Edsby®, a multi award-winning, next generation K–12 learning management system (LMS), introduced a new system enabling teachers to understand their students’ emotional states in and out of the classroom by giving students a systematic way to share how they’re feeling. The new feature augments a series of capabilities in Edsby focused on student well-being.
Students choose from animated icons representing emotions, color-coded for their intensity level and how pleasant the emotion is, either once per day or even per class, based on educator preference. Emotion options are tailored to students’ grade levels, along with developmentally appropriate definitions. Age-appropriate regulation strategies curated by experts are also presented for each emotion.
Teachers see the emotions their students are experiencing, and can monitor patterns and trends over time, which can help draw attention to students who may need additional support. Teachers see which emotional regulation strategies have been presented to each student and receive their own professionally curated strategies based on what their students are feeling. They can engage students in conversations and are able to take actions consistent with the district or region’s existing protocols to ensure student well-being, ranging from the ability to loop in a school guidance counselor or other professionals as required.
“We feel strongly that established LMS platforms like Edsby should play an important role in student well-being,” said John Myers, Edsby CEO. “With the social and emotional health of students now a prime focus of educators, it makes sense—especially in hybrid classrooms—that features polling students’ emotional states should be directly integrated in the same system millions of K-12 students and teachers are already using.”
The Edsby Social Emotional Check-In system and related content was designed with input of a team of social emotional academic advisors and an exclusive relationship with MindUP—an evidence-based non-profit program designed to improve children’s emotional well-being and founded by actress Goldie Hawn. MindUP is aligned with current SEL research and is accredited by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, or CASEL.
“Research shows, especially during times of crisis, that we need to bolster the strategies and competencies of students to manage stress,” said Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, NoVo Foundation Endowed Chair in Social and Emotional Learning in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, CASEL board member and Edsby Social Emotional Advisory Board chair. “Being able to have explicit and intentional opportunities to check in, name how they’re feeling and learn specific strategies to manage their stress and how to get along with others is critical for students’ school and life success.”
Source: PR Web
