McKay School of Education > Project SEEL > Introduction > Is SEEL Right for Me?

Is SEEL Right for Me?

"Am I doing the right things in the right way for my students?"                                                          "How do I know that SEEL will be the answer for me?"

The Best that is Known About Literacy Instruction

• Teaching is most motivating for teachers when it is most effective for their students. SEEL extends teachers' effectiveness in promoting significant growth in the literacy of their students.

• Learning peaks when playfulness and meaning are blended in a variety of classroom settings, rich with student-teacher interaction and conversation.

• SEEL brings out the strengths of the teacher and the children through instruction and activities that are creative, interactive, lively, social--and just plain fun! Children learn as they engage in the "work" of childhood--PLAY. 

Literacy in Natural Contexts

SEEL proposes to add some beneficial strategies and practices that you may not have encountered before. For example, SEEL emphasizes student involvement and teacher responsiveness. Teachers do not present or perform--they participate and play. 

Even at school times not traditionally used for instruction, such as snack time and transitions, teachers participate continually in word play and word games with the children.

Continual Instructional Conversations

"The password to get into line is to give us a word that starts with f."

"Can you find something on the snack table that rhymes with up?"  

Teachers engage in instructional conversations throughout the day that allow them to emphasize both skills and meaning.

Real Life Applications

 "Let's name as many foods as we can that start with C." 

 "There are lots of things on this store shelf that start with s.  Let’s make a shopping list of things to buy that start with s."

Teachers apply skills and targets to aspects of the children's everyday lives, helping them to accept the targets as part of the world in which they live.

Motivation and Enjoyment