Mike Kaechele

Category: Uncategorized

  • We Don’t Need More SEL Lessons…

    Image by John Hain from Pixabay

    In the recent years after the Covid pandemic, schools have focused on SEL and trauma based instruction. This is a welcome shift away from the obsession of the past few decades on standardization and testing toward seeing students as humans.

    Yet in many places this has meant checking off a box–“Yes, of course we teach SEL.” Districts purchase SEL curriculum that is taught in a separate part of the school day. For elementary classrooms it is often during morning meeting time; for secondary during advisory. Teachers lead a short SEL lesson and then continue on with the rest of the day; you know, the “real learning.”

    It’s starting to feel like SEL is the latest education fad to pass through the continually shifting priorities in schools.

    Canned SEL

    There are several problems with this approach. First of all, canned SEL curriculum is often fake like a horrible math story problem:

    Question: Ava goes to the store and buys 65 avocados. If five avocados are $8 each, how much does she spend?

    Answer: Why in the world does Ava need that many avocados?

    SEL curriculum can be the same way, artificial and not uniquely suited to the learners in front of us. Is it culturally appropriate? Does it match the context of our students? Does it honor the values of the families in the community?

    What if instead teachers invited in elders in the community to teach SEL in culturally responsive ways? I love this example of how Hawaii is using indigenous principles and ideas as the foundation of their SEL programs.

    In the typical Western way of thinking, SEL is compartmentalized into a certain part of the day to be taught through a specific lesson. Instead we know that the proper way to cultivate SEL skills in children is through adult modeling and embedding the practice of SEL skills throughout each day.

    What if instead of a reading a character building lesson on teamwork written by who knows who, in a place far away from your school, you had a discussion about the current team dynamics in your class? Students could analyze how successful they are working together and what things they need to improve on. If you notice certain consistent issues popping up, you could design a reflection exercise around the specific SEL skill that is lacking.

    Project Based Learning

    A better approach to SEL instruction is for students to develop their skills through the natural interactions that are found in Project Based Learning. Every day students are working with their classmates in teams to solve an authentic problem. It is the ideal scenario for kids to practice all five of the CASEL competencies. Here’s just a few of the many ways to practice each one in PBL.

    So we don’t need more SEL lessons…we need to cultivate SEL competencies through PBL experiences.

    Self-Awareness

    PBL offers a better approach than canned SEL curriculum as students discover their personal, cultural, and linguistic strengths through authentic projects. In ELA, it might look like a project exploring students’ identities tied to a novel or picture book. Students could wrestle with data around racism in math and propose policy changes. They could explore the history of marginalized people in social studies, and experience the thrill of discovery in science.

    Through interesting and authentic work, students find out how their passions and strengths can contribute to the classroom and the community. PBL encourages a growth mindset as students use their talents to address needs in their neighborhood. Students develop pride and confidence, becoming self-sufficient leaders who know how to research and solve problems.

    Self-Management

    In Project Based Learning, students go beyond learning personal self-control to practicing project management skills. They manage their time, tasks, and team to meet deadlines with high quality work. Students use tools such as Need to Know lists, group contracts, and scrum boards to organize their teams and stay on pace.

    Learning to successfully work with all of their classmates is a significant part of the PBL process. Students take on SEL group roles to actively practice the CASEL competencies daily. They reflect on both their project progress and their SEL skills, celebrating wins and progressing on areas of challenge. SEL is central to the daily work in the classroom.

    Relationship Skills

    In PBL students collaborate daily with their team, learning to successfully accomplish their goals. This does not happen naturally, but students are given tools and taught how to address conflicts and differences of opinion in democratic ways.

    Furthermore students communicate and problem solve with local experts. They hone their oracy skills when giving and receiving feedback on their project ideas and prototypes. At the conclusion of their work, students proudly share their results with the community. They clearly and publicly articulate their thinking.

    Social Awareness

    A multi-faceted Driving Question forces students to dive into the nuance of an issue rather than seeing it as a narrow, two-sided choice. Therefore students must seek out diverse options for their project. Excellent design thinking requires empathy of the end users. In PBL students empathize with people of all ages and walks of life in the community as they research and propose solutions to a given problem.

    Students can transform their communities by addressing concerns over climate change, structural racism, gentrification, or other forms of inequity. They can recognize injustice and work with the neighborhood toward solutions that benefit everyone.

    Responsible Decision-Making

    PBL is all about evaluating, analyzing, and solving problems. Every project presents open-ended challenges for students to exercise their problem-solving skills. The deep inquiry through research, community interviews, conversations with experts, and analyzing statistics demonstrates how to make informed decisions based on data rather than emotions or opinions.

    Service projects in PBL are particularly powerful ways for students to positively make an impact. Students learn to see past themselves as individuals and instead as important citizens who responsibly contribute to the well-being of the community. They show leadership and demonstrate that kids can contribute positively no matter how young they may be.

    Learn with me!

