Page 31 - Mathematics GRADE 9, DE-STREAMED (MTH1W)

and skills in a variety of situations. Social-emotional learning skills support every student in developing a healthy identity as a capable mathematics learner.
Educator self-reflection on their own socio-cultural awareness is an essential component in the instruction of SEL in Ontario schools. Self-reflection is an important part of understanding oneself, one’s identity and worldview, one’s own beliefs, one’s unconscious biases, one’s privilege, and one’s responses to these. For educators, self-awareness and self-reflection help to interrogate and understand their own position, as well as provide some grounding principles that can be used to support all students in enhancing their social-emotional learning skills while teaching in a way that is culturally responsive. Ensuring a culturally responsive and reflective approach that supports students in developing social- emotional learning skills begins with educator reflection and consideration of the learning environment. Educators reflect on instructional strategies, classroom climate, and the cultural context in which they teach, and consider making adjustments in any of these areas to more effectively support student learning and well-being for all students. SEL skills are developed within a learning context and with consideration of the individual student, and of their relationships to the classroom teacher, peers, other educators, the larger school community, and the world beyond.
Working with students to identify their personal learning goals related to SEL skills ensures that the intended learning is clear and transparent to all students and that all lived experiences are recognized. For example, when teachers are explicitly teaching skills for healthy relationships during problem-solving in mathematics, students and teachers work together to identify what these skills can look like and sound like. This may include recognizing different approaches to problem-solving that may be used in the students’ homes or communities and in a variety of cultures; using encouraging words when communicating; and listening to each other about using different problem-solving approaches if the first one doesn’t succeed. Educators model and teach these skills during instruction. Students may show their understanding of these skills in a variety of ways and reflect on their own progress individually.
Social-Emotional Learning Skills: Key Components and Sample Strategies
The chart below provides information about social-emotional learning skills, including key components and sample strategies in the context of mathematics learning.
Skills
What are the skills? How do they help? What do they look like in mathematics?
Key Components and Sample Strategies
Recognizing and Identifying Emotions That Support Mathematical Learning
Students often experience a range of emotions over the course of their day at school. They may feel happy, sad, angry, frustrated, or excited, or any number of emotions in combination. Students may struggle to identify and appropriately express their feelings. Learning to recognize
• Recognizing a range of emotions in self and others
• Understanding connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions and the impacts of each of these on the others
• Recognizing that new or challenging learning may involve a sense of
30