Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

A Safe Place Where Students Have a Voice

As part of Insight School of Minnesota’s holistic approach to each student’s success, we offer a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program for all grades 6–12. The SEL program will be delivered through a virtual adaptation of the 7 Mindsets curriculum in Class Connect sessions. Each unit’s theme will be shared with Learning Coaches in a newsletter.

During the school year, students attend weekly 7 Mindsets homeroom sessions for 30–45 minutes in a live Class Connect facilitated by a specially trained teacher or advisor. For their first two weeks in school, students participate each day to become familiar with the online experience and to get to know their classmates.

Through the program, students grow in four key social and emotional areas necessary for thriving in school and life:

• Self-awareness
• Social awareness
• Relationship building
• Responsible decision-making

In the sessions, students discuss topics relevant to their lives, creating a strong sense of belonging and community among peers, as well as allowing the teacher to learn more about each student on a deeper, more personal level.

As a result of sharing in a respectful environment where people listen to and value those who contribute, the students discover a vital part of their personal identity—their own voice. And as their confidence and self-esteem grow, students begin to flourish in class and beyond.

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Teachers Focus on Their Students’ Well-Being

Through the program, our teachers and advisors, who are trained in SEL support and facilitation techniques, focus on their students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being. For example, because of a deeper understanding of students’ lives through group discussions, a teacher may learn that a participant has chronic health issues. After addressing this issue with the student, the teacher will notify the Family Academic Support Team, which will help the student connect to the services he or she needs most.

Our teachers are also adept at facilitating discussions that connect students’ real-life world to their academic studies. A teacher may open the day’s discussion about an instance of social injustice reported in the news, and then draw the group into a conversation about a book they’re studying, such as Lord of the Flies.