Tag Archives: ilead antelope valley

Culture and Curriculum, Studio

iLEAD Antelope Valley Culture: Components of Social-Emotional Learning — Zest

“Enthusiasm is the electricity of life.” —Gordon Parks

Central to the iLEAD Antelope Valley approach to project-based learning is a belief that education works best when it’s energetic. Rather than being stale and rote, it’s filled with excitement. That excitement, which we call zest, is a core element of social-emotional learning.

Individuals who approach life with zest tend to have the following characteristics:

  • They refuse to do things halfway or halfheartedly.
  • They are energetic.
  • They approach life as an adventure.

In the context of classroom learning, zest coupled with curiosity can help drive kids’ motivation to learn and press on even when things get difficult. Zest is enthusiasm in the face of challenges. It can help learners overcome challenges to find amazing rewards.

So what does developing zest look like in the learning process? Facilitators can leverage kids’ innate ability to learn by creating and maintaining environments that encourage their zest and curiosity and support their feelings of autonomy. We believe in framing mistakes as opportunities for learning and discussion, and we celebrate questions to drive learning. We also believe in kids taking ownership of the direction their learning takes.

Incorporating zest into learning means funneling energy into dynamic, project-based learning that brings concepts to life. Whether it’s conducting scientific experiments, engaging in historical research and reenactments, or enjoying play-based learning, our learners engage in vibrant methods of exploring, creating, and understanding.

For a facilitator — and families, too — it’s important to bear in mind that some children are not as naturally “zestful” as others. With these learners especially, keep in mind that enthusiasm isn’t taught as much as it is modeled and encouraged. Enthusiasm is infectious. If kids see your zest for learning, they can be inspired too. The goal is to help kids move along the spectrum of enthusiasm toward a more zestful attitude.

When the seeds of enthusiasm are planted early and take root in the soil of learners’ minds, they are empowered to approach challenges as opportunities to grow and succeed.

Embrace the Near-Win

Culture and Curriculum, Studio

iLEAD Antelope Valley Culture: Components of Social-Emotional Learning — Curiosity

“Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” — Golda Meir

Within the iLEAD Antelope Valley education model, we believe kids are more empowered to learn and retain knowledge when learning means asking questions. That’s why we reinforce curiosity as a component of social-emotional learning (SEL).

Simply put, curiosity is a strong desire to learn or know something — a search for information for its own sake.

Curiosity is frequently the engine that drives learning and achievement. Children are curious by nature, and so much of life is a source of wonder for them.

For curious learners, it’s less important to have the “right” answers and more important to create an environment where questioning and learning can occur.

So how do we nurture curiosity in learners? We do it, in part, by modeling an interest in the world around us and asking open-ended questions. Through dynamic project-based learning, facilitators at iLEAD Antelope Valley foster and develop kids’ natural inclination to be curious. Families and facilitators alike nurture curiosity when they encourage learners to identify and seek answers to questions that pique their interests.

A component of curiosity is uncertainty. While uncertainty often creates hesitation for learners, it’s possible for it to fuel the learning process. There are several ways to respond to uncertainty, according to Jamie Holmes, author of Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing.

  • Address the emotional impact of uncertainty: “The emotions of learning are surprise, awe, interest, and confusion,” according to Holmes. However, facilitators can help learners respond to these emotions by encouraging them to see uncertainty as an opportunity for learning.
  • Adopt a nonauthoritarian facilitation style to encourage exploration, challenge and revision: By facilitating learning with a sense of curiosity and humanity, facilitators can help learners find ways to think and learn. Holmes writes, “The best teachers are in awe of their subjects.”
  • Show how the process of discovery is often messy and nonlinear: Instead of simply presenting breakthroughs as logical results of long treks toward understanding, facilitators can share with learners how discoveries are often made — through trial and error, missteps, “happy accidents” and chance.

How do we pique learners’ curiosity? Developmental psychologist Dr. Marilyn Price-Mitchell has suggested several ways:

  • Value and reward curiosity in learners.
  • Give learners practice asking quality questions.
  • Notice when kids feel puzzled or confused.
  • Encourage learners to tinker with materials, thoughts, or emotions.
  • Use current events as launchpads for conversation.
  • Give learners opportunities to show healthy skepticism.
  • Explore a variety of cultures and societies.
  • Encourage curiosity outside of the classroom.

We believe when kids know how to be curious, they know how to think differently. When they know how to think differently, they’re empowered to be problem solvers who can change the world around them.

Still Curious?

“Curiosity. It’s the most powerful thing you own.”

Culture and Curriculum, Studio

iLEAD Antelope Valley Culture: Components of Social-Emotional Learning — Self-Control

By definition, social-emotional learning (SEL) helps kids tap into their emotions and how they affect what they do. So it should follow that an essential component of SEL is an understanding of self-control, or self-management.

As defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) — which has informed the iLEAD Antelope Valley’s approach to SEL — self-management is “the ability to successfully regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations.” In essence, it’s the ability to both set and work toward personal and academic goals without significant deviation from your charted course. 

Associated with self-control are many skills that, when developed, equip learners for academic success and overall life success.

  • Impulse control: The ability to distract oneself from a desire, to not act on immediate impulses, and to delay actions for a period of time.
  • Stress management: Having a solid foundation of self-awareness allows learners to determine when they are stressed so they can implement practiced strategies with more success.
  • Self-discipline: Often simply called willpower, self-discipline allows one to ignore other stimuli in order to focus on the goal at hand and follow plans in spite of distractions.
  • Goal setting: Research has shown that learners tend to achieve more success when working with their own realistic goals.
  • Self-motivation: This is one that can be difficult to teach. Learners must develop their own internal push that will keep them moving toward goals. 
  • Organizational skills: Particularly in light of current distance learning, keeping one’s work area uncluttered and organized allows for more productive work time. Filtering information to be relevant to the topic at hand with a clear big picture can help learners stay on track. Keeping track of time and commitments can help them reach goals.

Success in work and life is strongly influenced by self-management. When learners take ownership of their work and create norms for themselves, they are more likely to meet their goals.

An important function of education is to foster self-reliance and independence. This is why we refer to our teachers as facilitators. They are not simply talking at students; they are facilitating the process of learning. They are empowering learners to take ownership of and responsibility for their work and success. If kids learn these principles early on, there is no doubt they will stay with them the rest of their lives. 

Additionally, self-management plans can be instrumental in positively addressing behavioral issues. The intent of self-management strategies is to build a learner’s independence and ability to engage in self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement. The true power of self-management is its emphasis on building that feeling of control over one’s own behavior. Teachers’ attempts to simply control a student’s behavior often decreases the power of a reinforcer, which in turn makes a self-management plan less efficient and problem behavior more likely to occur.

Everything is connected. When kids learn, understand, and adopt the principles of social-emotional learning, they’re not simply becoming better students — they are becoming the well-rounded leaders our world needs.

Studio

Host an iLEAD Antelope Valley Zoom Fun Day!

Parents and caregivers, would you like to host a Zoom fun day?

If you’d like to join the fun of hosting, we are looking for volunteers to host cooking demonstrations, craft activities, dance parties, hangouts, trivia nights, movie nights, drawing tutorials, or talent shows.

For more information or to sign up, please email holly.vasconez@ileadav.org.

Connect with us!

Facebook at iLEAD Antelope Valley

For the latest information on events and activities, follow the iLEAD AV iSupport team at at @isupportileadav or email isupport@ileadavisupport.org.

Campus, Studio

The Valet Process

In an effort to keep learners and staff safe, please remember to follow these valet procedures:

  • Learners must be dropped off in the valet line in the back parking lot. They may not be dropped off in the front parking lot.
  • Pull up your vehicle as far forward as possible in the valet line.
  • Drop off at cones only and wait for a staff member to assist.
  • Learners should exit vehicles from the right side of the vehicle.
  • Drivers must remain in the vehicle.
  • Be patient and courteous.
  • Drive slowly and with caution.

Thank you for helping create a safe drop-off and pick-up experience for our learning community!

Culture and Curriculum, Studio

iLEAD Antelope Valley Culture: Components of Social-Emotional Learning — Gratitude

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Did you know that consciously practicing gratitude can help improve your physical and psychological health? 

Did you know gratitude can enhance empathy, reduce aggression, improve self-esteem, and increase mental health?

Practicing gratitude is another vital component of iLEAD Antelope Valley’s approach to social-emotional learning (SEL), which is focused on whole-child development. Gratitude begins with increased awareness of our own experiences, and as we become more mindful we realize we have choices when it comes to our emotions. 

And here’s the thing: Gratitude is not just about being thankful; it’s about showing appreciation and returning kindness to others. Another facet of gratitude is the expression of appreciation, when we become active by doing something to show we are thankful. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that gratitude is linked to happiness in children by age five. By instilling in learners early on the importance of gratitude, we are empowering them for a much fuller life. 

There are four components to gratitude, as identified by UNC Chapel Hill’s Raising Grateful Children Project:

  • Noticing: Did someone do something nice for you? Did someone give you something or take you somewhere fun?
  • Thinking: What are all the reasons you’re thankful for this? Why do you think someone did something nice for you? Does this mean something to you? 
  • Feeling: When you think about these special things or people, how do you feel?
  • Doing: What can you actively do to express your gratitude for this person, place, or thing? 

Gratitude helps support social communication because it helps us understand others’ feelings, practice empathy, and learn the social power of kindness and appreciation. It also supports emotional development. Gratitude helps kids notice what makes them feel good and take time to focus on that. 

True gratitude isn’t an action that needs to be taken as much as it’s an attitude to be cultivated so that gratefulness and kindness can become natural responses in our lives. Gratitude doesn’t simply happen; it must be practiced. And when it is, it has the power to change lives. Kids who know how to show appreciation, thankfulness, and kindness are kids who can — and will — change the world. 

