Author: Chris Dudick

With the latest coronavirus news, SiLAS understands some schools and districts may resolve to implement instruction using nontraditional measures, such as eLearning. Below is a table aligning the basic eLearning expectations and explanations accompanied with opportunities to continue SEL instruction using SiLAS while unable to participate in traditional instruction.

eLearning Requirements
Expectation	Explanation	SiLAS Solution
Internet Access	The school corporation can demonstrate access to digital learning for students and teachers away from our buildings.	SiLAS is a browser based program. Teachers are able to provide a link on the students’ learning management system to access while completing their eLearning requirements.
Instructor Access	Teachers will be directly reachable from students and parents to facilitate and support instruction.	During “access hours,” teachers may want to consider reviewing student groups and analyze progress toward goals.
Platform Experience	Teachers and students have access to, and experience using, online platforms and digital resources for learning.	SiLAS lessons can be recorded by the teacher, uploaded and shared on the school’s learning platform.
Learning Targets	All students will be informed of their learning targets for the day by 9:00 a.m.	Teachers can easily refer to the SiLAS curriculum to provide class, group, or individual learning targets for the day.
Work Continuity	Student work will cover content that would have been addressed if school were in session in a traditional setting.	SiLAS’s curriculum design provides teachers with a framework to provide continuous instruction even while providing instruction on an eLearning day.
Accommodation Support	All students who have accommodations for instruction will be provided with or have access to those accommodations.	Along with a teacher’s access hours, students will have access to a number of their individual accommodations through the use of the built-in accessibility software, Immersive Reader.
Offline Support	For students with disabilities who do not use an online platform for learning or for whom an online platform is not appropriate, teachers will provide parents/caregivers with appropriate educational materials and learning activities for student use.	Students who have been identified through their Individualized Education Plan as not receiving maximum benefit through the eLearning process, teachers are equipped with resources to share with parents and appropriate materials for students to review while eLearning takes place for the other students.
Individual Needs	For limited English proficient students, teachers will provide parents/caregivers appropriate educational materials and learning activities for student use per the Individual Learning Plan.	Teachers are able to provide students and parents with limited English language proficiency material in their native language through the use of the built-in Immersive Reader tool. Immersive Reader has the ability to translate into over 50 languages.
Work Measurement	Students will demonstrate time on task and/or equivalent learning growth for the time.	Interactive activity assignments are made accessible to learners through a teacher provided link to the student section of their specific lesson. Teachers can monitor the student’s work, time on task, and assignment progress.

Conflict resolution is one of the most important social emotional skills a person can acquire. Resolving conflict effectively is a necessary at any age and any setting in life. For many students, conflict resolution is difficult to master. Often, when a conflict arises, students exhibit disruptive behavior that would remove them from the situation and lose the opportunity to work through the conflict. Below are just a few items to think about when teaching conflict resolution.

• Continue helping students recognize others’ emotions. Social cues and body language provide students with clues on what may be upsetting to the other person/people in the situation.

• Remind the student to use a coping skill previously discussed and practiced. Coping strategies will help the student remain calm and in control of their actions.

• Measure the problem! Sometimes we can make a problem much larger than it really is. Work with students to measure the size of the problem. Provide examples of small, medium and large problems. When faced with a conflict, remind the student how different the size of the problem can be!

CASEL Competency: Responsible Decision Making

The ability for one to make positive behavior choices and form productive interpersonal relationships with others. A person’s decision based on morals, social norms and safety concerns. Understanding the consequences of one’s actions and how it affects the well-being of others.

SiLAS Responsible Decision Making Lessons:

• Integrity

• Problem Solving

• Conflict Resolution

• Disagreeing

• Saying “No”

• Dealing with Peer Pressure

• Handling a Bully

Check out our newest SiLAS User Spotlight educator!  Terry Brylawski is a 1st and 2nd grade special education teacher.  Keep reading to find out the benefits she is seeing in the classroom!

1. In what capacity do you work with children/young adults? (ex. Teacher, Administrator Counselor, Mental Health Worker, etc.) – Special Education Teacher

2. In what setting do you implement the program? (ex. General Education Classroom, Special Education Classroom, Small Group, One on One, etc.) – Special Education Classroom

3. What was your first impression of SiLAS? – I was excited to implement a social skills program that has the capacity to make it a game-like experience for them. I was impressed with the amount of skills and lessons included in the program.

4. How do your students/clients feel about SiLAS? – The students love this program. It is often the favorite part of their day. They like setting up situations in various settings and choosing their characters.

5. What component of the curriculum is your favorite?- I like the way the program is broken down into sections and there are a variety of extension activities and suggested texts to read that correspond to the skill being addressed.

6. What has been your favorite SiLAS story or experience? – My favorite experiences are when we can use the program to address a real-life situation from the class where they can make a movie showing both the real life way they handled the situation and how they would handle it next time.

7. Is there anything else you would like to share?  – Some of my students are quiet and the program has helped them gain more confidence in speaking in front of the class because they can hear their tone and expression  and have improved their ability to present in front of the group. I have seen improvement in their ability to speak in front of a group.