Morningside Center's 3rd annual conference on social & emotional learning

A gathering to celebrate and inspire educators everywhere

• Reconnect with your own sense of
  calling as an educator.
• Learn skills to help you lead with emotional intelligence throughout the school day.
• Take part in hands-on experiential workshops on everything from Talking Circles and Holistic Discipline to finding openings for SEL in the Common Core curriculum. (See the workshop list below.)
  
• Join the growing movement to put social & emotional learning at the heart of education!

We are grateful to the Tiger Foundation for helping to make this conference possible. Photo above by Carolina Kroon. 


Keynote Speaker: Martin Brokenleg

Martin Brokenleg is a writer, speaker, and longtime professor of Native American Studies. He cofounded the Circle of Courage model for youth work after studying
how traditional indigenous cultures were able to rear respectful, responsible children without resorting to coercive discipline. The model encompasses four core values:belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. It helped transform youth services in South Africa during the Mandela administration.

Conference registration fee: $20 in advance; $25 at the door. For more information on the conference, call Marieke van Woerkom at 212-870-3318 x72 or email her at:hvanwoerkom@morningsidecenter.org. 

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

8:00 - 9:00 am       Registration (with continental breakfast) 
9:00 - 9:30            Gathering and Welcome
9:45 - 11:15          Workshop A (descriptions below)
11:30 - 12:30         Keynote speaker Martin Brokenleg
12:30 - 1:30           Lunch (provided)
1:30 - 1:45            Gathering
2:00 - 3:30            Workshop B (descriptions below)
3:45 - 4:45            Hudson River Playback Theater
4:45 - 5:00            Closing remarks

WORKSHOPS

Workshops designated as "A" (eg, 3 A) are in the morning; workshops designated as "B" (eg, 3 B) are in the afternoon. In most cases, the same workshop is offered in both morning and afternoon, with the designation "A&B" - for instance, workshop #1 on Renewing our Sense of Calling as Educators is offered in both morning and afternoon and has the designation "1 A&B."

Please decide on one morning workshop (A) and one afternoon workshop (B) you'd like to attend. You'll be asked to make a selection with your online conference registration. Seats for each workshop are limited.

1 A&B: Renewing Our Sense of Calling as Educators (all grade levels)

Facilitated by: Linda Lantieri

For many of us as educators, our professional lives started out with a deep inner   calling. We became educators because our occupation was also our vocation. As we teach and lead, staying connected to this calling and a sense of inner purpose can sometimes be challenging. In turn, what we offer our colleagues and students remains directly related to this condition of our own inner lives. This workshop will explore our identity and integrity as educators and give us a chance to reclaim a sense of purpose and passion that brought us into the field of education in the first place.

2 A&B: Leading with Social and Emotional Intelligence (all grade levels)

Facilitated by: Janet Patti

What does it mean to lead with social and emotional intelligence? What does research say about the links between social and emotional intelligence and effective leadership? What skill sets do leaders need to create a climate and culture that support personal and professional learning in their school or organization? We'll explore these and other questions in this experiential workshop. 

3 A:  Reaching Deeper: Touching a Student’s Inner World  (all grade levels)

Facilitated by: Martin Brokenleg

From Parker Palmer to the Dalai Lama to the brain science of neurology, adults are pondering the importance of tending the inner world of children and youth.  Native peoples have traditions which enhance and explore that inner world of youth regardless of that youth’s values.  Current resiliency strategies create inner strength in children and youth.  This session develops a theory of creating inner strength in children and youth and explores specific activities adults can use in classrooms and residences to help children grow on the inside. 

3 B:  At Risk Youth: Difference and Sameness (all grade levels)

Facilitated by: Martin Brokenleg

Youth come from many different cultures in American society and yet professionals are often trained to think of all youth as alike.  What is culture? How does the school experience affect culturally diverse youth?  How do youth workers respond to youth who are different in significant ways?  We will explore these questions to begin serious dialogue about useful approaches to youth.

4 A:  Holistic Discipline (all grade levels)

Facilitated by: Kristin Page Stuart

In the field of education, the word “discipline” often carries with it particular assumptions and references. In this interactive workshop participants will explore Morningside Center’s approach to discipline, an approach aligned with Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Participants will unpack their assumptions about what discipline means, begin to challenge and reshape these assumptions, and learn new skills for integrating self-awareness, conflict resolution skills, and personal responsibility into their working concept of discipline.

4 B:   Infusing SEL throughout the Curriculum in Middle and High School (middle & high school)

Facilitated by: Kristin Page Stuart

How can middle and high school teachers foster SEL in any subject they teach? Lots of ways! This workshop will introduce participants to a framework for creating a positive classroom climate (developed by Morningside Center in collaboration with the University of Virginia) and to a wealth of practical "one-minute" strategies for fostering SEL and enhancing academic learning throughout the curriculum.