Watch: On Gratitude

Studio

Host an iLEAD Antelope Valley Zoom Fun Day!

Parents and caregivers, would you like to host a Zoom fun day?

If you’d like to join the fun of hosting, we are looking for volunteers to host cooking demonstrations, craft activities, dance parties, hangouts, trivia nights, movie nights, drawing tutorials, or talent shows.

For more information or to sign up, please email holly.vasconez@ileadav.org.

Connect with us!

Facebook at iLEAD Antelope Valley

For the latest information on events and activities, follow the iLEAD AV iSupport team at at @isupportileadav or email isupport@ileadavisupport.org.

Campus, Studio

The Valet Process

In an effort to keep learners and staff safe, please remember to follow these valet procedures:

  • Learners must be dropped off in the valet line in the back parking lot. They may not be dropped off in the front parking lot.
  • Pull up your vehicle as far forward as possible in the valet line.
  • Drop off at cones only and wait for a staff member to assist.
  • Learners should exit vehicles from the right side of the vehicle.
  • Drivers must remain in the vehicle.
  • Be patient and courteous.
  • Drive slowly and with caution.

Thank you for helping create a safe drop-off and pick-up experience for our learning community!

Studio

iLEAD AV History Facilitator Priscilla Tucker Inspires Authentic Learning

By Michael Niehoff
Education Content Coordinator, iLEAD Schools

There has often been a disconnect between how educators and learners view the subject of history. Educators know the inherent value of understanding where we have been, while learners often wonder how it relates to where we’re going. Priscilla Tucker, iLEAD Antelope Valley’s 7th and 8th grade social studies facilitator, is focused on bridging that gap.

Having come from Los Angeles Valley Community College as a sociology instructor, Tucker brings a unique perspective. Instead of approaching history through storytelling or as a series of facts and figures, she is challenging all her learners through a sociology lens.

“It’s really an important shift,” Tucker said. “I want my learners to view history as the foundation of how we do everything.”

This approach is centered on essential questions about how we organize ourselves as societies and cultures through government, religion, culture and more.

“We examine and seek to understand how these work and why,” Tucker said. “How do we maintain these structures, what human behavior is at play here and how are these evolving every day?”

As an example, Tucker reminds her learners that their current status as 7th or 8th graders in a free, public school is a product of history.

“This is about getting to the ‘why’ of everything,” Tucker said.

This approach to history is aligned with the inquiry-based instruction of project-based learning (PBL) and also why Tucker said iLEAD is a perfect match for her.

“iLEAD’s PBL approach attracted me to the organization,” Tucker said. “The iLEAD approach to the learners — which is personalized, individualized and connected — is what attracted me.”

Tucker enjoys challenging her learners at high levels and asking the big questions. As an example, after they read the young adult dystopian novel The Giver last year, learners were asked to evaluate their own values and merge those with what a utopian society might look like. They created their own government structures, economies and systems, according to Tucker.

“These efforts and approaches create unique opportunities for deeper discussions and learning,” Tucker said. “This leads to very organic and authentic conversations.”

This year, Tucker aimed to demonstrate that history matters when she asked the learners to compare our current pandemic challenges with the Black Plague. She said learners began realizing that neither these problems nor our responses to them are new.

“One thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history,” Tucker said. “Often tragically, we never seem to learn.”

Tucker’s learners also examined the January 6, 2021, insurrection on the nation’s capitol through the lens of the Whiskey Rebellion. Learners considered the national debt and recent COVID stimulus packages alongside stories of the Great Depression. Tucker said these learning opportunities empower learners and bring history to life.

“We have to make it relevant. Everything about them is a consequence of history and what’s come before them,” Tucker said. “It’s a different way of looking at the world, and that’s what we want.”

According to Tucker, the learners’ current project stems from a conversation on Zoom in an advisory session that centered on changing or improving something on campus or at school. Through this process, she said the learners see in real time how change occurs and what avenues we collectively can take to make change. She said the learners will choose something and then consider whom they have to appeal to — school, local government, state government, etc. — in order to enact change.

iLEAD AV Director Dawn Roberson is inspired by Tucker’s powerful approach to both history and learning. “Her focus on the big picture allows her to push her learners to think globally,” Roberson said. “It’s not just about what’s happening in their neighborhood or their city but how the rest of the world is impacted by our actions on social and political levels.”

Tucker and her learners are in the middle of a paradigm shift. She said educators have the opportunity now more than ever to make their subjects — in this case history — relevant by connecting to what’s happening in all of our lives every day.

“We are literally providing our learners social capital to go out into the world and engage,” Tucker said. “We are helping develop their voice and autonomy.”

In the end, Tucker would like all educators — especially her fellow social studies educators — to realize the potential power they have.

“History is unfolding right now,” she said. “That’s the part that’s missing in many of our history classes.”