School readiness includes a range of competencies and is influenced by both parental beliefs and teacher perceptions. Despite its significance, only a small number of states have an established definition of school readiness, which raises questions about how well stakeholder understandings align and the effectiveness of parental activities in…

The purpose of this article is to highlight the relationship between general music and social and emotional learning. Social and emotional learning involves a set of social, emotional, behavioral, and character competencies that are essential to success in school, in the workplace, within relationships, in the community, and in life. Music…

There is growing national and international concern about the mental health of children and young people, and in countries such as England there is now a political and policy commitment to developing whole-school approaches to mental health. This paper presents new evidence on how pupils' mental health is being addressed in schools using learning…

Little is known about the connection between arts-integrated education and social-emotional learning, particularly for students with disabilities. This paper draws on data from a case study of a federally-funded arts integration program called Everyday Arts for Special Education (EASE) to identify the mechanisms by which arts-integrated teaching…

Policy research highlights educational disparity between Blacks and Whites, thereby, emphasizing the need to determine malleable ecological factors that support the positive development and learning of Black children during the early schooling years. The purpose of this study was to examine whether change in home environment and neighborhood were…

Previously, the Sherborne Developmental Movement (SDM) has been found to contribute to the development of emotional competencies in higher education. This study presents and evaluates a teaching model based on SDM for the development of emotional competencies in teacher education. The study examined the contributions of this model to the increase…

One focus of "Invitational Theory and Practice" is creating positive environments that summon each individual to "develop intellectually, socially, physically, emotionally, and morally" (Purkey & Novak, 2008). Children's literature is a rich resource for teachers and parents to focus on emotional and moral development. This…

In general, talking with young children encourages development in many areas: (1) spoken language; (2) early literacy; (3) cognitive development; (4) social skills; and (5) emotional maturity. Speaking with children in increasingly complex and responsive ways does this even better. This article explores research findings about the effects of…

Among the many transitions and passages students face during their school years, the entry into middle school is one of the most difficult. During this period, it is crucial for schools and families to work together in order to establish a constructive framework that can foster positive development. This article discusses the important academic,…

Several activities that can help deaf children build affective awareness are described. The activities emphasize hands-on, experience-based learning and play, and focus on building self-awareness, learning new ways to interact, recognizing feelings, and having children create books about themselves. (JDD)

This book provides descriptions of 76 engaging activities that can be used to teach children, adolescents, and adults valuable social, emotional, and problem-solving skills. Some of the skills taught include identifying and expressing one's own emotions, identifying emotions in others, coping with stressors, making and keeping friends, setting…

Proposes that extramusical skills, or societal and emotional skills, should be included in the music classroom. Provides information on the hidden curriculum and on social and emotional skills. Reviews research on extramusical skills. Discusses how to teach extramusical skills, including strategy examples and suggested resources. (CMK)

The manual contains affective educational materials and methods for use with delinquent students (grades 4-12). The introductory section explores a suggested timetable for the activities provided and gives suggestions for setting up the classroom, the use of a 'group circle' and an opening exercise or icebreaker. Each activity is described in…

Basic principles of developing and implementing an affective curriculum which promotes students' self-esteem and personal skills are offered. The article addresses: establishment of rules of affective group discussions, guidelines to help teachers and students maintain flexible and realistic expectations, the importance of teacher planning, and…

A series of activities on the theme of peace were developed by a kindergarten teacher with the belief that the study of peace should begin at the kindergarten level with learning to love. Ten activities follow a format of objective, theme, suggested books, film strips, songs, list of things to make and do, and evaluation suggestions. Objectives to…