Coronavirus and SiLAS: How You Can Make eLearning Days Count!

As anxiety around the country is growing about the coronavirus pandemic, schools are in need of Social Emotional Learning support.  SiLAS is a social emotional platform connected with all three MTSS Tiers.  

SiLAS can be used for eLearning and also has a number of lessons that can help students cope with the stresses of the current environment.  All lessons have a parent component as well. Lessons include…

  1. Identifying Anxiety
  2. What Makes Me Anxious
  3. Coping Skills 
  4. Asking Good Questions
  5. Personal Space 
  6. Identifying Facial Expressions
  7. Identifying Body Language

Click below to download a free lesson on Anxiety.  

SiLAS-Sample-IdentifyingAnxiety

Contact us for immediate help!

732-844-6600   *    info@silassolutions.com

SiLAS Aligns with Elearning Expectations

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.

Lets Talk About Conflict Resolution

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