    Are you interested in professional development for your school on how to integrate SEL or implement PBL? I would love to have a conversation on how I can help. I am now scheduling summer workshops and book studies. Check out my workshop page or drop me an email at mikejkaechele@gmail.com. I would love to chat and co-plan meaningful PD for the educators at your school.

    Would you like to explore more deeply how to integrate SEL into daily classroom activities? Check out my book below for tons of practical ways that can be immediately implemented in any classroom.

    Pulse of PBL

  • How to AI Proof your PBL Project

    Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

    The AI Problem

    Years ago, in Project Based Learning workshops, I used to say that a good Driving Question shouldn’t be “googleable.” The DQ should not be something answered in a simple search, but students should have to take a deep dive into content before answering it. I would advise teachers to make the context of their project local and/or personal so that students were required to apply the content to themselves and their community.

    Now days teachers are talking about designing projects that AI can’t quickly answer. It turns out that is nearly impossible as AI can be coached into any perspective or format and has access to the entire internet. Remember the writing acronym RAFT that we used to teach students? What is your Role, Audience, Format, and Topic?

    Today RAFT is an acronym for AI prompts rather than scaffolding for actual writing.

    The same advice against “googleable” projects still applies to AI: PBL projects should be community focused and personal to students. Otherwise AI may still be used by students to avoid too much effort when they are not engaged in the work.

    Limit Tech Solution

    One approach is to return to hand written assignments. By restricting tech access, teachers force students to think and write for themselves. In some cases I think that this can be a suitable approach. Teachers can also require students to demonstrate their writing process through outlines and rough drafts.

    The caveat is that if the writing is done outside of the classroom, it still could be AI generated and then copied by hand. Before we start wringing our hands too hard, let’s remember how many students paid other students to write their papers for them in the past. It’s not anything new….

    Art Solution

    Another version of this philosophy of limiting tech is to tie an art element into the final product. This forces students to apply their content learning in a creative, yet fun context. The art can also be shown off to the community sharing the learning more broadly.

    One of my favorite examples of art integrated into the project process is Justin Wells’ Dante’s Inferno Literary Analysis. Rather than being the culmination of the project, the art work happens in the middle of the project deepening students understanding of the epic poem. The art pieces act as scaffolding for the high level literary analysis that the students wrote afterwards. Rather than being just a “shiny” activity, the art is integral to the deep learning.

    Motivation Solution

    I believe the most effective preventative measure to the lure of AI is creating strong motivation in students to care about the project. If a project focus is truly personal and meaningful, students will commit effort toward quality work (as demonstrated in the video). On the other hand, if the project is perceived as disconnected busy work, then students will flock to the easiest path of completion, AI.

    My Honor’s Geometry students are externally motivated and will jump through any hoop, completing any assignment because they care about their grades and competitive standing. They might complain, but they will do the work. Of course, some of them use AI to help with homework, but mostly as a tool to help them understand.

    Some of my Algebra I students won’t do anything that is not graded. They want a purpose for the work and many only care about credit in the class. School is something to be endured until they can graduate and take control of their life. They certainly don’t love math for its own sake.

    In his book Drive, Daniel Pink argues that intrinsic motivation comes from autonomy, mastery, and purpose. I would argue that in education, the order matters. You can’t start with full autonomy (often called student voice and choice) or you might end up with anarchy. The majority of students will not voluntarily choose to learn most content standards. First, the teacher needs to connect their content to a relevant purpose.

    We are still living in an education world that emphasizes content for standardized tests to make sure that all students are at grade level. Standardization is the opposite of agency and purpose. Student tasks needs to be authentic, not isolated skills only. Projects should be tied to academic standards, but not driven by them. It’s counterintuitive, but a project focused on local impact actually leads to deeper learning of content than a pure emphasis on academic standards.

    A relevant project that connects students to their community creates an authentic purpose to the content and inspires student to utilize their own creativity rather than to subcontract their thinking to AI.

    A PBL project that is embedded in the community with a meaningful impact can motivate students to put their heart and soul into their work. Everyone feels a sense of accomplishment when they give to a collaborative effort that makes a difference. That motivation of purpose shifts students away from the shortcuts of AI to giving their best work that they are proud of!

    • What opportunities are there for your students to make a local impact?
    • What businesses, non-profit organizations, or community groups could your students work with?
    • What local problems might your students help solve?
    • Who can your students help?

    One thing that AI can never replace is the spark of human connection that comes from service learning that touches local residents. The best way to combat the negative effects of AI is to emphasize our humanity. Let’s teach our students how our contact can help make their world a better place.

    Learn with me!

    Are you interested in professional development for your school on how to integrate SEL or implement PBL? I would love to have a conversation on how I can help. I am now scheduling summer workshops and book studies. Check out my workshop page or drop me an email at mikejkaechele@gmail.com. I would love to chat and co-plan meaningful PD for the educators at your school.

    Would you like to explore more deeply how to integrate SEL into daily classroom activities? Check out my book below for tons of practical ways that can be immediately implemented in any classroom.

    Pulse of PBL