Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (MESH) It Matters

Transcription

1 Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (MESH) It Matters California After School Resource Center Administered for the California Department of Education (C.D.E.) Welcome to the Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (MESH) It Matters training. This training was developed by the California After School Resource Center with funding from the California Department of Education After School Programs Office. This module provides information about key competencies and teaching strategies to enhance the mental, emotional, and social health of youths. This module will take approximately 30 minutes to complete, so let s get started! 1

2 Training Objectives Participants will: Define MESH and identify its link to educational standards. Identify the five core competencies of Social Emotional Learning (S.E.L.) programs to support the mental, emotional, and social health of students. Identify at least three characteristics of effective S.E.L. programs. Identify at least two additional supportive constructs for S.E.L. programs. At the end of this module, participants will: Be able to define MESH and identify its link to educational standards, Be able to identify the five core competencies of Social Emotional Learning (S.E.L.) programs, Identify at least three characteristics of effective S.E.L. programs, and Identify at least two additional supportive constructs for S.E.L. programs. 2

3 What is Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (MESH)? MESH is the area of health that includes the ability to express needs, wants, and emotions in positive ways; manage anger and conflict; and deal with frustrations. It involves practicing life skills, making responsible decisions, developing good character, following a plan to manage stress, and being resilient during difficult times. Lessons and time focused on the mental, emotional, and social health of youths can be an important factor in their success not only in school but also in life. What exactly is mental, emotional, and social health, and how can it be incorporated into after school settings? Mental, emotional, and social health refers to an area of health that includes the ability to express needs, wants, and emotions in positive ways; manage anger and conflict; and deal with frustrations. It involves practicing life skills, making responsible decisions, developing good character, following a plan to manage stress, and being resilient during difficult times. 3

4 Did You Know? In a national survey of 148,189 students in grades six to twelve: Only 29 to 45% of surveyed students reported they had social competencies such as empathy, decision-making, and conflict resolution skills. By high school, as many as 40 to 60% of students become chronically disengaged from school. 30% of high school students engage in multiple high-risk behaviors (substance use, sex, violence, depression, attempted suicide) that interfere with school performance and jeopardize their potential for life success. In 2008, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System conducted a national survey of 148,189 students in grades six to twelve: Only 29 to 45% of surveyed students reported they had social competencies such as empathy, decision-making, and conflict resolution skills. By high school, as many as 40 to 60% of students become chronically disengaged from school. 30% of high school students engage in multiple high-risk behaviors (substance use, sex, violence, depression, attempted suicide) that interfere with school performance and jeopardize their potential for life success. School-based efforts to promote students social emotional learning (S.E.L.) represent a promising approach to enhance children s success in school and life. Developmental research indicates that effective mastery of social emotional competencies is also associated with greater well-being and better school performance. 4

5 Why Does MESH Matter? In order for children to meet developmental milestones, learn, grow, and lead productive lives, it is critical that they be healthy. Good social emotional and mental health is a key component of children s health and healthy development. Risk factors can contribute to an increase in conduct problems and emotional distress such as depression and anxiety among children and youths. So why does mental, emotional, and social health matter? In order for children to meet developmental milestones, learn, grow, and lead productive lives, it is critical that they be healthy. Good social emotional and mental health is also a key component of children s health and healthy development. Risk factors can contribute to an increase in conduct problems and emotional distress such as depression and anxiety among children and youths. This is why schools and extended learning programs have an important role to play in raising healthy children by fostering not only their cognitive development but also their social emotional development. 5

6 MESH and the Link to Standards MESH applies to all of the overarching standards in the California Health Education Content Standards for grades kindergarten to twelve. Overarching Content Standards: Standard 1: Essential Health Concepts Standard 2: Analyzing Health Influences Standard 3: Accessing Valid Health Information Standard 4: Interpersonal Communication Standard 5: Decision Making Standard 6: Goal Setting Standard 7: Practicing Health-Enhancing Behaviors Standard 8: Health Promotion MESH is also one of the six content areas embedded in the California Health Education Content Standards for grades kindergarten to twelve and is addressed through eight overarching content standards: Standard 1: Essential Health Concepts Standard 2: Analyzing Health Influences Standard 3: Accessing Valid Health Information Standard 4: Interpersonal Communication Standard 5: Decision Making Standard 6: Goal Setting Standard 7: Practicing Health-Enhancing Behaviors Standard 8: Health Promotion For more information on the California Health Education Content Standards, refer to the Health Education Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve guidance book which can be borrowed for free from the California After School Resource Center. 6

