Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Humanizing the Classroom: Using Role-Plays to Teach Social and Emotional Skills in Middle School and High School

There is a growing trend in education for educators to support students in the development of social and emotional skills. SEL mandates are now part of many state assessments and national initiatives, and there are countless curriculum from which principals and teachers may choose. However, many of these curricular materials fail to address the question of pedagogy, or what is the best method for teaching social and emotional skills? Humanizing the Classroom: Using Role Plays to Teach Social and Emotional Skills in Middle and High School answers this question by presenting the pedagogical basis for using role plays to teach social and emotional skills, creating a clear link between SEL and the need for culturally relevant teaching, and providing over 45 model lessons that can be delivered in middle and high school classrooms. A rich resource for principals seeking advisory curriculum materials, classroom teachers interested in integrating SEL into their classroom practice, and educational theater and drama teachers, Humanizing the Classroom addresses the how, why and what of teaching social and emotional skills in our diverse society. Review Over the last fifteen years Kristin Stuart Valdes has worked with K-12 educators to promote children's social, emotional, and academic learning. In Humanizing the Classroom, she synthesizes the many extraordinary lessons she has learned about how to practically promote middle and high school students social, emotional, and academic skills, knowledge, and dispositions. She is importantly and helpfully attuned to educational equity reform issues. I highly recommend this practical, thoughtful, and wise book that will help teachers- and potentially parents - to further social, emotional, and academic competencies. A foundation for school and life success!--Jonathan Cohen Ph.D., Co-President, International Observatory for School Climate and Violent Prevention As the country tries to address educational inequities and SEL gains popularity on the state and national level, the need for educators trained in social and emotional learning skills has grown. Humanizing the Classroom made me realize that educational theater practitioners and actors could be a valuable resource on the path to equitably transmit social and emotional learning in our schools. Actors walk in a new person's shoes with every character they play, they are experts at practicing empathy. And living empathically is something we could all stand to learn a little more about right now. Humanizing the Classroom should be required reading for all of us!--John Cariani, Broadway and TV actor, playwright of "Almost, Maine" Kristin Stuart Valdes has produced a practical, engaging book on the use of role plays in secondary classrooms to cultivate social-emotional skills. Thoughtfully organized around the five SEL competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, the book offers a rare opportunity for middle and high school teachers to expand their pedagogical toolkit with applied strategies to help students learn and practice SEL skills ranging from persistence to understanding bias. Drawing from years of personal experience partnering with schools to integrate SEL into everyday practices, Kristin Stuart Valdes delivers a set of creative role play activities accompanied by detailed nuts and bolts guidance that is sure to help teachers weave social-emotional learning into a typical day in their classroom.--Jason T. Downer, professor of education, director, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia In Humanizing the Classroom, Ms. Valdes provides key insights about the importance and challenges of social-emotional learning (SEL) in K-12 education. This work is gleaned from her years of practice implementing SEL programs with public school administrators, teachers, and children. Ms. Valdes elevates the recognition of teachers, and their own s