Tag Archives: ilead antelope valley

Studio

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

“The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Living with purpose.” The phrase evokes a range of thoughts and emotions, doesn’t it? When we choose to live with purpose, we choose to live proactively and decisively, rather than reactively.

As part of the iLEAD Antelope Valley approach to project-based learning with a social-emotional focus, one vital component is purpose. Within the social-emotional learning (SEL) framework, we recognize purpose as follows: You are oriented toward a future goal, and you can explain the reason for your goal. 

To understand the importance of purpose, it’s helpful to examine another key element of iLEAD Antelope Valley’s approach to education: the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Successfully living with purpose encapsulates several of the 7 Habits: Being Proactive, Beginning With the End in Mind, and Putting First Things First. Understanding and incorporating those steps into your life connects directly to having a clear sense of purpose. 

Let’s dive a little deeper into those Habits.

  • Habit 1: Be Proactive — With this habit, a learner can say, “I am a responsible person. I take initiative, and I choose my actions and attitudes.” Through developing this habit, kids are able to learn responsibility, initiative, self-control and self-management. 
  • Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind — With this, a learner can say, “I plan ahead and set goals. I do things that have meaning and make a difference. I look for ways to be a good citizen.” In turn, they are learning to have purpose and vision, and developing skills of planning, self-management and reflection.
  • Habit 3: Put First Things First — By practicing this habit, a learner is saying, “I spend my time on things that are most important. I set priorities, make a schedule, and follow a plan.” This habit develops skills of prioritization, planning and time management, and follow-through.

These habits influence a child’s sense of purpose and attitude. When learners embrace the value of thinking and doing with purpose, they can develop stronger self-esteem, improve social skills and empathy, and are empowered to enrich the world around them.

When learners understand the importance of approaching things — from school projects to life goals — with proactivity and the end in mind, they begin to grasp the value of living with purpose.

Watch: On Purpose

Studio

Join Us for Lunch Bunch!

The Counseling Team is excited to host Lunch Bunch. Learners are invited to bring their lunch or snacks every week and meet with friends and socialize while developing positive and healthy relationships and building social skills. Please check ParentSquare for the Zoom info to join! The schedule is as follows:

Grades K-2: Wednesdays, 9:00-9:30 AM
Grades 3-5: Wednesdays, 9:30-10:00 AM
Grades 6-8: Wednesdays, 10:00-10:30 AM

Kristina Lobato heads up iLEAD AV’s Lunch Bunch. If you have any questions, please email her at kristina.lobato@ileadschools.org.

Culture and Curriculum, Studio

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

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is one of the core elements of the iLEAD Antelope Valley approach to education. Through social-emotional learning, learners understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. 

Academic achievement is only one aspect of a learner’s education at iLEAD Antelope Valley. We also deeply value learners’ development of emotional intelligence, life skills, and community engagement, and we support these through the development of character strengths, as defined by Character Lab. Social-emotional learning develops strengths of heart, mind, and will.

Today, we want to discuss a character strength of will: optimism. Optimism is being hopeful about future outcomes combined with the agency to shape that future.

When we embody the character strength of optimism, the following things are true about us:

  1. We attribute problems to temporary, changeable causes rather than explaining them in terms that author Martin Seligman calls “the three Ps” – permanent, personal, and pervasive.
  2. We expect good things from others, the world, and the future.
  3. We can overcome obstacles to reach goals.

We can help learners build healthy optimism in the following ways:

  • Create a positive, stable, caring environment. We can create positive, stable environments where kids feel known and cared for.
  • Help learners develop more positive thinking patterns. For example, if a learner gets stuck and says, “I’m not good at this,” we encourage them to reposition the statement like this: “I need more practice or a new perspective to master this concept.” This takes consistent practice.
  • Give learners opportunities to learn from their mistakes. If learners experience failure and learn from that failure, they will develop resiliency when obstacles occur. 

