Create of a 2-3 minute elevator pitch that you can use to advocate and bring awareness to the benefits of social-emotional learning and a positive school culture and climate. The goal is to explain to others how social-emotional learning and a positive culture and climate supports academic success and addresses behavioral needs in children within your respective schools/districts. Key highlights of your short pitch should inform and educate colleagues, school administrators, and school board members by discussing some of the following:
-Critical elements that comprise social-emotional learning and positive school culture and climate
-Resources for improving school culture and climate and implementing social-emotional learning interventions
-The relationship between SEL and positive school culture and climate to prevention of bullying, related forms of victimization and mental health issues
–Social-emotional learning and school culture and climate as the key to improving teachers’ effectiveness and a school’s academic success rates
Design your elevator pitch as a tool you can use to present your passion and knowledge for social-emotional learning to leadership and administration in your school/district. The more specific you are to your own professional environment the more you’ll be prepared to present your ideas in both formal and informal settings. For this reason, part of the process of creating your elevator pitch involves carefully thinking about whom you would ultimately need to present your ideas to (such as administrators, other teachers, students, parents, other stakeholders, etc.)
1. Write your original pitch in the first-person and include school name/info as you would deliver it (e.g., “We both know that we need SEL here at Baldwin Middle School for the following reasons…”)
2. Identify who your audience is. Time yourself reading your pitch, so you know it can be delivered in 2-3 minutes
3. In addition to creating your pitch, write a reflection on the process of developing your elevator pitch. Was it challenging, how will you used it, would you feel confident delivering it, etc.?
In addition to your course readings and other applicable outside sources, check out the following SEL Impact briefs on CASEL’s website:
http://www.casel.org/social-and-emotional-learning__trashed/impact/
http://www.casel.org/research/from-the-field/
http://www.casel.org/from-casel/
