As so many educators know, SEL in education has become such a huge focal point following the pandemic. Educators everywhere are struggling to reconnect with students and do anything they can to somehow make up for learning disruptions. In our newest Eduporium Featured Educator post, we hear from Nick French, who's the Director of Teaching and Learning and Special Services for the Ocosta School District in Westport, WA. Like so many other educators, Nick and his team have adapted to current challenges and used targeted SEL approaches, including the Mightier SEL games, to help push past these difficulties and provide students with what they need. Here are some of his thoughts.
Nick French
Director of Teaching & Learning and Special Services, Ocosta (WA) School District
Q&A:
Please share any innovative technology project(s) you've completed with your students or plan to complete.
As part of our programming to support students with increased emotional regulation needs stemming from the pandemic, we started using Mightier at the end of last school year and have continued with it this year. I was attracted to Mightier first and foremost because of who developed it—some of the brightest minds from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Next, I reviewed the research and discovering the impact it had on students in various studies was very impressive. Since we began using Mightier with our students, we've seen significant improvements in their self-regulation skills at school. So, it wasn't surprising that others have found the same success as we have.
This improvement is one that everyone from general classroom teachers, principals, and special education teachers have enjoyed. Mightier is essentially a tool true for intervention prevention, which is rare to achieve when supporting different students as they work to develop self-regulation skills. Typically, the intervention happens directly following an episode of dysregulation—often within 30-60 minutes. In many cases, students (especially the younger ones) struggle to reflect on the incident after some time has passed. So, this quick identification and reflection period is, oftentimes, very effective in addressing the core issue.
What is a challenge you have faced or are facing with your technology use?
What STEM resources have you used in your instruction or are in need of?
Like with all new technology, getting staff and students to use it is the most challenging aspect. However, with Mightier’s self-contained system, they were all much more willing to try it since it's so simple. And, much of that willingness came directly from seeing how students rapidly improved their self-regulation skills in a measurable way. Having worked through it myself, I can definitely say that the Mightier system requires very little instruction for users to begin exploring it.
Setting up a student account just involves a very quick process of navigating the screen and they're off and running. On top of its SEL benefits for students, the Mightier system also serves as an immersive STEM experience. The intentional integration of this technology helps create a seamless addition to the learning experience. Students get to investigate and engineer solutions to problems as well as construct evidence-based explanations of real-world phenomena specific to how they're developing their own self-regulation skills.
What are some of the real-world or STEM skills you've seen your students develop through regular technology use?
How can students apply them in the future?
The system's technology supports students as they self-identify emotional dysregulation before it gets past the point of control. It also helps them learn de-escalation strategies in their own way, which is crucial in regaining control of their behavior. The skills they learn while using Mightier are now readily observable by school staff members in their classrooms. They've even reported that students who regularly use Mightier often initiate interventions on their own, specifically using deep breathing techniques without anyone else suggesting it—a skill that's a direct byproduct of the Mightier platform.
In terms of continuing to use these skills in the future, once students observe and learn how to apply self-regulation skills, they become an intrinsic element of their behavior practices right away. This is also much more effective when educators or parents begin exposing them to such techniques from a young age. Kids all want to fit in and be part of their class and using Mightier helps them learn the skills to do just that.
What interests you most about Eduporium's offerings?
What interests me most about Eduporium is how their team has developed a true community within the education world. Their team and the educators they support are always sharing positive examples of how technology and STEM tools are helping students explore, learn, grow, and even express themselves. It helps others realize that it isn't always as challenging to accomplish as they might think.
We thank Nick for sharing his insights with our community, particularly on integrating SEL experiences in the classroom. We hope these features continue to inspire other educators with similar classroom goals, challenges, and curiosities when it comes to trying new things with instructional technology. If you would like to apply to be our next Eduporium Featured Educator, we're always accepting applications. It takes just a few minutes to fill it out and you'll be in consideration. Feel free to share the application link with any other deserving educator you know as well. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more!