Gender and Ethnicity: Are they Associated with Differential Outcomes of a Biopsychosocial Social-Emotional Learning Program?

Context: Social-emotional learning (SEL) program outcomes may be enhanced when programs take into account gender and ethnicity differences, yet few studies directly examine these variables. The limited literature further suggests improved outcomes accrue by integrating physiological techniques, such as yoga and meditation, directly into SEL curricula to reduce stress. Aims: This study investigated the association between outcomes of a yogic breath-based biopsychosocial SEL intervention across gender and ethnicity. Methods: Fifty-nine high school students were evaluated on 4 positive (self-esteem, identity formation, anger coping ability, planning, and concentration) and 3 negative SEL outcomes (impulsivity, distractibility, and endorsement of aggression). Using a repeated-measures design, group differences between gender and ethnicity were assessed. Results and Conclusions: Significant improvements on all 7 outcomes were found for the sample, suggesting that participants performed better after the intervention. There were neither significant differences between males and females on outcomes nor between different ethnic groups with the exception of African-Americans scoring lower on one of three emotion regulation outcomes. This study, one of the first to directly analyze SEL outcomes by sociodemographic variables, demonstrated the program\u27s biopsychosocial approach was associated with beneficial SEL outcomes across genders and ethnicities. Future studies of biopsychosocial programs taking into account sociodemographics will allow SEL programs to be more effective across diverse populations

Collaboration and Emotion in Way

In this exploratory study, four participants were observed playing Way, an online, synchronous, multiplayer game. In Way, participants cannot use verbal or written communication; they use avatars to nonverbally teach and learn from each other and solve collaborative tasks to win the game. Based on an analysis, five themes emerged and recommendations were provided for designing online collaborative games. Shared contexts and goals, a relevant set of nonverbal cues and gestures, and a system that values collaborative success were suggested to enhance learning. Participants tried to name and interpret their partner’s emotions, but did not try to express emotion using Way’s interface. The anonymous nature of Way, and the focus on communication and problem-solving, seemed to enhance the participant’s attachment to the partner, as well as their interest in and awareness of one’s partner’s emotions. All results should be considered directional and descriptive, given the limited sample size

Playful Approaches to Leadership Development: Three Innovative Uses of Games in the Classroom

How can educators use games and playful interactions to enhance the practice of skills related to leadership and management? Effective leadership involves a number of skills, such as strategic thinking, perspective-taking, critical thinking, ethical thinking, resource management, and reflection on one’s biases. In this article, we will review how three different instructors use games and play in their higher education classrooms to teach critical leadership skills. We will share how we use three different types of games: (1) a commercially-available off-the-shelf digital game (Democracy 4) to enhance resource management and ethical thinking skills; (2) a non-digital card game (@Stake Game) to teach critical thinking and argumentation; and (3) an independent (indie) digital game (SweetXHeart) to teach bias reduction and perspective-taking. We will share best practices and recommendations for using games in leadership and management education

Contrasting Case Instruction Can Improve Self-assessment of Writing

Self-assessment is a process during which students evaluate the quality of their work in a given domain based on explicitly stated criteria. Accurate self-assessments improve students\u27 academic achievement. Yet, students often have difficulties assessing their own work. It is possible that appropriate instructional supports will help students overcome these difficulties. To test this premise, we compared the effects of presenting and discussing examples of well and poorly written stories (contrasting cases) with the effects of only presenting and discussing examples of well written stories (good cases only) on students\u27 writing. Fifty-three 6th-grade students in two history classrooms were randomly assigned to either the contrasting cases or good-cases-only instructional conditions. Results showed that students in the contrasting cases instructional condition created stories of better quality, developed a deeper understanding of the assessment criteria, and became better able to identify areas in need of improvement. This study is one of few efforts applying perceptual learning theories to improve academic skills in everyday classroom settings. The use of contrasting cases provides a promising yet a simple instructional approach that both teachers and students can use to improve writing and self-assessment