Adopt The Three Signature Practices

As part of the MPS district-wide SEL Theory of Action, we have committed to adopting the use of the Three Signature SEL Practices in all adult gathering opportunities with staff, families and community partners including at meetings, professional development and other community building activities. When used across the district, these practices also help to shape our organizational culture to reflect our priorities of SEL and of Equity. Lastly, using these practices also serve a model for engaging practices in the classroom.

As our CASEL partners in Oakland Unified Schools (OUSD) remind us "when they are carefully chosen, effectively facilitated, and thoughtfully debriefed they create a solid foundation of safety, consistency and joy in adult learning environments." Using these practices reflects what we know about best practices to promote adult learning, create opportunities for adult skill growth in each of the 5 SEL skill areas five and when done using an equity lens can promote the use of culturally relevant practices.

OUSD states "establishing these three practices is beneficial for every adult participant, and is absolutely essential for some:

• Adults who walk into our meetings after a day, a week or a lifetime of difficult situations need calming, centering and focusing routines in order to participate fully.
• Humans are internally soothed by sameness – while paradoxically our brains need freshness too. It’s balancing novelty within routines and rituals that allows us to move with confidence through our work days while navigating multiple competing demands on time, energy and attention. These routines provide a solid foundation for our most overextended participants to be engaged as learners and contributors.
• In order for the learning to be purposeful and applicable, adults need direct, concrete experiences to use what they have learned, and they need structures that promote self-direction.
• Productivity and creative thinking result only when our basic human needs have been met and our neocortex is engaged and available."

The Warm Welcome serves several purposes. It provides a consistent and predicable ritual for gathering while also reinforcing team norms and providing a time for all participants to speak. It can also provide a place of connection within the group thereby promoting a sense of connection and community.

Facilitation Considerations:

• As with each of the 3 Signature Practices, this activity must be chosen thoughtfully and with an equity lens. While the Welcome can be a source of fun and creativity, it should, when possible move, beyond the typical "ice-breaker" activities to link with the content of purpose of the gathering and should be inclusive of the personal, cultural, gender and ability experiences of the group. Participants need to know they are free to "pass" without harm if they need more think time to answer or if they are not comfortable with the activity.
• Whenever possible, the Welcome should also be debriefed by the group before moving into the work itself. Reflecting on commonalities and differences noted with in the group or on how the experience felt, sounded or grounded the group helps to bring meaning to the activity and to strengthen the sense of community.

Examples:

• Community Building: Use one of the 5 SEL skill prompts found in the Circle A Day Tool as an opening question. If your building is using Mindfulness as a tool you may also consider one of the many "Mindful Minute" activities such as those found here.
• Check-In: Begin with a sentence starter:
  • “A success I recently had ___ .”
  • “One thing that’s new about ___ .”
  • "If SEL were the norm, my workplace would look like___."

Engaging Practices allow the adult learner time and space to make sense of new learning, to mark transitions between activities or content and to experience a brain or body break. Using these practices also provides opportunities for the knowledge of the group to be shared and providing the participants with exposure to ideas and experiences that may be different than their own.

Facilitation considerations:

• In addition to the above considerations, the facilitator(s) should be mindful of the time needed for each engaging practice to be completed without rushing through or extending it beyond the goal or purpose.
• Any movement breaks should be adaptable to meet the abilities of the participants and any limitations or opporuntiies afforded by the meeting space.

Examples:

• Think Time: 30-90 seconds of silent think time before speaking, sharing.
• Turn To Your Partner: Sharing and listening to make sense of new input,
• Think-Ink-Pair-Share: Generating ideas and deepening understanding,
• Brain Break - Stand and Stretch: Refresh and reset the brain.
• Opportunities for Interaction: Cultivate practices that involve interactions in partnerships, triads, small groups and as a whole group.

Optimistic closures allow participants a chance to reflect on the conversations, connections and learning that has just occurred. Cultivating the habit of optimism, contribution and hope is an essential component of Adult SEL skill practice and can contribute to individual and collective self-care and well-being.

Facilitation considerations:

• When a gathering is going well or a meeting or training is especially productive it can be easy to not allocate enough time for this last practice. Maintaining the ritual or habit of closing together, of providing one last time for each participant to speak or reflect is an important part of cementing the learning and maintaining momentum and shared commitment. Even if time is short, doing a one-word positive whip around can be included before the group dispurses.
• If a gathering has a soft end time or if the facilitator needs to accommodate multiple participant early departures , sticky notes, graffiti walls or dot activity can be substituted for an in-person share out to the group.

Examples of reflective questions:

• “What are my next steps?”
• “What’s the next conversation I’m going to have about this and with whom?”
• “Who do I want to connect with about this topic?”
• “A word or phrase that reflects how I feel about moving forward with this…”
• “Offer an appreciation for someone in the room...”
• “I’m eager to learn more about ___ .”

Use of the 3 Signature Practices starts with the SEL Team in their own meetings, during trainings presented to the rest of the staff, modeling their use in meetings each team member facilitates and ultimately in other gatherings in the building. It is suggested that both the team and then other staff have an opportunity to learn more about the what, why and how of the Practices and how their use is evidence of the building and district's commitment to be deliberate and systematic is using strategies that promotes SEL. In addition to the resources below you will find introductory slides about the 3 Signature Practices in the SEL 101 sample slide deck found in the next activity "Developing Common Language".

Additionally, the SEL Team should incorporate the action steps needed and a timeline for the eventual phase-in of the use of the Practices in all adult gatherings. This includes providing coaching and resources to other staff as needed. The team may consider creating a building specific repository of practice ideas and directions adapted to fit your school's mission, community culture , area of focus or priorities that can be added to as new practices are created.

You can use the resources below to help with communication and to get feedback on what adults will need before being ready to implement:

• Three Signature Practices for Adults
• Oakland Playbook