D180 Task 3 Educational Research Questions with Answers ,100% CORRECT

Research Topic Social Emotional Learning aligns with Curriculum and Instruction because as an educator, our goal is to teach to the whole student and every student. Curriculum and Instruction focusesonusingthebestteachingpracticestocreateacurriculumthatnotonlyteachesthegiven material, but also allows the student to retain the information presented. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is important to the field of Curriculum and Instruction because a curriculum designed with the students social and emotional needs in mind allows for theteachertoteachinawaythatbenefitsthestudentmost.SELhasapositiveimpactonstudent performancewithintheclassroom.Researchshowsthat,“SELinterventionsthataddressthefive core competencies increased students’academic performance by 11 percentile points, compared to students who did not participate.” (FundamentalsofSEL-WhatDoestheResearchSay?, 2022) Another reason SELis important for Curriculum and Instruction is it leads to better educators. Being able to understand the social and emotional needs of the students allows the teacher to better understand how to handle their own social and emotional needs. It is said, “when teachers can use self-management skills learned through teaching SEL to reduce their stress, their brain is in a position to make more considered and less biased decisions.”, which allowstheteachertoimprovetheirdecisionmaking.(Currie,2021)Teachersmakehundredsof decisionsaday,sobeingabletobetterregulatetheirdecisionsleadstobetterteachingandless burn out. ProblemStatement Atmy small ruralPre-k-12school,ourstudents donotreceiveadequate SELinstruction. Asateacher,IhavehadlittletonotrainingonhowtoimplementSELinmyclassroom.Thelack ofSELtrainingforteachersnegativelyaffectsourstudents'behaviorsandacademicgrowth.This is occurring because there is alack of training and curriculum for theteachers to implement SEL in their daily lessons. ResearchQuestion Howcanprofessionaldevelopmentbecreatedtoeducateandsupportteachersinthe understanding and implementation of using Social Emotional Learning with confidence, consistency, and accuracy? ResearchProduct AprofessionaldevelopmentworkshoponhowtoincorporateSELintothecurriculumis the best for solving the problem of students not receiving SELinstruction. Because teachers do nothaveadequateknowledgeandaccesstotheSELcurriculum,thestudentsarenotgettingthe instruction they need. To beginmy research, a survey will be given to the teachers to help determine their prior knowledge and background with teaching SEL. The professional development workshop will focus on the needs of the teachers while also helping to teach accuratelyhowtouseSEL,howtoconsistentlyuseitwithintheircurriculumandhowto confidently help their students with their SEL needs. Research Purpose Thepurposeoftheresearchistoaidteachersintheirknowledgeandreadinessto implement SEL lessons into their curriculum. Common Research Themes One common theme that fits all five sources is that educators need proper training to be abletoimplementSELinthemosteffectiveway.Thismeanseducatingtheeducatorsonthebest practices, how to implement those practices and making sure that the curriculum and educators have a solid foundation to build on and show growth. The second common theme is that research/evidence based SELcurriculums and programs allow for not only the whole student to be taughtto, butalso help the educators self manage their SEL.Thesecurriculums striveto meet all core concepts which leads to greater academic growth. This theme is seen in three out of the five resources. Introduction Educators play an important role in molding students into well rounded individuals who are both academically inclined and socially prepared for life after school. In today's world, it is not good enough to beableto justdemonstrateand teach studentsthe informationandfactsthey need to know to pass a test. Educators have to connect what they are teaching to something relevant to their students for them to truly understand and retain the information. In order to be abletoconnecttothestudents,aneducatorhastobeintouchwiththestudentsSocialEmotional Learning (SEL). Because teaching to the whole student includes SEL, educators need to be properly trained in how to implement SELinto their curriculums. This theme was reiterated in many articles during my research on creating a professional development workshop about SEL. Being able to properly implement the techniques and practices of SELare an important partofhelpingastudentbebothacademicallyandsociallyreadyforlifeafterschool.Thesecond theme that was presented throughout my research was that evidence-based SELcurriculums not only focus on the whole student but also on the needs of the educator. This plays a large role in why educators need proper training in teaching SELin their classrooms.Without proper training using researched based programs, teachers are less likely to manage their own emotional needs while instructing their students.This can lead to teacher burnout and the students not connecting to the information being presented to them. SourceSynthesis ThecommonthemesofhavingeducatorswhoareproperlytrainedinSELinstructionand the need for evidence based curriculums that teach the whole student and help educators understand their own Social Emotional skills are key to my research on the need for teachers to be trained on the benefits, proper techniques and best practices of using SELthroughout all grades/levels and in all curriculum. Donahue-Keegan, Villegas-Reimers and Cressey state that “socially, emotionally and culturally competent teachers are better equipped to reach and equitably teach students with a broad range of backgrounds and social identities.” (Donahue- Keegan, Villegas-Reimers and Cressey, 2019, 154) In every classroom, there is a mixture of backgrounds, home