Character Lab CEO Angela Duckworth has said, “It stands to reason that even in our darkest moments, there will always be hope for humankind.”

That thought likely rings true for many of us as we survey a world gripped by multiple ongoing crises. We all need optimism, and we have a responsibility to help kids develop a healthy strength of optimism that will help them face the world. 

Studio

Join Us for Lunch Bunch!

The Counseling Team is excited to host Lunch Bunch. Learners are invited to bring their lunch or snacks every week and meet with friends and socialize while developing positive and healthy relationships and building social skills. Please check ParentSquare for the Zoom info to join! The schedule is as follows:

Grades K-2: Wednesdays, 9:00-9:30 AM
Grades 3-5: Wednesdays, 9:30-10:00 AM
Grades 6-8: Wednesdays, 10:00-10:30 AM

Kristina Lobato heads up iLEAD AV’s Lunch Bunch. If you have any questions, please email her at kristina.lobato@ileadschools.org.

Culture and Curriculum, Studio

iLEAD Antelope Valley Culture: Social Intelligence

In the iLEAD Antelope Valley Charter School approach to project-based learning, which produces well-rounded kids, social intelligence is a key component of whole-child development.

What do we mean by social intelligence? It’s a person’s ability to interact well with others. It’s often simply called people skills, or tact. It isn’t necessarily a natural-born characteristic, but it can be learned. It involves situational awareness, understanding of social dynamics, and self-awareness.

In a nutshell, it’s the ability to recognize our emotions, exert control over them, show empathy for others, handle conflict well, and make good choices. By helping kids develop social intelligence, we empower them to build stronger relationships and lay the groundwork for bright futures.

Social intelligence isn’t static; it continually develops throughout one’s life. It’s never too late to sharpen it, and children are especially ready to learn. Educating children on healthy communication helps them to be a friend who is empathetic, generous, kind, and a good listener. There are four main characteristics of social intelligence:

Empathy: Empathy determines how well one relates to other people’s thoughts and emotions. Empathetic people consider and understand diverse perspectives, even if they don’t share the same ideas. They can pick up on a person’s mood and adjust their reactions accordingly.

Respect: Mutual understanding calls for a degree of respect. Respecting others can mean adapting communication styles to fit their needs, or finding a healthy compromise.

Behavior: This component concerns how people carry themselves in social situations. Are their actions appropriate for the setting? Do they make others feel relaxed or uncomfortable? A person must be able to adapt when necessary while maintaining their core values.

Self-efficacy: This characteristic refers to how a person judges themselves on their capacity to perform particular tasks. If someone has a stable sense of self-efficacy concerning social intelligence, they’re confident in their social abilities.

These skills are reinforced in school, but the foundations are set at home, which is one reason why iLEAD Antelope Valley believes in strong parent/guardian involvement in the educational process.

We can do the following to develop our social intelligence:

  • Pay close attention to what and who are around us
  • Work on increasing our emotional intelligence
  • Respect cultural differences
  • Practice active listening
  • Appreciate the important people in our lives

Much like the other components of the iLEAD Antelope Valley approach to education, the development of social intelligence builds strengths in kids, as well as sharpening all the other pillars of social-emotional and project-based learning — resulting in well-rounded kids who are ready for whatever challenges life may bring.

Studio

Join Us for Lunch Bunch!

The Counseling Team is excited to host Lunch Bunch. Learners are invited to bring their lunch or snacks every week and meet with friends and socialize while developing positive and healthy relationships and building social skills. Please check ParentSquare for the Zoom info to join! The schedule is as follows:

Grades K-2: Wednesdays, 9:00-9:30 AM
Grades 3-5: Wednesdays, 9:30-10:00 AM
Grades 6-8: Wednesdays, 10:00-10:30 AM

Kristina Lobato heads up iLEAD AV’s Lunch Bunch. If you have any questions, please email her at kristina.lobato@ileadschools.org.