Competency Two Narrative

Create Knowledge
Occasionally in school settings it is important to take the lead on researching topics and creating
presentations that help solve problems that schools are facing. An assignment I completed for my Theories
and Trends class served this purpose.
Demonstrate Ability to Describe Common Research Methods in Discipline
In EDCI 591, Theories and Trends in Education, we were asked to explore a current trend in education.
I chose to research the trend in which schools are developing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) initiatives in
response to students behaving aggressively and having lowered abilities to self-regulate. These issues are
becoming problematic in my own school setting, and I wanted to see how it affecting education in other
places. Administrators in my school are looking to see what programs we might adopt to resolve these
issues. My research led me to see that the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning
(CASEL) began creating competencies for SEL as early as 2003, and by February of 2018, many states had
joined their Collaborating States Initiative to put competencies into place in K-12 schools. The articles I
found also suggested that schools are simply following the same methods used in clinical settings to help
students focus on mindfulness. Curriculum materials such as Mind Up and 4Rs (Reading, Writing, Respect
and Resolution) are being adopted by schools. It was encouraging to read that students who participated in
these types of programs did demonstrate improved behavior. Completing this assignment helped me look
beyond my school walls to find research showing that we are moving in the right direction by purposefully
trying to implement an SEL curriculum.
Demonstrate Ability to Read and Evaluate Research Related to Discipline
The trend analysis paper I wrote about Social Emotional Learning (SEL) also suffices to show my ability
to read and evaluate research related to discipline. All six of the articles I read were very recent (2016 or
after), and they showed similar findings regarding the effectiveness of using curriculum dedicated to helping
students be more conscious of their social and emotional well-being.
Apply Research Findings to the Solution of Common Problems in Discipline
I was able to use the research articles from my trend analysis to help my school counselor and school
wide behavior team focus our efforts to review several programs we were considering adopting. I was also
able to use the information in district level meetings to show that what we are experiencing in our district is
not isolated. This collaborative effort has led us to explore trauma informed learning and to bring Conscious
Discipline to our classrooms. We have been able to take many members of our staff to national level
professional development with Heather Forbes. I am very excited to see that research is leading the way on
helping professional educators solve problems and increase student learning and well-being.