The inclusive classroom with Reflect
It’s critical that we all take a moment to look beyond our personal experiences and consider what more we can do to make all students feel confident and in control of their learning. We must recognize the global call for digital tools that adapt to the individual’s needs, so that every student of every ability can learn and grow every day.
What is emotional granularity?
Emotional granularity is like having a high-definition view of our emotional world. It's all about the precision and clarity with which we can identify, differentiate, and describe our feelings. When we possess this remarkable ability, we gain a deeper understanding of our emotional states, which is a game-changer for our well-being.
With emotional granularity in our toolkit, we become masters of emotional regulation and communication. It's like having a finely tuned instrument to navigate life's ups and downs with ease.
Microsoft Reflect steps in to empower students that struggle with emotional expression on their emotional journey. Reflect's simplified vocabulary feature offers them a user-friendly language to understand and express their feelings. Emotions are broken down into bite-sized pieces, tailored to their level of understanding.
This is how we shape the emotional intelligence of tomorrow's leaders–by fostering emotional granularity from the very beginning. So, let's embrace the power of emotional granularity, supported by Microsoft Reflect, to create a generation that's in tune with their emotions and ready to conquer any challenge that comes their way!
Throughout the week, we explore a delightful array of emotions, from joy and excitement to curiosity and empathy. Each day, we dive into the rich tapestry of emotions and discuss what makes us feel that way, making our classroom a safe space for emotional exploration.
By integrating these feelings into our vocabulary library, we nurture not just their language skills but also their well-being. Our students learn the importance of acknowledging their emotions and the emotions of others, fostering a kind and compassionate environment.
Building emotional granularity in our students is a crucial step before embarking on any check-in journey.
Gather your students to embark on an emotional adventure! In the Reflect app, there's a colorful palette of emotions waiting to be explored. Take each emotion, one by one, and spark their curiosity with a simple question: What do you think this emotion looks and feels like?
Let their imaginations run and encourage them to describe how they can identify each emotion when they experience it themselves. Is it a fluttering in their heart, a grin on their face, or a lump in their throat?
This activity lays the foundation for emotional granularity by helping them understand and recognize each emotion in their unique way.
What is emotional prosody?
Emotional prosody is the hidden language of feelings within our voices. When we're joyful, our speech soars with heightened volume, speed, and pitch. Conversely, in moments of sadness, our words adopt gentler tones, slower pace, and lower pitch. This art of emotion prosody adds an extraordinary layer of meaning to our expressions, enriching social communication in captivating ways.
As your students submit their responses for check-ins, they encounter a myriad of emotions to explore. But here's the magical touch-activating the Read aloud option brings a whole new dimension. The selected emotion comes alive through the spoken word, conveying the essence of that feeling's prosody.
Your students flourish in their social interactions when they embrace this feature. They unlock a broader spectrum of emotions, gaining insight into their own feelings and the emotional experiences of others. Armed with emotional intelligence, they navigate social situations with confidence and poise.
Are you and your students ready for the emotional reading challenge?
- First, we ask our students to choose a partner, forming dynamic duos ready to embark on this emotional journey together.
- Now, it's time to pick a captivating paragraph from their language arts essays.
- Next, we encourage each student to secretly choose an emotion they embody while reading their paragraph.
- Now, let the reading begin! Each student in turn reads their paragraph while channeling the emotion they picked.
- Students listen carefully to the tone and pitch of their peers' readings, trying to guess the emotions masterfully conveyed.
By the end of this fantastic activity, our class is filled with laughter, creativity, and a deeper understanding of how emotions can breathe life into our stories!
The power of building an inclusive environment
Creating an inclusive classroom is a powerful mission, and with the support of Microsoft Reflect, it becomes a journey of empowerment and belonging.
Reflect not only gives quieter students a voice but also enables everyone to appreciate diverse perspectives, celebrating the richness of individual experiences.
Reflect's integration of emotional prosody allows students to recognize and interpret emotions through voice variations, promoting a deeper grasp of emotional expressions in their peers and enhancing empathy and communication skills.
Furthermore, Reflect's focus on emotional granularity empowers students to pinpoint and articulate specific emotions with precision, enriching their emotional vocabulary.
With Reflect's inclusive toolkit in hand, we create a space where every student is seen, heard, and valued, fostering a strong sense of community, and promoting a love for learning that knows no bounds.
Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. Thank you, teachers!
Create your first check-in and start making your class more inclusive today.