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T-SEL Readiness and Reflection Prompts

Readiness and reflection prompts to support the implementation of California Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (T-SEL) Competencies and Conditions.

Purpose and Use

The readiness and reflection prompts aim to promote effective use of the California Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (T-SEL) Competencies and Conditions for Thriving tools by providing multiple ways to access and apply the content. The prompts

  • Can be used to assess readiness to use the tools and as first steps for integrating the tools into educator and leader planning and practice.
  • Provide opportunities to reflect on the following:
    • How the Conditions tool can be used to assess learning and work environments and identify growth areas.
    • How the Competencies can be used by educators and leaders to set personal and student learning goals.
  • Invite users to reflect on their own identity and social and emotional strengths as an educator or leader and how those impact relationships with students and adults.
  • Can be used as part of a continuous improvement cycle of ongoing reflection, inquiry, and growth.
  • Could be adapted to be used within an evidence-based coaching process or used as a professional learning tool.

As with the Competencies and Conditions tools themselves, adult reflection and actions to advance equity and intentionally weave together anti-racism and social and emotional learning are prioritized within the prompts.

Users

  • The INTRAPERSONAL REFLECTION PROMPTS are intended for individual use by educators and leaders as part of their practice improvement efforts.
  • The INTERPERSONAL REFLECTION PROMPTS are intended for individual OR collective reflection.
  • The SYSTEM-FOCUSED REFLECTION PROMPTS are intended for collective reflection.

Intrapersonal Reflection Prompts

My identity, competencies, strengths, skills, and opportunities for growth.

Competencies Conditions
  1. Looking at the adult Competency indicators, what are my own social and emotional strengths across each competency as an educator and leader?
  2. How does my identity influence or shape my social and emotional skills and competencies?
  3. How is my personal identity similar to or different from my students and families and how might this influence my ability to promote culturally responsive T-SEL?
  4. What skills am I consistently modeling for students? What do I model hourly, daily, weekly?
  5. How am I using my strengths in service of all students or adults I lead?
  6. In reflecting on my social and emotional competencies, what areas do I see for growth?
  7. What is a goal or next step I might set for myself in this area?
  8. Are there any barriers for growth? How might I address those barriers?
  1. What additional knowledge, information, or details do I need to understand the conditions, environment, and climate that support learning?
  2. In my setting, what is a Subprinciple I would like to focus on? What am I curious about or what is new to me?
  3. What areas of the Conditions are firmly in place in my setting? How do I know they are in place?
  4. What Conditions are currently part of my practice?
  5. What are some areas for growth?
  6. What is a goal or next step I might set for myself?
  7. Are there any barriers to growth? How might I address those barriers?

Interpersonal Reflection Prompts

My relationships, connecting to others, and applying with others.

Competencies Conditions
  1. How can I use the T-SEL Competency indicators to
    1. Make a plan for co-creating an engaging and equitable classroom and learning community?
    2. Identify existing student strengths and assets and ways in which they can teach and lead me as an adult?
    3. Identify learning goals for student SEL lessons?
    4. Identify the social and emotional demands within all academic lessons?
    5. Identify teachable moments and opportunities to integrate transformative SEL practices throughout the day, during instruction, and all learning experiences?
    6. Identify opportunities to equitably center student voice and leadership?
  2. How can I be more intentional about naming Competencies in all interactions with students, staff, families, and stakeholders?
  3. How do I ensure that the identity, agency, and sense of belonging of those I teach or lead is at the core of the lessons, meetings, or situations that I design, lead, or participate in?
  4. How do I ensure that the identity, agency, and sense of belonging of those I interact with is affirmed with cultural humility and mutual respect?
  5. What is one growth area that will positively impact my relationships with students or colleagues?
  6. What are some next steps I can take? What help or support might I need?
  1. How do I collaborate across settings with colleagues to create a continuum of Conditions that support students?
  2. How do my collaborators and I create the Conditions? What agency do we have to make change, no matter how incremental?
  3. How can I use my position to interrupt inequitable conditions?
  4. Can I identify Conditions to support specific competencies?
  5. What Conditions are already in collective practice in our setting?
  6. Which Conditions are areas in need of collective growth?                        
  7. With what Conditions am I able to mentor or support others? In what ways can I contribute to professional learning for others?
  8. What questions arise for me as I consider authentic partnership with families and community?
  9. What is a next step I can take to partner with families in service of T-SEL?
  10. What is a next step I can take to partner with community organizations in service of T-SEL?
  11. How can I elevate the voices of families and those in the community who are usually farthest from power to improve conditions?

System-Focused Reflection Prompts

Applying across settings and institutions with others, such as my learning environment, school, district, county office, etc. Building and sustaining equitable learning environments where each individual’s social, emotional, and intellectual strengths and competencies are affirmed, supported, and enriched.

  1. In what ways do the systems and structures in place affirm and support each individual’s
    • Identity?
    • Sense of belonging?
    • Agency?
  2. What conditions contribute to this across each setting we interact with?
  3. Are identity, agency, and belonging firmly situated as visible core values of our T- SEL work?
  4. In what ways do the current systems and structures harm or devalue an individual’s identity, belonging, and agency? What conditions contribute to this?
  5. Reflecting on the Competencies and Conditions, what is a next step we (as a team, department, school, district, county office, organization) can take to shift and improve those conditions that will lead to
    • T-SEL competency development?
    • An equitable, transformative learning environment?
  6. Are there any barriers to making progress? How might we address those barriers?
  7. How might we elevate the voices of those in our learning community who are usually farthest from power to inform our work?
Questions:   Office of School-Based Health Programs | wellness@cde.ca.gov
Last Reviewed: Monday, September 11, 2023