7 What is Social Emotional Learning (S.E.L.)? A process that can support the mental, emotional, and social health of students. The process of acquiring core competencies to recognize and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, appreciate the perspectives of others, establish and maintain positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle interpersonal situations constructively. One of the methods to support the development of the mental, emotional, and social health of students is through social emotional learning. Social emotional learning, otherwise known as S.E.L., is the process of acquiring core competencies to recognize and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, appreciate the perspectives of others, establish and maintain positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle interpersonal situations constructively. In brief, S.E.L. programs help to build life skills not always taught at school or at home. 7

8 Why S.E.L.? Research has shown that effective S.E.L. programs: Significantly improve children s academic performance. Significantly improve school attendance. Result in less disruptive classroom behavior. Improve children s social relationships. Increase attachment to school and motivation to learn. Reduce anti-social, violent, and drug-using behaviors. Research has shown that effective S.E.L. programs: Significantly improve children s academic performance on standardized tests. Significantly improve school attendance records. Result in less disruptive classroom behavior. Improve children s social relationships. Increase their attachment to school and motivation to learn. Reduce anti-social, violent, and drug-using behaviors. 8

9 Five Core Social Emotional Competencies 1. Self-awareness 2. Self-management 3. Social awareness 4. Relationship skills 5. Responsible decision making The five core competencies of social emotional learning are: 1. Participants are self-aware. This means they are able to recognize their emotions, describe their interests and values, and accurately assess their strengths. They have a well-grounded sense of self-confidence and hope for the future. 2. Participants are able to regulate their emotions. They are able to manage stress, control impulses, and persevere in overcoming obstacles. They can set and monitor progress toward the achievement of personal and academic goals and express their emotions appropriately in a wide range of situations. 3. Participants are socially aware. They are able to take the perspective of and empathize with others and recognize and appreciate individual and group similarities and differences. They are able to seek out and appropriately use family, school, and community resources. 4. Participants have good relationship skills. They can establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships based on cooperation. They resist inappropriate social pressure; constructively prevent, manage, and resolve interpersonal conflict; and seek and provide help when needed. 5. Participants demonstrate responsible decision making at school, at home, and in the community. In making decisions, they consider ethical standards, safety concerns, appropriate social norms, respect for others, and the likely consequences of various courses of action. They apply these decision-making skills in academic and social situations and are motivated to contribute to the well-being of their schools and communities. 9

10 What Core Competencies and Content Standards Are Addressed in This Activity? PATHS Problem Solving Model 1. Stop and calm down. 2. Identify the problem. 3. Identify the feelings. 4. Decide on a goal. 5. Think of lots of solutions. 6. Think about the consequences. 7. Choose the best solution. 8. Make a good plan. 9. Try my plan. 10. Evaluate. 11. If needed, Try Again. What is the first step to problem solving the situation in the picture above? What are all the possible problems that can be happening? How do you think Bob feels? Or how Trina feels? Or how Jack feels? What do you think is Bob s goal? How do you think Bob wants things to finish? Let s say Bob s positive goal is to have an ice cream and to feel better. Name all the possible solutions you can to help Bob reach his goal. Here is an example of a third grade social emotional learning exercise from the PATHS curriculum that can be borrowed from the California After School Resource Center. Select the handout links to print the PATHS Problem Solving Model and California Health Education Content Standards Grade Three handouts for reference. In this example, students are supposed to review the eleven step PATHS Problem Solving Model. After viewing the picture on the right, students are to answer the questions shown on the slide. What core competencies and MESH content standards are addressed with this exercise? 10

11 Answer: Core Competencies Addressed Social awareness and responsible decision making are skills addressed by this exercise. Content Standards Addressed Standard 1: Essential Concepts Standard 4: Interpersonal Communication Standard 5: Decision Making Standard 7: Practicing Health-Enhancing Behaviors Social awareness and responsible decision making are addressed by this activity. Giving students time to reflect upon what each of the characters might be experiencing allows them to practice empathy, assess the situation, provide opportunities to generate problem-solving options, and make decisions. The exercise also allows students to identify examples to address the following California Health Education Content Standards for Grade Three students: Standard 1: Essential Concepts, such as giving students an opportunity to describe examples of healthy social behaviors, the importance of assuming responsibility within the family and community, and the importance of setting personal boundaries for privacy, safety, and expression of emotions, Standard 4: Interpersonal Communication, Standard 5: Decision Making, and Standard 7: Practicing Health-Enhancing Behavior. 11