5 A&B:  Classroom Strategies for Students Who Need Additional SEL Support (elementary & middle school)

Facilitated by: Tami Brown

Students come to us with varying levels of social and emotional competency. While a research-based universal SEL instruction program works for the majority of students, others need more support.  In this interactive workshop we’ll focus on working with students who struggle with behavior, focus and other learning challenges.  Participants will learn classroom strategies to differentiate, scaffold and explicitly teach skills to students who need more support and practice with SEL. In addition, we will explore how the core skills for academic success relate and interact with each other. Teachers will have an opportunity to reflect on their own practice and on what workshop “take-aways” to use in their classroom come Monday morning.

6 A&B:  Student Leadership: Building on Strengths to Create a Positive Peer Culture and Engage Students with Diverse Needs (elementary school)

Facilitated by: Emma Gonzalez and Mariana Gaston

At P.S. 24 students aspire to be peer mediators, peace helpers, and diversity panelists. Students struggling with behavioral challenges eagerly participate in “Lunch Clubs” in the hope that when they improve their behavior, they too can become peace helpers or mediators. This workshop will introduce participants to P.S. 24’s leadership model for building community, reinforcing students’ social and emotional skills, and engaging students who need extra practice and support. They will learn what’s involved in setting up peer mediation and peace helper programs, diversity panels, and lunch clubs and how older students can prepare younger ones to take leadership.

7 A&B:    Connecting with Parents: Strategies for Mindful Communication (all grade levels)

Facilitated by: Lynne Hurdle-Price

In these times of high stress for educators and parents, how can educators and parents communicate so as to support each other for the benefit of the children? In this interactive workshop participants will reflect on the conditions that make it so challenging to be a parent today. They will learn brief centering techniques, which they can use in stressful situations and also teach to parents. They will get an introduction to “strategic listening”—an advanced form of active listening that allows one to be mindful of all the things present in a conversation, spoken and unspoken. Through role plays they will practice using strategic listening to navigate the difficult conversations that sometimes arise with parents.

8 A&B:   SEL and the “Common Core”: Exploring the Links (elementary school)

Facilitated by: Katrina Liebst and Takeema Allen

Educators across the country are scrambling to align their curricula to the Common Core Standards. At first glance the Common Core seems to put almost exclusive emphasis on academics. Yet, students clearly need social and emotional skills to be “career and college ready,” the stated goal of the standards. In this interactive workshop participants will identify openings for SEL in the Common Core, and share school and classroom activities in which SEL and the Common Core go hand-in-hand.

9A:  Using Art to Foster SEL in the Elementary School Classroom and Beyond (elementary school)

Facilitated by: Emily Feinstein

Art can offer young people an excellent and enjoyable way to express themselves and explore the world around them. Participants will learn creative ways to encourage student communication and build peer connections. These explorative art practices will help elementary school students share their vision, feelings and experiences, all essential ingredients in developing the skills integral to social and emotional learning.  We'll share supplemental handouts and information to take back to the classroom.

9 B:   Using Art to Foster SEL in the Secondary School Classroom and Beyond (middle & high school)

Facilitated by: Emily Feinstein

Art can offer young people an excellent and enjoyable way to express themselves and explore the world around them. Participants will learn creative ways to encourage student communication and build peer connections. These explorative art practices will help secondary school students share their vision, feelings and experiences, all essential ingredients in developing the skills integral to social and emotional learning. We'll share supplemental handouts and information to take back to the classroom.

10 A&B:   Talking Circles: Building and Restoring Community (middle & high school)

Facilitated by: Liz Young

Talking Circles aim to build and maintain a positive teaching and learning environment where all voices are heard and behavioral problems are tackled peacefully and collaboratively. Grounded in a Native American philosophy and practice, Circle processes empower people to take responsibility for their actions and their communities.  Students develop social and emotional skills as they share of themselves and strengthen their community. Eventually Circles enable students and teachers to tackle challenging issues such as absenteeism, disruptive and disrespectful behaviors, and conflict. Participants in this interactive workshop will experience a Circle, learn about the foundations of Circles, and explore the ways Circles can foster community and address challenging issues.  

11 A&B:   Introduction to SEL: How IQ and EQ are linked (all grade levels)

Facilitated by: Joseph McCarthy

As teachers we have known for a long time that although IQ can play an important role in life, it is no guarantee of success, virtue or happiness. In 1995 Daniel Goleman’s best-seller Emotional Intelligence popularized the idea of the rational and the emotional mind as inextricably linked in shaping our destiny.  Since then a whole field has emerged to promote the healthy development of children and adults through social and emotional skill building. In this interactive workshop participants will be introduced to the latest SEL research, link it to their practice at school and explore best practices, including research based curricula that best help foster SEL in the classroom. 

12 A&B: Charlotte Danielson’s Framework: Fostering Professional Development and Social and Emotional Learning (all grade levels)

Facilitated by: Phyllis Walker and Maria Nunziata

How can the Danielson Framework spark great conversations about teaching practice? How can it be used formatively to support teacher growth? How does the Framework support SEL?  Through a variety of interactive activities, teachers and principals will explore those questions, sharing their ideas about good teaching and ways to foster teacher growth, and seeing how their ideas map onto Danielson's Framework.