Students Taking Action Together: 5 Teaching Techniques to Cultivate SEL, Civic Engagement, and a Healthy Democracy
Enhance student engagement in class, school, and community with help from the SECD Lab.
Students Taking Action Together: 5 Teaching Techniques to Cultivate SEL, Civic Engagement, and a Healthy Democracy helps teachers and leaders answer the challenging question, “How can teachers promote deeper engagement with content, promote civil discourse, and exercise students’ SEL muscles in the context of preparing students for their roles in improving classroom, school, and community life now and in the future, while not “adding more” to an already full plate?”.
The STAT Bulletin:
Teaching Strategies for SEL, Civic Character, and Democracy within Subject Areas and for Youth Engagement in School and Community
Sign up for the Students Taking Action Together (STAT) Bulletin: a monthly resource of teaching strategies for those who are promoting SEL, civic character, democratic participation, youth voice and engagement, and respectful, empathic dialogue and problem-solving through all specific school subject areas. Learn how to add STAT instructional strategies in, and not "on," what you already are doing and show students how to apply them to ongoing school and community issues.
Download the ASCD Book Study Guide
What is STAT?
A set of five instructional strategies that are designed to integrate SEL skills and civil discourse into existing curriculum content in grades 5-12. Although the strategies are intended to be used individually, they build on one another in an evidence-based way to foster students’ competence and confidence in the areas of perspective-taking, empathy, problem solving, communication, emotion regulation, and civic engagement.
In the midst of a global pandemic and civil unrest, this book answers an urgent need by providing educators with practical, instructional strategies to help students converse and connect across difference and engage civically in their communities—all while leveraging the power of social and emotional learning for the promise of a healthy democracy.
Dena Simmons, EdD, Founder of LiberatED
What are the benefits of STAT?
Increases students’ perspective-taking, empathy, problem solving, communication, emotion regulation, and civic engagement.
Versatile - can be applied to any content area and/or school-based problem
Amplifies student voice and empowerment
Opens a pathway to greater participation in the civic life of schools and communities
Meets national and state social studies instruction standards
Each generation calls upon its educators to renew our covenant with the future by providing them with the tools needed to forge community and advance our society toward a more perfect union. Students Taking Action Together sits squarely in this tradition. Using classroom-friendly techniques that combine academic discourse, service learning, and social-emotional and character development, the book reminds us that the most important facet of our democracy is "we the people" who create it, refine it, and preserve it every day for posterity. A must-read for educators everywhere.
David Adams, Chief Executive Officer, The Urban Assembly
How STAT blends SEL,
Civil Discourse & Academic Standards
The canvas of democracy is filled with emotion-laden discussion, debate, disagreement, and dissent. Naturally, these expressions are necessary for civil discourse and social justice work. Effective civil discourse demands the development of effective social-emotional learning (SEL) skills. This is why the five STAT strategies integrate the five competencies put forward by CASEL
Inside you’ll find:
Transdisciplinary, evidence-based teaching strategies that build student competence and confidence.
Tips on how to integrate STAT strategies into your existing curriculum.
Untraditional means of measuring student success & achievement that provide opportunities for every student to thrive.
A road map for school leaders and teacher leaders to scale up STAT in their school.
The strategies & tools you need to courageously address societal issues in the classroom.
The success of social-emotional learning hinges on our teachers. We respect both students and educators and their capacity to embrace complexity and believe that together we can engage in contention with justice and equity in our public schools.
Start engaging with STAT strategies.
We invite you to explore, review and take the resources posted to assist
your implementation of the STAT strategies.
Lesson Grids
Lesson Plans
Handouts
At a time when the fabric of our democracy is being torn and torn again, Students Taking Action Together offers educators practical strategies for weaving it back together. By situating SEL as an antidote to shattered norms of civic engagement, this gem of a book demonstrates that education can and should be central to rebuilding both our democratic institutions and our faith in one another.
Joel Westheimer, University Research Chair in Democracy and Education at the University of Ottawa
“Our obligation as educators is to entrust in our students the abilities to create conscious citizens who are vocal about reexamining their society.”
- James Baldwin (Talk to Teachers, 1963)
Meet the STAT Team
Meet the teachers, psychologists, and clinical students leading the charge for SEL in the classroom.