12 SAFE Model for Skills Training Sequenced: Does the program use a connected and coordinated set of activities to achieve objectives? Active: Does the program use active forms of learning to help youths learn new skills? Focused: Does the program have at least one component devoted to developing personal or social skills? Explicit: Does the program target specific personal or social skills? The S-A-F-E, or SAFE, model for skills training may also be a useful tool for building activities and lessons for S.E.L. In this method, there are four components involved in S.E.L. activities and lessons. They are: Sequenced: Does the program use a connected and coordinated set of activities to achieve objectives? Active: Does the program use active forms of learning to help youths learn new skills? Focused: Does the program have at least one component devoted to developing personal or social skills? Explicit: Does the program target specific personal or social skills? 12

13 Example of an S.E.L. Exercise Components Illustrated: 1. Step-by-step approach 2. Active learning activities 3. Focused time on skill development 4. Explicit learning goals Here is an example of an S.E.L. exercise from the book Everybody Gets Angry, which can be found in the California After School Resource Center library. Select the handout link to print the handout in order to follow along with this slide. Based on an activity in A Picture of Anger, this exercise begins by asking all the students to remember a time when someone was angry, either at them or someone else. Students are then asked to draw a picture of that person, including facial expressions, body posture, and how that person looked to them. Then the students are asked to complete the following: Does your picture make you feel frightened? Overwhelmed? Angry? How did you actually feel when the person was angry? Next, the students are asked to draw pictures of themselves angry at other people. As they draw, ask them to think about what caused their anger and whether their reactions were helpful or made the situation worse. This exercise demonstrates a step-by-step approach, active learning activities, focused time on skill development, and explicit learning goals. In addition, addressing the mental, emotional, and social health content area plus Standard 1: Essential Concepts serves to address the Grade two level standard of identifying a variety of emotions. 13

14 Scenario What core competencies should be addressed, and what are some ideas to incorporate these lessons into the classroom? The following is a scenario to prompt you to think about competencies and possible S.E.L. ideas to bring to your classroom or program. During a free activity time, you have instructed students to find a toy or board game to share. After a few minutes, Ashley approaches Johnny and Katie, who are building a fire station with blocks. She sits down, starts taking apart the fire station and tells the other two students that building a fort would be better. All three of the students begin to argue about what to build until Johnny suddenly gets up, kicks down all the blocks, and starts to walk away. You quickly engage the students to resolve the issue. Take a moment and think about what competencies should be addressed based on this scenario, and what are some ideas you can use to incorporate these lessons into the classroom? 14

15 Appropriate S.E.L. Competencies to Address Appropriate S.E.L. competencies to address: Social awareness Relationship skills Self-management What are some ways to incorporate these concepts into a learning activity? Social awareness, relationship skills, and self management are all skills that might benefit this situation. What are some ways to incorporate these concepts into a learning activity? 15

16 Examples of S.E.L. Activities Form a circle and ask each child, in turn, to show a gesture that signals anger (a clenched fist, crossed arms). Have all students repeat that action together and then modify the action so that it no longer expresses anger (crossed arms become hugging arms, a clenched fist can open and wave). Discuss among the group how anger is expressed physically and what happens to our bodies when we show anger. #7565 Set up a role play activity with pairs of students involving an argument. In the first pass of the argument, direct each student to start their sentences with the word You. In the second pass, direct each student to start their sentences with the word I. Discuss how the interactions were different and the purpose of I messages. Some additional examples of appropriate S.E.L. activities to incorporate may include: Form a circle and ask each child, in turn, to show a gesture that signals anger (a clenched fist, crossed arms). Have all students repeat that action together and then modify the action so that it no longer expresses anger (crossed arms become hugging arms, a clenched fist can open and wave). Discuss among the group how anger is expressed physically and what happens to our bodies when we show anger. Set up a role play activity with pairs of students involving an argument. In the first pass of the argument, direct each student to start their sentences with the word You. In the second pass, direct each student to start their sentences with the word I. Discuss how the interactions were different and the purpose of I messages For more ideas on S.E.L. activities that can be incorporated into your program, check out Everybody Gets Angry from the California After School Resource Center library. 16

