PREVIEW S-C 4.0:

Having a sense of belonging or community—feeling cared for and in turn caring for others—is a basic human need and contributes to self-motivation (Deci & Flaste,1995). Research in the area of school-connectedness has found that schools that meet this need have students who bond more easily to school, are willing to abide by school norms, and are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors (Resnick et al., 1997). They are also more likely to earn good grades and graduate high school than students in schools that do not promote community (Nasir, Jones, & McLaughlin, 2011).

The classroom unit is an ideal place to develop a sense of community. Positive classroom climates can spill over into the larger school environment, helping to prevent feelings of anomie, facelessness, and depression that too often plague large schools (Joyce & Early, 2014). A sense of community and positive student-staff relationships can also buffer the impact of peer victimization in early adolescence (Loukas & Pasch, 2012).

The next three lessons (1.4 – 1.6) provide an overview of brain anatomy and functions that affect learning and behavior, (Jensen, 2015), resiliency skills that spur student growth and improvement (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. 2015), and key organizational skills and attitudes that will help them be successful academically (Will, Bischoff, & Kingstone, 2020; Bakunas & Holley, 2004; Ellis, 1989). These lessons focus on developing students’ sense of autonomy—their ability to direct themselves towards goals they choose—another basic human need that contributes to self-motivation (Vallerand, Fortier & Guay, 1997).

Students then practice three strategies (1.7 – 1.9) that will be repeated or revisited regularly across the curriculum: checking in with themselves and others; using mindfulness to focus oneself and find calm when stress and anxiety threaten to pull them off center (Zenner, et. al, 2014; Tan & Martin, 2014); and creating, supporting, and revisiting as needed a class contract that guides their behavior in class.

The final lesson (1.10) in each module provides an opportunity for student reflection on what they learned and how they have applied it in real life. It also contains an assessment that measures what they learned and indicates areas they need to work on.