1. Welcome to The Open Session* Renée Johnson and Alex Gatley
*The Open Session format created by The Institute for Social and Emotional Learning.

2. Open Session- Purpose
think about and talk about choices and decision-making
a source for alternative ways for participants to look at real life issues and build resilient, healthy responses
mirror for insights about one’s actions, thoughts, and feelings
build trust, respect, and empathy

3. Checking In (The “Emotional Thermometer”)
Awareness of Self (recognize how you are feeling)
Awareness of others (understand that everyone is in different state)
Just notice without judgement or action. No questions or advice.
Pass out examples.

4. Open Session Structure
Meet in circle so all are included and can see each other (no desks or extra materials).
Use check in and openings for emotional awareness
Set ground rules and remind kids of the rules
What should the “I agree” gesture be?
Provide sentence frames for the 3 kinds of responses.
Encourage a variety of responses.
Discussions are student driven… teacher as facilitator.
Remind class that you’re a mandated reporter
Remind class if you don’t get to their card, it doesn’t mean it isn’t important.
Consider closure of a student summarizing the discussion.

5. Facilitator Tips
Allow students to do the responding. Do not need to raise hands.
Encourage the 3 types of responses along with frames.
Be sure to ask for clarifying questions and support as needed.
What to say:
“There are lots of ways to help this person; let’s bring out our best, most supportive selves to help this student”
“Let’s offer support at this time.”
“If we don’t get to your card, it doesn’t make your card less important than other cards.”
Other Mandated Reporter frames (Also mentioned in the Ground Rules)
“My goal is just to get you support”
“It’s not “I’m gonna find you” but instead, it’s “I want to help you”

6. Variations Can have a themed open session
Upcoming event (The dance? Report cards?)
Schoolwork
Family
Friends
Managing the responses
Consider using symbols to represent each response type to manage responses as well as encouraging multiple voices.

7. Open Session Schedule
Introduce Open Session and Invite Students to Participate
Set Ground Rules
Check In with the Emotional Thermometer
Elicit Student Concerns Through Note Cards
Review How to Respond to Student Cards
Begin the Discussion

8. Ground Rules
1) Respect each person's turn (no interrupting while someone is speaking)
2) Respect the content of the discussion by not talking about it after with classmates. Keep the discussion in the room.
3) If someone shares that he or she is being emotionally, physically or sexually hurt by someone or that he or she shares that they are hurting themselves or others, the teacher is mandated by law to report the incident.
4) Hand signal for agreement. (A wave meaning “I hear ya! Or “I feel ya!”)
5) Only use pronouns or generalizations (friend or teacher not people’s names)
6) Do not call out names or try identify the person with the issue.

9. Note Carding
You are now invited to write down any issues that you’re experiencing that relate to the following…(every student must write something)
personal decisions and challenges
social and friendship struggles
upcoming events, family dynamics
celebrations, personal triumph, joy

10. Examples of Issues:
“I have two tests and an essay coming up that I’m nervous about. I don’t know if I have enough time to get all of my studying done”
"I am nervous about the I search project."
“I have two best friends. One of them invited me to go to the dance but doesn’t want to include my other friend. What should I do?”
“My friend has been making a lot of jokes lately that don’t really feel like jokes. I don’t know how to tell him that it actually makes me feel bad when he messes around like that.”
“My parents are divorced. I live in two households and switch every other week. I am having trouble staying organized. My schedule is a mess.”

11. Extra Note Card Symbols
If you…
Don’t put your name on your card
Put your name on your card
Put your name in a circle
Put a star in the corner
Then…
You stay anonymous
I might tell the class that this is your card
I will know you want me to know, but I won’t tell the class.
I will try to get to it today

12. Collect Note Cards/Choose Topics
Play some music while you look through the cards.
Organize them
Start with joys or celebrations (1-2)
Then choose a problem that you know that they have lots of advice on…( homework or time management)
Move on to deeper issues as appropriate for the group. Use your judgement.

13. 3 Ways to Respond: 1) Ask for clarification (Yellow Question Mark)
2) Offer support and encouragement (Red Heart)
3) Give Ideas, wisdom, and/or possible solutions
(Purple Arrow)

14. Clarifying Questions
(Anything that provides the listener with a better scope of the issue)
"I wonder what the person meant by 'out of control'?"
"Have you told anyone else about this problem"
"Do you need to make this decision now?"
"I wonder how many times this has happened?"
"I wonder what actions the person has done so far?"
“How do know X is true?”
“I wonder if there are some assumptions the person is making about…”
“Is it possible that... What is meant by…”

15. Support and Encouragement
"I hope things get better"
“That must be/feel very _____ (adjective)”
"I am sorry that you are feeling that way"
"Sounds like that is really hard, and you are really worried"
“My heart goes out to this person”
“That is a tough situation.”

16. Wisdom, Solutions, Ideas
“One thing that has helped me is..."
"I had a similar problem last year and..."
"You might want to..."
“In my experience it helps to...and then…”
“I wonder if you could try…”
“I have heard that some people have tried...”
“It worked for me when…”
WARNING: Be sure to focus on the issue on the card and not talk about yourself too much!

17. Now… Let’s try it!