BetterLesson, a leading provider of high-quality virtual and in-person K–12 professional learning, announces a partnership with Kikori, a community-driven platform that provides experiential social-emotional learning (SEL) activities and curriculum for schools and districts. Together, the partnership provides educators with self-directed SEL professional learning opportunities that incorporate the activities and tools created by Kikori.
According to the Education Week Research Center, 47 percent of educators said that to date, the professional development they’ve received surrounding SEL was only “somewhat effective” and just 12 percent of educators described the opportunities as “very effective.”
SEL Tools for Educators Nationwide
“Our partnership with BetterLesson brings SEL-focused professional learning opportunities to educators across the country,” said Kendra Bostick, CEO of Kikori. “Educators recognize the importance of SEL, but don’t always have the time or resources to implement meaningful change. To address this challenge, we’re partnering with BetterLesson and providing self-directed professional learning around SEL with step-by-step support.”
Kikori provides educators with engaging activities that involve active play and intentional reflection, organized into daily calendars and planners to make implementing SEL easy, relevant and fun for educators and students alike. With more than 1,000 community-building activities, educators can access impactful supplemental or comprehensive curriculum right at their fingertips.
Kikori helps educators build relationships with their students from Daily Greeting to Closing Circle through team building and leadership activities, with a focus on prevention rather than a reaction to classroom behavioural needs.
Meaningful and Comprehensive Tools for Teachers
Through the partnership, Kikori’s lesson plans are available to educators using BetterLesson’s BL Connect, a library of research-based on-demand courses designed to provide every educator with the tools and resources needed to create a student-centred classroom. Leaders and instructional coaches can access a comprehensive dashboard to see the outcomes their teachers are working toward and their professional learning progress.
“At BetterLesson, we’re always searching for new ways to provide meaningful professional learning opportunities,” said Kari Horn Lehman, Director of Partnerships at BetterLesson. “Through partnering with Kikori, teachers of all grade levels can now create an SEL-focused curriculum and receive the support needed to put Kikori to work in their classrooms—connecting teachers with their students more than ever before.”
BetterLesson provides 1:1 virtual coaching and small-group professional learning to help educators create classrooms where students drive their own learning, exercise choice and ownership and develop the personal agency they need to succeed. They provide job-embedded support across a wide range of topics including instructional leadership, responsive and inclusive practices, flexible instructional models and curriculum and academic content.
BetterLesson has partnered with more than 30,000 educators across 47 states as well as D.C., Puerto Rico and 5 countries internationally. The company hosts a growing library of evidence-based strategies with 500,000 average monthly users. BetterLesson values the pursuit of educational equity and is dedicated to ensuring every student—regardless of race, income, national origin, gender identity, ability or location—has access to an excellent education.
Kikori is an award-winning, female-founded, Public Benefit Corporation committed to democratizing experiential education and helping youths connect with themselves, others and the planet. Kikori was founded by University of New Hampshire Doctoral student, Kendra Bostick and Expeditionary Learning School Adventure Coordinator, Bryn Lottig.
Featured image: tatianazaets, iStock.
A well written piece with insightful evidence provided
As a Business Education teacher that teaches the Microsoft Suite I have observed first hand students who enter Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or Access classes thinking this is second nature to them. After creating a table or query, inserting a chart, students soon understand it is not “second nature”.