Social-Emotional Learning: CORE SEL Cycle

Presenter Information

Tiesha CobinFollow
Jamita CobbFollow

Location

Room 3151

Start Date

27-2-2026 10:50 AM

End Date

27-2-2026 11:30 AM

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Tiesha Cobin holds both a Master’s and Specialist degree in Special Education and has served across the full continuum of IDEA services, providing her with an extensive and practical understanding of how to meet the needs of exceptional learners. Her professional experience includes teaching in self-contained autism programs, serving as an inclusion co-teacher, leading psychoeducational classrooms for students with significant emotional and behavioral needs, and providing extended school year and hospital/homebound instruction. In addition to her educational background, Tiesha brings strong mental health expertise through her work as a counselor supporting children and adults with diverse diagnoses. She is an Early Intervention Specialist and Evaluator with the Department of Public Health and also operates as a private practitioner, coaching families, daycare providers, and early childhood educators on developmentally appropriate practices, neurodiversity, and strategies that promote early literacy, communication, and foundational numeracy in infants and toddlers. She has developed culturally relevant interventions that address developmental and learning gaps spanning early childhood through middle school. Tiesha is also a dedicated Special Education Advocate, committed to ensuring that families, students, and educators have equitable access to appropriate services, resources, and supports. As a Behavior Interventionist, she specializes in culturally responsive PBIS frameworks that meet the needs of students affected by trauma, poverty, and mental health challenges. She currently serves as the MTSS/RTI Coordinator and FTE Coordinator at Hubert Middle School, where she leads the implementation and monitoring of tiered academic and behavioral support systems. Beyond her professional roles, Tiesha is an active community advocate. She mentors young mothers, helping them obtain their high school diplomas and successfully transition into college and the workforce. She has also served as a head basketball coach and the Executive Board President for the Savannah High Band.

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Jamita Cobb is a Special Education leader, professional learning expert, and empowerment advocate. She supports educators through coaching, training, and mentoring, and has facilitated professional learning across Georgia. Dr. Cobb is known for creating warm, engaging, practical sessions that turn theory into practice. Dr. Jamita L. Cobb serves as a Professional Learning Coordinator with Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, writer, and speaker. Dr. Cobb is a Data-driven and results-motivated educator concerned about all things related to improving students' achievement and teachers' effectiveness. ​As a leader of innovation and school improvement, she provides support in the areas of teaching ELLs, SWD, and struggling readers, team building and embracing diversity, family engagement, behavior management, using SEL and culturally responsive literacy strategies, engaging diverse readers during literacy instruction, and data-driven strategic action planning. Dr. Cobb prides herself on being a life-long learner and servant leader. Dr. Cobb believes that ALL educators should be supported by an effective instructional leader who understands who they are and their motivation to truly empower them to build their feelings of self-efficacy and increase their effectiveness.

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Presentation Type

Concurrent Session

Concurrent Session Interactive Poster Session Panel SessionRoundtable Discussion Conference Program Make and Take Session

Abstract

This session introduces the CORE SEL Cycle (Connect–Organize–Regulate–Engage), a research-based Social-Emotional Learning model for direct practice in P–12 classrooms. The framework incorporates established research and practice from SEL, culturally responsive teaching, trauma informed education, executive function science, and restorative practices. The model is unique, offering a new organizational system and new classroom routines not currently found in existing SEL programs or curricula.

Conference Strands

Social-Emotional Learning

Description

Framework Overview: The CORE SEL Cycle

Connect → Organize → Regulate → Engage

CORE SEL is a four-phase cycle that provides a consistent, predictable SEL structure for teachers and students while allowing flexibility across grade levels and content areas.

This model is grounded in research on:

• Relationship-centered learning (Hamre & Pianta)

• CASEL core competencies

• Trauma-informed practices (Brunzell, Stokes & Waters)

• Cognitive-behavioral coping skills

• Executive function and self-regulation research

• Cooperative learning and culturally responsive pedagogy (Gay; Hammond)

Phase 1: CONNECT

Goal: Build relationships, belonging, and culturally responsive community norms.

