Caring and Leading: Pre-Service Teachers Explore SEL and Restorative Practices in a Peer-Facilitated Book Club

Format

Individual Presentation

Format

Panel

First Presenter's Institution

Columbia College

First Presenter’s Email Address

rraab@columbiasc.edu

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Rebecca Raab is an Assistant Professor of Education and the Elementary Program Chair at Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina. She is passionate about preparing teachers to take on leadership roles so they can advocate for their students, themselves, and their communities.

Second Presenter's Institution

Columbia College

Second Presenter’s Email Address

sabrina.fitzsimmons@my.columbiasc.edu; payton.brookover@my.columbiasc.edu

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Sabrina Fitzsimmons is an English Education major from Columbia College with a desire to improve the canon used in high school English classes. Payton Brookover is passionate about early childhood education and hopes to own her own daycare center after she graduates from Columbia College.

Third Presenter's Institution

Columbia College

Third Presenter’s Email Address

rikki.george@my.columbiasc.edu; stephanie.reyes@my.columbiasc.edu

Third Presenter's Brief Biography

Rikki George is a middle level education teacher cadet at Columbia College. She hopes to instill a love of learning by making education fun and engaging for every student. Stephanie Reyes-Lopez is an elementary education major who hopes to teach second grade.

Fourth Presenter's Institution

Columbia College

Fourth Presenter’s Email Address

audra.mccloy@my.columbiasc.edu; kathryn.ryan@my.columbiasc.edu

Fourth Presenter's Brief Biography

Audra McCloy is an early childhood education major with a minor in speech language pathology at Columbia College. Kathryn “Kat” Ryan is an English education major and secretary of Sigma Tau Delta at Columbia College

Fifth Presenter's Institution

Columbia College

Fifth Presenter’s Email Address

kristen.owens@my.columbiasc.edu; kylie.terrell@my.columbiasc.edu; alyssa.throne@my.columbiasc.edu

Fifth Presenter's Brief Biography

Kristen Owens is a future secondary English language arts teacher pursuing her bachelor's in English education at Columbia College. Kylie Terrell is a future elementary education teacher and junior at Columbia College. Alyssa Throne is an elementary education honors student and resident advisor at Columbia College.

Submitter

I am submitting this proposal as one of the presenter(s)

Location

Scarbrough 4

Strand #1

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Strand #2

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Relevance

The conference summary effectively reflects the strands of "Head" and "Heart" by emphasizing both academic achievement through the exploration of restorative practices and social-emotional learning (SEL) while fostering an inclusive climate where pre-service teachers' leadership skills were developed. The panel showcases pre-service teachers’ reflections on their learning journey, highlighting the interplay between learning leadership skills while also learning to apply strategies for emotional well-being in classrooms and professional development opportunities.

Brief Program Description

Join nine pre-service teachers as they share insights from their peer-facilitated book club on integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) and restorative practices in their future classrooms. This panel highlights their professional development journey and provides participants with strategies for fostering positive, inclusive classroom environments. It also serves as a model for implementing similar book clubs, empowering students and professionals to lead research-based, caring discussions.

Summary

In this engaging panel discussion, nine pre-service teachers from an undergraduate course on facilitating positive learning behaviors reflect on their experiences participating in a peer-facilitated book club centered on two essential texts: one which focused on brain-based social-emotional learning and the other which modeled using restorative justice in education practices in K-12 settings.

This session will highlight the critical importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) and restorative practices in creating positive learning environments among students. In addition, it also models the importance of teaching pre-service educators how to lead professional development sessions, a skill they will need for their future roles as collaborative teachers and advocates in K-12 schools.

Panel participants will discuss key takeaways from their book club sessions, including the brain-based approaches to SEL presented by Sprenger (2020), which emphasizes how SEL approaches can enhance holistic student success. The panel will also explore restorative practices introduced by Smith and colleagues (2015), focusing on relationship-building and conflict resolution as foundational elements of a supportive classroom culture. By examining their learning journey and the implications for their teaching philosophies, these pre-service teachers aim to inspire educational professionals to prioritize the emotional well-being of their students. Additionally, panel participants will reflect on how they facilitated their peer book clubs, including their role in planning, leading, and assessing book club discussions.

This session will encourage interaction, inviting conference attendees to engage with the panelists and share their insights. By the end, attendees will have a deeper understanding of how to cultivate classrooms that not only promote academic achievement but also nurture the social and emotional development of all learners. Moreover, attendees will leave with a model for implementing similar book clubs where students and/or professionals learn to be leaders through facilitating research-based, caring discussions.

Evidence

This presentation is centered on the work of Marilee Sprenger (2020) in Social-Emotional Learning and the Brain and Smith et al., (2015) Better than Carrots or Sticks, two books published by ASCD, and which served as the foundation for pre-service teachers’ book club discussions on SEL and restorative practices.

Additionally, the leadership skills developed through this peer-facilitated book club were guided by the The Council of Chief State School Officers' InTASC Standards, specially Professional Responsibility Standard/Progression #9: Professional Learning/Ethical Practice, and Standard/Progression #10: Leadership and Collaboration.

Learning Objective 1

Participants will be able to discuss strategies for facilitating peer-led book clubs that promote collaborative learning and professional development among educators.

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to explore practical applications of SEL and restorative practices to enhance student engagement and well-being in the classroom and amongst colleagues.

Learning Objective 3

Participants will be able to reflect on how to implement similar peer-facilitated book clubs that foster an environment where SEL, collaboration, and restorative practices are prioritized.

Keyword Descriptors

Social-Emotional Learning, Restorative Practices, Professional Development, Leadership Development

Presentation Year

2025

Start Date

3-4-2025 2:45 PM

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Mar 4th, 2:45 PM

Caring and Leading: Pre-Service Teachers Explore SEL and Restorative Practices in a Peer-Facilitated Book Club

Scarbrough 4

Join nine pre-service teachers as they share insights from their peer-facilitated book club on integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) and restorative practices in their future classrooms. This panel highlights their professional development journey and provides participants with strategies for fostering positive, inclusive classroom environments. It also serves as a model for implementing similar book clubs, empowering students and professionals to lead research-based, caring discussions.