Social Emotional Learning

Why do emotions matter?

• Emotions influence our attention and ability to learn.

• Emotions influence our decisions.

• Emotions influence physical and mental health.

• Emotions influence our relationships.

• Emotions affect our performance at school, at home, and at the workplace.

The Skills and Tools of Emotional Intelligence

The Mood Meter

The Mood Meter enhances self and social awareness by identifying a color with the way one feels. The meter focuses on your energy level and your pleasantness level.

RULER Acronym

RULER is an acronym for five key skills of emotional intelligence.

Recognizing

Identifying emotions in ourselves and others allows us to:

• Better understand others

• Have positive social interactions

• Work well in groups

• Know when children need emotional support

Understanding

Knowing the cause of our own feelings and that an event may cause different emotional reactions in each person allows us to:

• Anticipate, manage, or prevent unwanted feelings in ourselves and others

• Promote wanted feelings in ourselves and others

• Support children's emotional needs

Labeling

Knowing feeling words allows us to:

• Communicate our feelings

• Appropriately manage our feelings

• Help children learn new vocabulary to express their feelings

Expressing

Learning how to display our feelings helps us to:

• Appropriately act in social situations

• Properly model social behavior for children

Regulate

Developing strategies to manage feelings allows us to:

• Be more effective in reaching our goals

• Feel more, less or the same of an emotion

• Make wise choices about how we respond to emotional situations
  

More About RULER

RULER is an evidence-based approach for integrating social and emotional learning into schools. RULER applies “hard science” to the teaching of what have historically been called “soft skills.” RULER teaches the skills of emotional intelligence — those associated with recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotion. Decades of research show that these skills are essential to effective teaching and learning, sound decision making, physical and mental health, and success in school and beyond.

RULER creates schools that are true safe harbors for our children. It does this by developing emotional intelligence in students from preschool to high school and in all adults involved in their education: school administrators, teachers, and support staff. Parents also participate in training so that they can reinforce the emotional skills that students learn at school. Our approach gives a unique depth and consistency to social and emotional learning that empowers school leaders and teachers to create a genuinely safe space for students to learn and grow.
-Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence

Family Resources to support Social Emotional Learning at Home

Find out what you can do at home to support your child's social and emotional wellness at RULER's Resources for Families

The Charter

All classes as well as the staff have charters at The da Vinci Academy. We encourage families to create their own charter.

What Is the Charter and why does it matter?

"Emotions drive attention, memory, learning, and decision-making. Emotions influence relationships, health, wellbeing and success in life. This is well founded in scientific research. The Charter establishes agreed-upon norms and guidelines, rather than rules, to help create an emotionally safe environment."

Get started by building a Family Charter.