Improve Every Lesson Plan with SEL

by Jeffrey Benson

"Good lesson plans have an almost mysterious power; they declare that all information can be interesting, that every skill acquired broadens our potentials to make a better world, and that all impassioned activity leads to learning. Our best teachers have shown us over and over that life is not a struggle against boredom and compliance; it is a wonder to be apprehended. Every bit of SEL you can integrate into your planning will not only begin to heal the wounds of passivity, racism, and inequity, but also give students an experience today, in your classroom, of that better world."

Jeffrey Benson draws from his 40-plus years of experience as a teacher and an administrator to provide explicit, step-by-step guidance on how to incorporate social and emotional learning (SEL) into K–12 lesson planning–without imposing a separate SEL curriculum.

The book identifies SEL skills in three broad skills for self, interpersonal skills, and skills as a community member. It offers research-based strategies for seamlessly integrating these skills into every section of lesson plans, from introducing a topic in a way that sparks students' interest, to accessing prior knowledge, providing direct instruction, allowing time for experimentation and discovery, using formative assessment, and closing a lesson in a purposeful rather than haphazard manner.

In addition to practical advice on lesson planning that can lead to improved student motivation and achievement, Benson offers inspiration, urging both new and veteran teachers to seize every opportunity to develop caring, joyful communities of learners whose experiences and skills can contribute to a better, more equitable world both inside and outside the classroom.

Genres: Education

177 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2021

Reviews

[Amanda Gilles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am in a spot where teacher burnout is real-teaching during a pandemic and now picking up the pieces and trying to fill the educational gaps post pandemic;( I read this book as part of a professional growth development. Unfortunately I was in a group with other teachers that were predominately Early-Education which I felt was much easier to adapt into this style of teaching vs secondary. However, there were a few things to consider and overall I finished reading with an awareness of more social-emotional skills both inside and outside of the classroom.

[Einar Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether our nation’s education system exists to create “a disempowering compliance that ultimately sustains an inequitable system” is an argument that is tied to one’s level of economic and ethnic privilege. Regardless, author Jeffrey Benson argues that increasing social-emotional learning (SEL) in all lessons for all ages can transform that system into something better for more. His book, Improve Every Lesson Plan with SEL, was a great read and has pushed me to improve my instruction.

I received this book as a membership benefit from ASCD, a nonprofit dedicated to better learning, teaching, and leading. Social-Emotional skills are essential, Benson states, for “reclaiming our fully human commitments to ourselves and our students,” K-12th grade and, as I plan to demonstrate, beyond, so “we can explicitly teach the whole” student. SEL isn’t new, but formalizing it in classrooms, lessons, and interactions is new and could create better results: enthusiastic, contributing life-long learning. And that result is one that I support.

Like the previous ASCD book I reviewed, this one may not be for everyone but it certainly was useful and enjoyable for me.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am taking a webinar on this book tomorrow and wanted to be prepared. I believe that after almost 2 yrs of remote learning, SEL will play a major role in teaching next year; half of our high school will not have ever stepped into our building! This book gave me a refresher on many SEL strategies that I practice but also offered new ideas on setting specific SEL goals, Do Nows choices, and formative SEL assessment throughout the lesson. I am looking forward to the session offered by ASCD tomorrow.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for PD I was facilitating.
There are some good ideas and premises, but mostly this is a common-sense topic.

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent PD books about incorporating social emotional learning into your classroom.