Open Collections

Miller, Miriam

University of British Columbia

This single descriptive case study explores how ongoing and collaborative inquiry-based professional development supports educators as they explore, develop, and apply practices that promote social and emotional learning (SEL) beyond the typical conventions of SEL programs. Educators from a large suburban school district in British Columbia, Canada, participated in a professional development initiative that spanned the 20192020 school year. Together, the teachers examined how they could provide students with opportunities to practice and apply SEL skills within classroom routines, academic instruction, and learning activities. The research study was designed to investigate the following questions: (1) How do educators enact SEL-promoting practices in their classrooms? (2) How does engaging in collaborative inquiry-based professional development support educators in their efforts to explore, develop, and apply SEL-promoting practices beyond the typical conventions of SEL programs? (3) How did COVID-19 impact teachers’ SEL practice? (The third question was developed in response to the unprecedented and unexpected context created by the COVID-19 pandemic.) Findings from this study suggest the importance of educators learning together in a community in which they can ideate, share stories, exchange resources, engage in reflective dialogue, plan instruction, and apply their learning. Results underscore the importance of attending to the relational elements of learning for both teachers and students, including co-creating learning environments that attend to learners’ emotions, foster trust, and promote academic risk taking. Implications for the role of ongoing and collaborative professional development and SEL-supportive practices are discussed.

Text

2024-01-15

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87273

Human Development, Learning, and Culture

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/