Strategies:

1. Micro-Connections Routine

Teachers conduct three 20-second personal check-ins daily with rotating students. Based on research, positive teacher–student interactions significantly impact engagement and behavior.

2. Rotating Community Rituals

A weekly cycle of: Appreciation Circles, Identity Shares, Collaborative Challenges, and Gratitude Boards. Aligned with cultural responsiveness and belonging research.

Practical Application: Teachers follow 3–5 min of simple scripts, prompts, or community-building slides that align with the weekly routine.

Phase 2: ORGANIZE

Goal: Establish predictable routines that reduce stress and set the stage for learning.

Strategies:

1. The “5-Minute SEL Warm Start”

A daily SEL emotional warm-up routine that includes mood check-ins, breathing exercises, or goal-setting. Evidence base: Mindfulness, emotional labeling, and executive functioning research.

2. Task Clarity Triad

Teachers use a 3-part routine before each academic task: What we’re doing; why we’re doing it; and how we know we’re done.

Highly aligned with clarity, cognitive load, and trauma-informed research/practices.

Practical Application: Teachers embed the Warm Start slides, use a 10-word script before instruction.

Phase 3: REGULATE

Goal: Proactively and explicitly teach students emotional regulation skills.

Strategies:

1. Name–Normalize–Navigate Framework

A 3-step process for labeling, validating, and responding to emotions.

Based on CBT, emotion coaching, and self-regulation research principles.

2. Regulation Menu

A classroom choice board of coping options (breathing/stretching cards, self-talk prompts, drawing breaks, etc.) Evidence suggests that regulation through choice increases self-efficacy and decreases escalation.

Practical Application: Teachers introduce the framework early in the year and embed it into redirections, transitions, and conferencing.

Phase 4: ENGAGE

Goal: Embed SEL skill-building into academic learning to support perseverance, collaboration, and problem-solving.

Strategies:

1. SEL-Infused Think-Alouds

Teachers model both cognitive and emotional strategies during academic problem solving (e.g., “I’m feeling stuck, let me calm down.”). This strategy is supported by social learning theory and modeling research.

2. SEL-Based Collaboration Roles

Collaborative groups assign specific roles (Motivator, Navigator, Harmonizer, Synthesizer). Supported by cooperative learning research and conflict-resolution studies.

Practical Application: Teachers assign roles during group work and use SEL-aligned sentence stems.

School-Level Integration Plan

1. Common SEL Language Binder

A shared repository of scripts, regulation steps, and instructional prompts across classrooms. Research shows that consistency strengthens school climate and students sense of predictability.

2. Weekly Pulse Surveys

Students complete a 30-second emotional climate check. Evidence supports frequent emotional check-ins as a way to increase engagement and identify emerging needs.

Expected Outcomes

For Teachers:

• Clear, actionable, and daily strategies that integrate seamlessly into instruction.

• Stronger classroom management through relationship and regulation supports.

• Decreased behavioral interruptions and increased instructional time.

For Students:

• Increased emotional literacy and regulation.

• Improved sense of belonging and engagement in the classroom.

• Greater persistence, collaboration, and academic confidence.

For Schools:

• A shared SEL language and more consistent practices across classrooms.

• Data-informed decision-making through Pulse Surveys.

• Scalable, low-cost system that is easily adaptable to all grade levels.

Contribution and Innovation

This proposal contributes to the field by offering a novel SEL framework, unlike any existing program, that:

• Creates new teacher routines (Micro-Connections, SEL Warm Start)

• Introduces new instructional tools (Task Clarity Triad, SEL-Infused Think-Alouds)

• Develops new regulation processes (Name–Normalize–Navigate)

• Offers new school-level systems (Pulse Surveys, SEL Binder)

• Combines evidence-based practices into a unique cycle (Connect–Organize–Regulate–Engage)

It remains highly rigorous in its grounding in established research and education theory while also offering an innovative, actionable, and academically sound model.

Conclusion

The CORE SEL Cycle is an innovative, evidence-grounded, and fully practical SEL framework for today’s classrooms. It supports teachers’ effectiveness and student emotional well-being, while also building schoolwide coherence. This proposal is deemed appropriate for adoption, further study, or piloting in university-partnered schools and educator preparation programs.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.