17 Examples of Exercises or Tools for Social Emotional Learning Auto B Good Series (DVD) Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) Everybody Gets Angry Safe Places to Learn: 21 Lessons to Help Students Promote a Caring School Climate Developing supporting activities or curricula can be time consuming. Numerous materials, toolkits, and more are available to help support your S.E.L. efforts in the classroom. After assessing the situation and the needs of your students, staff can incorporate various combinations of materials and formats to be Sequenced, Active, Focused, and Explicit, so that you can turn a behavioral incident in the classroom into an opportunity to learn valuable life skills. These resources and more are available for free loan to any California after school program at the California After School Resource Center. 17

18 Characteristics of Effective S.E.L./MESH Programs Instruction in and opportunities to practice and apply an integrated set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills. Learning environments characterized by trust and respectful relationships. Implementation that is coordinated and reinforces classroom, school-wide, out-of-school, and at-home learning activities. Systematic and sequential programming from preschool through high school. Developmentally and culturally appropriate behavioral supports. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of implementation for continuous improvement. Developing and implementing social emotional learning activities based on standards and researched-based methods is the first step in building effective S.E.L./MESH programs. Some characteristics that further help support S.E.L./MESH programs include: Instruction in and opportunities to practice and apply an integrated set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills. Learning environments characterized by trust and respectful relationships. Implementation that is coordinated and reinforces classroom, school-wide, out-of-school, and at-home learning activities. Systematic and sequential programming from preschool through high school. Developmentally and culturally appropriate behavioral supports. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of implementation for continuous improvement. 18

19 Supporting MESH in Students Physical activity is related not only to a relief in symptoms of depression and anxiety but is also beneficial in enhancing self-esteem, producing more restful sleep, and helping people recover more quickly from stress. Good nutrition is a major contributing factor to key health and educational outcomes. Social emotional learning combined with other supportive components can greatly benefit the mental, emotional, and social health of students. One of these supportive components is physical activity. Physical activity is related not only to a relief in symptoms of depression and anxiety but it has also been shown to be beneficial in enhancing self-esteem, producing more restful sleep, and helping people recover more quickly from stress. Good nutrition can also enhance the overall health of a student and is a major contributing factor to key health and educational outcomes. 19

20 Modeling Healthy MESH behaviors Exercise Do things that positively impact others Enjoy the beauty of nature or art Limit your stress level Limit unhealthy mental habits In order for you to support the mental, emotional, and social health behaviors of students, you should also learn to model these behaviors by learning to maintain and strengthen your mental and emotional health. It s important to pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Don t let stress and negative emotions build up. Taking care of yourself includes pursuing activities that naturally release endorphins and contribute to feeling good. In addition to physical exercise, endorphins are also naturally released when you: Do things that positively impact others; Enjoy the beauty of nature or art; Limit your stress level; and Limit unhealthy mental habits such as worrying and negative thoughts. Try to maintain a balance between your daily responsibilities and the things you enjoy. If you take care of yourself, you ll be better prepared to deal with challenges if and when they arise. 20

21 Additional Supports for MESH Family engagement Connection between school-day, before and after school time, and at home Supportive relationships between youths and adults Family engagement and support can also contribute to the positive development of youths mental, social, and emotional health. Building continuity between the school day and out of school time, such as before and after school programs, and at home, can serve to reinforce positive, healthy messages. Supportive adult relationships can help with resilience and youth development outcomes through the development of safe places, challenging experiences, and caring people. 21

22 MESH Today you learned: What MESH means and how to identify its link to educational standards. The five core competencies of S.E.L. programs to support the mental, emotional, and social health of students. The characteristics of effective S.E.L. programs. Additional supportive constructs for S.E.L./MESH programs. We have covered a considerable amount of information in this module. Some key points we covered in this training included: What MESH means and how to identify its link to educational standards. The five core competencies of S.E.L. programs to support the mental, emotional, and social health of students. The characteristics of effective S.E.L. programs. Additional supportive constructs for S.E.L./MESH programs. 22

23 Congratulations! Congratulations! You have reached the end of the training. You will now have the opportunity to take a quiz to test the knowledge you have acquired in this training. If you receive a passing score, a completion certificate will be ed to you at the address you provided. If you don t receive a passing score, you will have the opportunity to take the test again at any time. Following the quiz, you will be asked to complete a brief feedback survey. After you complete the survey, you will be able to access sample California After School Resource Center library resources and additional information about MESH. You may take the quiz by selecting the link. Thank you for participating in this training. 23