Degree Name

MA in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management

First Advisor

Ryland White

Abstract

This capstone is a reflective analysis of social and emotional learning programming and its implementation in traditional Western schools. It approaches the question of sequencing social and emotional competencies for instruction through experiential learning. Initially I sought a linear rationale in order to better understand my work in implementing a social and emotional learning program in nearby Keene, New Hampshire through High 5 Adventure Learning Center’s Edge of Leadership program. However, my inquiry shifted in light of several ethical implications that arise from the prospect of constraining social and emotional learning into a pre-set curriculum.

As a Course-Linked Capstone, this project draws from coursework and resources from Training Design for Experiential Learning and Training of Trainers: Ethics and Intercultural Training Design. It connects my coursework with my experiences in the field through several practicum positions, each interacting with social and emotional learning in different ways. Over the course of this project, I have learned a great deal about myself as a trainer, facilitator, and designer, as well as the ways in which the ethics that guide my training practice have allowed me to remain critical of the work I do on a daily basis.

The ‘phoropter’ referenced in both the title and Part III of this capstone project refers to an instrument used by ophthalmologists to identify a patient’s exact eyeglass prescription. For the purposes of this paper, the phoropter symbolizes two crucial elements of this reflective analysis: the lens through which social and emotional learning can be viewed, in my opinion, as well as the reflective practice process which helps me as a training practitioner see my practice more clearly, working each and every day towards 20/20 vision.

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Education | Educational Methods | Elementary Education | Outdoor Education | Teacher Education and Professional Development

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