about strong teens grades 9 12.pdf

Merrell’s Strong Teens—Grades 9–12

Teens—Grades 9–12

A Social & Emotional Learning Curriculum

by
Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann, Ph.D.
University of Oregon
Eugene
Laura L. Feuerborn, Ph.D.
University of Washington, Tacoma
Barbara A. Gueldner, Ph.D.
Successful Kids Today
Oanh K. Tran, Ph.D.
California State University

Excerpted from Merrell's Strong TeensÑGrades 9-12: A Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum, Second Edition

Contents

About the Authors

Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann, Ph.D.

Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann is currently an instructor at the University of Oregon in Eugene specializing in performance assessment for teacher preparation. Over the course of her career in the field of education, Dianna has maintained a consistent focus in the development, research, and troubleshooting of educational assessments.

Laura L. Feuerborn, Ph.D.

Dr. Feuerborn is Associate Professor at the University of Washington, Tacoma, and is a nationally certified school psychologist. She received her Ph.D. in school psychology with an emphasis in emotional and behavioral supports from the University of Oregon.

Barbara A. Gueldner, Ph.D.

Dr. Gueldner is a licensed psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist who works with children and families in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Oanh K. Tran, Ph.D.

Dr. Tran teaches in the Child Clinical/School Psychology (CCSP) Program at California State University, East Bay.

About Strong Kids

Strong Kids™: A Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum is a social and emotional learning curriculum that consists of five brief and practical social and emotional learning (SEL) programs designed for the purpose of teaching social and emotional skills and assets that promote resilience and mitigate risk in children and adolescents. Strong Teens—Grades 9–12 is designed specifically for use with teens in Grades 9–12 or those who are approximately ages 14–19. It serves as both a prevention and an early intervention program.

As many researchers, writers, and public officials have noted, changes in the structure of society and families have resulted in an increasing percentage of children and families who are at risk for developing a variety of behavioral, social, and mental health problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) estimated that among adolescents within a 12-month period, 8% will attempt suicide and 20% of students will have been bullied.

PROMOTING CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH

Effective early responses to these problems, including mental health prevention and early intervention curricula in educational settings, must occur if these challenges are to be stemmed. There is reason for optimism regarding our ability to positively affect the social and emotional health and resilience of children and adolescents, even those from very adverse life circumstances.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

A framework named social and emotional learning has guided efforts to effectively teach the social and emotional health and resilience of young people. These skills should ideally be taught over the course of students’ academic tenure with coordination and strategy in mind.

MODEL FOR PREVENTING BEHAVIORAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS

Education researchers have adapted a public health prevention model for use in school systems. This three-tiered model includes service delivery at three levels of prevention: primary prevention (students who are not experiencing difficulties), secondary prevention (students at risk for developing difficulties), and tertiary prevention (students experiencing significant difficulties).

DESIGN OF THE STRONG KIDS CURRICULUM: BACKGROUND

The Strong Kids curriculum was developed by the Oregon Resiliency Project (ORP) at the University of Oregon. The program aims to prevent the development of mental health problems and promote social and emotional wellness among young people.

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES AND LESSON STRUCTURE

The Strong Kids and Strong Teens programs were designed to circumvent common barriers to implementation and uphold criteria for effective instructional design. The Strong Teens—Grades 9–12 lessons are recommended to be taught once per week for 12 weeks, allowing sufficient time for students to internalize concepts and practice new skills. Each lesson takes between 60 and 80 minutes to complete and includes various sections to facilitate effective learning.

EVIDENCE

The Strong Kids curriculum has been evaluated and continues to be studied across age and grade levels in various settings. The strongest evidence exists for a unilateral increase in knowledge of social and emotional content across studies.

SUMMARY

We are at a pivotal point in history where our youths’ social and emotional resilience is developing through direct instruction and application, with materials developed from years of research and practice. The Strong Kids curriculum offers one way of helping our youth develop into socially and emotionally healthy individuals.

REFERENCES