supremacy by way of pretending, or denial, or simple non-acknowledgement of others’ experiences… with long-range effects that silently and invisi ..read more