lives, and emotional needs. In order for teachers to be able to better teach theirclassesasawhole,theyneedtobeconnectedtothesocialemotionalneedsoftheirstudents and trained on the best practices to reach those needs of their students. It is said that an emotionally supportive learning environment is a key predictor of students' achievement in schools (Brackett, Rivers and Salovey, 2011). Students need to feel safe in order to be able to allow themselves to fully connect and retain the information being presented to them. Research states that students who received SELwithin their education perform better academically. This includes achievement tests where scores averaged 11% higher for those who received SEL curriculum. (Weissberg and Cascarino, 2013, 11) In the past academic achievement was one of the major indicators of how well an educator was doing within the classroom, but as we move into the 21st century, there has been more focusputonteaching thewholestudent rather thanjust measuring growth based onascore on a test. The Collaborative forAcademic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) addresses the need for focusing on five key concepts that teach to the whole child. In the article, Fundamentals of SEL, CASEL states that these concepts are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.(FundamentalsofSEL-WhatIstheCASELFramework?, n.d.)These concepts were reiterated throughout my research for finding why educators need to be properly trained in SELinstruction and why students need to be viewed as a whole person rather than just an academic learner.There are many benefits to SEL instruction, including short term benefits such as increased student engagement, positive attitudes, and a sense of belonging. Some of the long-term benefits of SELin the classroom include social-emotional competence, academic achievement, college readiness, mental health, and21st-centuryskills.(Ibarra,2022,4)Inastudydoneattwoschooldistrictssimilartothesize of my current district, the schools discover that if they wanted to solve the student’s problems of struggling academics, behavior, lack of motivation, or attendance; then they needed to focus on overcoming the issues rather than lower expectations or dealing out disciplinary consequences. The schools took a mindset of setting goals as a way to help the students prepare for life after school. (Caparas, 2021, 4)This way of using SELleads to helping students feel valued, safe, and understood while also leading them to a path of success in their future endeavors. Ever since studentswerefacedwiththepandemic,therehavebeengapsintheirabilitiestothriveinthenew world they live in. Focusing on these core concepts and setting goals allows educators to guide students toward reaching these benefits while also improving their own SEL skills. Isbell and Miller state in their article about teacher well-being and burnout, that educators cannot be expected to care for students and foster their SELif their own ability to managestress, tend to their social and emotional needs, and focus on their own well-being is not being doneas well. (Isbelland Miller, 2023, 23)An educator's own needs werementioned many times throughout my research. Sheldon Berman states that “Teachers and administrators need targeted training and guided practice in how to teach SELskills and how to reflect on their own daily practice and communication.” (Berman, 2019, 22) Educators are tasked with not only teachingstudentscontentmaterialbutalsowithnavigatingtheirdevelopingsocialandemotional skills. In the article, The Importance of a Research-Based SEL Curriculum, Jazmine Franklin states that in order to model the skills themselves, educators must be aware of their own social andemotionalcompetence.(Franklin,2022,41-42)Thisstatementstressedagaintheimportance of educators knowing themselves in order to correctly guide and model their students through navigating their own emotions and needs. Kaspar and Massey reiterate the need yet again for educatorstobe awareoftheir ownmentalhealthin their article,ImplementingSocial-Emotional Learning in the Elementary Classroom by stating that “mentally healthy teachers will be more impactfulwiththeirinstructionthanthosewhohaveotherstressorstoworryabout.”(Kasparand Massey, 2023, 643) Educator burnout is a very popular topic in the world today which is why having properSELtrainingthatnot justallowsthe educator toteachthe skillstothestudentsbut also allows them to evaluate themselves is so crucial to the growth and development of our education systems. Conclusion While there are many things that contribute to a student's success in school, research shows that emotions play a huge role in how a student learns and that the benefits are not just short-term.Onaverage,studentswhoparticipatedinSELshowa13%increaseintheiracademic performance years after taking part in the lessons. (Whatdoestheresearchsay?, 2023) While academic success is a huge goal in education, it is also necessary to guide our students to emotionalandsocialsuccessaswell.ManyofthearticlesIhaveresearchedstressthatit'snotall about academics, and that teaching the whole student is important too. In order to be successful in leading our students to their greatest social, emotional, and academic successes, educators must be properly trained in how to best implement SELinto their classrooms and curriculum. Notonlydidmyresearchconfirmtheneedfortrainingandsupportinknowingthebestpractices of SEL, many articles stressed thatthetraining is also needed in order for educators to beableto self-regulate their own emotions making them a better example for their students. These themes apply to my research question because, without proper training from professional development workshops, educators will not have the skills, confidence, and knowledge to correctly and successfully implement SEL into their daily teachi