NEA Professional Excellence Storefront

Issues surrounding relationship skills can result from mismatches in self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness. Because of differences in the understanding of norms, social roles (e.g., age, gender, etc.) and unwritten rules about emotional displays, students and adults can misinterpret each other’s attempts to cooperate, share, and engage in collaborative problem solving. This can cause disagreement which can escalate into entrenched conflicts that overemphasize compliance rather than social-emotional growth, fairness, and the resolution of conflicts. As one of the five core competencies from CASEL, relationship skills is defined as the ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding bonds with diverse individuals and groups. As a member of your community, better understanding and developing your own relationship skills will help you communicate with others and better understand their needs and strengths, as well. Read More

In the ever changing education landscape, educators and students are constantly required to make decisions that impact them and others.  In order to analyze situations and solve problems, individuals must make constructive choices about their personal behavior and their social interactions.   Before educators can effectively guide students through the process of responsible decision making, they must self-reflect and identify ways to improve their own decision-making skills.  The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has identified five competencies that are crucial to effective social and emotional learning (SEL) for children and adults. Responsible decision making is one of those competencies. During this course, participants will take a journey of self-reflection and growth while exploring the Responsible Decision-Making competency. Read More

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has identified five competencies that are crucial to effective social and emotional learning for children and adults. Self-awareness making is one of those competencies, and this course will guide educators through personal self-examination.  In our schools, educators are not only required to understand one’s own attitudes and opinions, but also are expected to recognize the limitations of self and how different self-aspects influence their teaching. Socially and emotionally, educators understand that their behaviors are influenced by multiple personal factors, such as their background experiences, personality, emotions, knowledge base, opinions, and attitudes. They also are aware that their students’ behaviors are influenced by equally distinct personal factors and that they must bridge differences with their students to build strong interpersonal relations and engage students in learning.   Read More

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) recognizes five core competencies that promote intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive competence.  In this course, you will focus on the self-management competency.  Self-management is one of the five social emotional learning (SEL) competencies that includes regulating one’s emotions, stress management, self-control, motivation, and setting and achieving goals (CASEL. 2020).  Why Improve my Social and Emotional Learning Skills? Educators who develop their own social and emotional learning skills improved their well being, but also improved the social, emotional, and academic development of their students (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence; Panorama Education). Students learn SEL skills when educators effectively model these skills  Berman, S., Chaffee, S., & Sarmiento, J. (2018). The practice base for how we learn: Supporting students’ social, emotional, and academic development (The Aspen Institute). Educators who incorporate and model SEL skills improve the quality of their school climate through positive teacher-student relationships, effective classroom management, job satisfaction, and improved health and well-being (Panorama Education). Socially and emotionally competent educators develop supportive relationships, identify and manage their own emotions with others to develop and enhance their social and emotional skills (adapted from Yoder, Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, 2014).   Read More

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has identified five competencies that are crucial to effective Social and Emotional Learning for children and adults. Social-Awareness is one of those competencies and this course will guide educators through the examination of your personal self. Elevating your practice as an educator is more than just a depth of understanding of your curriculum area, or your job function(s). Connecting with your students, their families, and colleagues is a critical component of elevating your effectiveness when working with others.  Your awareness of self and others, experiences and growth are critical components to understanding and assisting your students and the adults connected to their lives. You should continue to acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to be competent and successful in relationships with others, especially with those who differ from you, holding values and beliefs different from yours, and whose experiences differ from yours.  The deep understanding of your story and of your development leads to an expansion of your understanding about yourself and others. Your story may very well lead you to action. What will this action be? Only you can determine that!    Read More

In this course, you will explore asynchronous digital tools and learn how you can use them to write engaging lessons that meet the needs of all of your students—including the needs of English language learners, special needs students, and students who are above or below grade level in reading and writing. Read More