Westfield School District starts TED talk series
Over the next five weeks, the Westfield Public School District's website will feature videos in a format that will be familiar to many.
The district plans on loading a new TED-talk-style video to its site each week. The talks will focus on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). As there are five core competencies involved in SEL and there will be five videos, each one will focus on a different competency.
Schools that are creating videos or other informational material for students and parents can use printing services to get the word out to people.
Introducing the video series at a recent school board meeting, board member Gretchan Ohig explained the basic concept and structure of each. She noted that the goal of the videos is to help people better understand the benefits of SEL.
Each video will demonstrate how the district plans on implementing a particular competency and will include research that demonstrates the effectiveness of SEL.
The first video appeared on Monday, February 4. It featured Margaret Dolan, the district's superintendent. Dolan offered an overview of SEL and explained why making it part of the Westfield district's curriculum would benefit students.
She also outlined the five core competencies of SEL, which will be expanded upon in additional videos – social awareness, responsible decision-making, self-management, self-awareness, and relationship skills.