Emotional Intelligence - School Climate Resources

In New Canaan Public Schools, we are committed to focusing on educating the “whole child” and increasing the overall wellness of our faculty and students. As one aspect of this work, NCPS has embarked on raising the Emotional Intelligence (EI) of students and staff throughout our school community.  

In 2017, we partnered with the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence to begin our initiative. Dr. Marc Brackett, Ph.D., the Director of Emotional Intelligence at Yale University came to speak to the community and emphasized the importance of teaching students the basic skills of Emotional Intelligence.

The RULER Approach

 The RULER approach is an evidenced based, systemic approach to Social Emotional Learning that was developed through the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.  Explicitly teaching students and adults the skills of Emotional Intelligence increases academic achievement, promotes positive learning environments, and improves mental health and decision making. 

The RULER approach promotes the development of five key emotion skills:

RULER implementation involves teaching both the adults and students in the school the RULER skills.  There are several RULER tools used to teach Emotional Intelligence - which are described below.  

Emotional Intelligence - Charter 

A Charter is a promise you make to yourself and others about how you want to feel at home or at school, and what you need to do to feel that way.  Everyone has a voice in creating the Charter.  Everyone also has a responsibility to uphold it.  When students feel ownership about their community, they are more likely to behave in ways that foster a positive classroom environment.  The Charter also increases empathy between students as they learn to think about the ways in which their behavior affects others. 

In New Canaan, each elementary classroom develops a Charter at the beginning of the year.  If you are interested in learning more about Charter- here is an overview.  

Emotional Intelligence - Mood Meter

The Mood Meter is an evidenced based tool that allows us to increase our self-awareness.  We can quickly be aware of how we are feeling by thinking about our energy level and how “pleasant” our emotions are.  Self-awareness is the foundation of all of the Emotional Intelligence Skills.  

Emotional Intelligence - Meta Moment

The Meta-moment is a method for regulating emotion.  It starts with “Sense”- being aware of how your body sensations and thoughts.  The second step is to “Pause” to take a breath and slow down your reactions.  The third step is to “See Your Best Self” - to think about the person you want to be, and how you want others to see you.  The final step is to “Strategize and Act” which means to intentionally and consciously choose a strategy for managing your emotional response.  

Our Happy at Home Tips!

• Find Your Strengths: Recognizing your strengths is a great way to practice self-compassion. Follow this link to find your strengths and get printable wristbands! 
• Art as a Tool for Self Regulation: Art is a helpful distraction and a good way to express oneself and can bring some calm to your family!
• Navigating Emotions This Time of Year: Support your child's transition to summer by validating their emotions and supporting them to express and regulate these emotions in a healthy way.
  
• "I" Statement: Using an “I” statement encourages students to become more independent in resolving conflicts with peers. Print out your own Talk It Out sheet to use at home, and see how communication improves.
  
• Growth Mindset: Instead of saying "I can't do this," say "I can't do this YET!" Growth Mindset Activity.
• Positive Self Talk: Sometimes a voice in your child’s head says things that aren’t very nice: Automatic Negative Thoughts or "ANTS."  Encourage your child to notice their negative thoughts and turn them into something more positive. Positive Thinking Worksheet.
• 7 C's of Resilience: Help your child build resilience by praising effort, encouraging a growth mindset, and most importantly, allowing our children to fail. Susan Bliss’ Building Resilience presentation
• Hot cocoa breathing is a simple and fun way for children to calm down
• Talk It Out is a tool that is used between two students to build empathy and resolve conflicts
  
• Blueprint is a reflection tool that helps students understand their own emotions. Download a printable blueprint for K-2 here and K-4 here.
  
• Charter: A promise you make to yourself and others about how you want to feel at home or at school, and what you need to do to feel that way. Create your own family charter together at home
• Mood Meter: Use the color chart here to help your child identify and understand their emotions. 
• RULER: Self-regulate your emotions. Printable RULER tools
• Meta-Moment: Help your child be their best self with the Meta-Moment strategy and coping skills.