Hike Your Own Hike: An individualized approach to secondary Social Emotional Learning
Format
Individual Presentation
First Presenter's Institution
Mountain Education Charter High School
First Presenter’s Email Address
martha.kent@mymec.org
First Presenter's Brief Biography
Martha Kent is the Director of Social Emotional Learning at Mountain Education Charter High School. Her focus is on the non-cognitive aspects of teaching the whole child. She brings 35 years of teaching experience in a variety of settings including public, private and DODDS overseas schools to the table to help adults understand the underlying issues affecting today’s youth. With this diverse experience, she has seen what a difference addressing the non-cognitive areas can do to increase academic achievement. She holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters Degree in Education from the University of North Georgia and an Educational Specialist Degree in Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University. Additionally, she is a certified trainer for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and safeTALK.
Second Presenter's Institution
Mountain Education Charter High School
Second Presenter’s Email Address
pam.smith@mymec.org
Second Presenter's Brief Biography
Pam Smith serves as Director of Prevention and Intervention Services for Mountain Education Charter High School. Pam Smith has committed her entire career to serving students at risk in the public school system. She has served as a social worker and site level coordinator in the Georgia Futures Program as well as Graduation Coach and Student Services Director for a charter high school. She has served on the SACS-AdvancED committee at her school. Pam holds a B.S Degree and an M.S.W. from the University of Georgia. Additionally, she is a certified trainer for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).
Third Presenter's Institution
Mountain Education Charter High School
Third Presenter’s Email Address
paige.swartz@mymecorg
Third Presenter's Brief Biography
Paige Swartz serves as the Director of Student Engagement and Retention in MECHS’s Student Services Department. Paige believes that all students have the potential to learn and succeed, many only one caring adult away from believing that, too. Paige has worked at MECHS, in some capacity, since its inception in 1993. She has a background in School Psychology and Special Education. Paige holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of North Georgia, Master’s and Specialist Degrees in School Psychology from Georgia State University, and an Educational Doctorate Degree in Teaching and Learning from Liberty University.
Location
Session Five Breakouts
Strand #1
Heart: Social & Emotional Skills
Strand #2
Health: Mental & Physical Health
Relevance
Our proposal is particularly relevant to the chosen strands due to the fact that this curriculum is based on Social Emotional Learning and Self-Care. The Hike Your Own Hike curriculum includes skills which The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) states are essential for what students should know and be able to do for academic success, social and civic engagement, health and wellness and fulfilling careers. With the growing emphasis on addressing the needs of the Whole Child this approach facilitates meeting non academic needs to help to ensure success.
Brief Program Description
Mountain Education Charter High School’s Social Emotional Learning curriculum is called Hike Your Own Hike. The program is a combination of skill based and narrative based instruction with both Tier 1 and Tier 2 components. Students utilize their individualized “Trail Guide” to build resilience and develop skills to navigate life’s paths both in and beyond high school in a healthy, productive manner.
Summary
The Hike Your Own Hike (HYOH) Secondary Education Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum is based upon the vision and research of our Superintendent, Dr. Wayne Lovell. HYOH is the culmination of years of personal and professional experience, research, and active collaboration with subject matter experts from both within Mountain Education Charter High School and from external benefactors. We recognize that it is vital that we address not just the academic needs of the students we serve, but also the deeper needs that all too often are the real reason the student’s path has led to us. Our goal is to provide a first-class program that is relevant to our students. With that in mind we have developed a curriculum to address these needs in a well-thought-out and comprehensive manner including a Universal Screener with corresponding Tier 1 and Tier 2 components.
Students begin by completing the Personal Assessment of Core Competencies (PACC), which is a screener developed in house that provides a risk assessment specific to the six core competencies. Based on their score, students work with their mentors to choose a specified number of RidgeRunner Tales (RRT) and activities to complete. These RidgeRunner Tales are narratives written by MECHS Faculty and Staff about events in their lives and lessons learned along the way. Each RRT is accompanied by an activity that reinforces the lesson learned and helps students apply that lesson to their own lives. This is completely individualized and our Tier 2 portion of the program. The Tier 1 portion of the program is the Thru Hike Seminars. Thru Hike Seminars are skills needed to successfully navigate daily life. There are two lessons per competency including topics such as Time Management, Nutrition, Appreciating Diversity and Anxiety 101. These lessons have been developed by a committee of counselors, social workers and staff dedicated to our SEL journey. Small group lessons are taught so as to provide support to students.
By addressing SEL needs using a hybrid approach with narrative and skill-based direct instruction, HYOH addresses a myriad of student needs in a relevant and timely manner.
Evidence
The Hike Your Own Hike curriculum is based on a wide variety of research in the areas of Social Emotional Learning, Growth Mindset, Resilience and Self Care. As well as the theoretical research there is also a great deal of evidence to support the use of the narrative when teaching Social Emotional Skills.
Glasser’s Choice Theory emphasizes the importance of understanding the choices we make and how it affects our lives. Understanding this premise is, in great part, the underlying purpose of Self-Awareness and Self-Management which are two of the competencies addressed in the HYOH curriculum. This understanding of choice leads us directly into Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which research suggests drives all human behavior. This hierarchy encompasses our basic physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. These needs are all addressed within the five Social Emotional Competencies that are identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as essential for what students should know and be able to do for academic success, social and civic engagement, health and wellness and fulfilling careers.
In addition to the CASEL 5 there is also an added Self-Care competency to address the mental and physical needs of our students. This competency is based on the definition of Self-Care from the World Health Organization as well as the American Psychological Association. The work of Dr. Robert Wicks is an additional resource that has been integrated into this competency.
A common thread throughout the curriculum is the emphasis on resilience and growth mindset based on the research from Carol Dweck and Angela Duckworth. Their work is particularly significant when working with students at risk which accounts for a large portion of our population.
Learning Objective 1
The participant will have a basic knowledge of Social Emotional Learning Competencies.
Learning Objective 2
The participant will be introduced to a Social Emotional Learning curriculum that can be replicated in other settings.
Learning Objective 3
The participant will learn two approaches to facilitate Social Emotional Learning. (Narrative and Skill based)
Presentation Year
2022
Start Date
3-8-2022 10:15 AM
End Date
3-8-2022 11:30 AM
Recommended Citation
Kent, Martha G.; Smith, Pam W.; and Swartz, Paige C., "Hike Your Own Hike: An individualized approach to secondary Social Emotional Learning" (2022). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 55.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2022/2022/55
Hike Your Own Hike: An individualized approach to secondary Social Emotional Learning
Session Five Breakouts
Mountain Education Charter High School’s Social Emotional Learning curriculum is called Hike Your Own Hike. The program is a combination of skill based and narrative based instruction with both Tier 1 and Tier 2 components. Students utilize their individualized “Trail Guide” to build resilience and develop skills to navigate life’s paths both in and beyond high school in a healthy, productive manner.
