Creating Calm, together

Mindfulness and Social Emotional Learning Lesson Plans and Resources for Students, Educators, Parents, and Caregivers

welcome

Welcome to Resilient Lehigh Valley's Creating Calm, Together resource site.

ResilientLV has been focused on building a trauma-informed Lehigh Valley. We have been working with community partners to build awareness of our responses to everyday stressors. This is especially important now during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trauma is something that we are always mindful of, and is particularly important during this time.

Stress during the COVID-19 global crisis may be especially high for parents and teachers, who are now charged with educating children while working from home. Students may also be stressed in new ways, such as learning in a different environment for the very first time or being away from their teachers and peers. Throughout this time, you might notice you (or your family members or students) are feeling more anxious, afraid, worried, fearful, frustrated, isolated, or stressed. While we don't always say outright that we're stressed or upset, our emotions might show up in different ways: such as having a hard time focusing, trouble sleeping, or feeling chronically worried or anxious.

On this site, you will find mindfulness and social emotional learning (SEL) lessons and resources for educators, parents and caregivers, and K-12 students. Lessons for elementary and secondary students have been curated in a weekly, lesson-based format that will be shared weekly through the end of May 2020. Feel free to use the lessons and resources that resonate with you, and check out the local resources page if you feel you need additional counseling or support.

No matter your experience through this pandemic, you are not alone. We hope these tools offer support in your own self-care practice, and provide opportunities for your students or children to develop skills in coping with and mitigating stress.

Mindfulness & Social emotional learning

Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, without any judgement (Kabat-Zinn). Awareness of thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations are reflected upon in the present moment, which can result in increased attention and improved positive emotions such as joy, love, and gratitude. Empathy, kindness, and compassion toward others can also be strengthened from a regular mindfulness practice.

Social emotional learning (SEL) is beneficial to children of all ages and adults, and has been demonstrated to increase self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. SEL skills can additionally help children to plan, exercise self-control, gain confidence, increase focus, and improve academically.

References:
Avila, A. (2019). Mindfulness and SEL: What's the Difference? - Edulastic Blog. https://edulastic.com/blog/mindfulness-and-sel/
Brittingham, MaryAnn. (2020) Conference entitled: Strengthen students’ mindfulness: Increase your students’ self-control while reducing anxiety and challenging behaviors. Hyatt Hotel, Bethlehem. Bureau of Education and Research.
Donald, J. N., Sahdra, B. K., Van Zanden, B., Duineveld, J. J., Atkins, P. W. B., Marshall, S. L., & Ciarrochi, J. (2019). Does your mindfulness benefit others? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of the link between mindfulness and prosocial behaviour. British Journal of Psychology, 110(1), 101–125. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30094812

Greenberg, M. T., Domitrovich, C. E., Weissberg, R. P., & Durlak, J. A. (2017). Social and emotional learning as a public health approach to education. Future of Children, 27(1), 13–32. http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/media/greenberg_sel_as_a_public_health_approach_2017.pdf
This site was curated by Brooke Kohler, MA, and Teresa Rosenberger, MAT, of Lehigh University's College of Education. Kohler and Rosenberger are doctoral students in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program, and are members of the Gender, Race, Inclusion and Trauma Lab.