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Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Culture Department

Department Purpose

The Social and Emotional Learning and Culture Department supports safe and secure learning environments that focus on the social, emotional, and cultural needs of every student.

Department Vision

Coordinating the implementation and growth of culturally responsive and emotionally safe learning environments that support choice and opportunity for all students.

Department Mission

  • Support delivery of integrated instruction and intervention to students in varying intensities based on student needs.
  • Ensure that district resources are distributed equitably, based on need, among students and schools to accelerate achievement for ALL students.
  • Support the creation of a safe school using a multifaceted change process that facilitates collaboration between the community of caring adults and students.
  • Positively impact the school community’s climate and culture by recognizing and addressing maladaptive behaviors and supporting the development of more positive normative behaviors for all stakeholders.

Connect with us on Twitter: @SELCulture_AISD

The Cook Center for Human Connection non-profit brings together the best programs, partnerships, research, policy and events that have demonstrated effectiveness in creating the human connections that are vital for strong mental health offering education and therapeutic support to empower and give parents hope as they support their child’s mental health.

Although bullying can occur anywhere, most reported bullying happens in school. Bullying can greatly affect the school environment and hinder students’ academic success. Bullying can lower academic achievement, influence school attendance, and even contribute to higher dropout rates. Additionally, academic achievement is lower for all students involved in bullying: those who are victimized, those who bully, and those who witness bullying.  

Committee for Children

Access the Committee for Children’s Bullying Awareness Resources through the links provided:

Captain Compassion. Great opportunity to share during October with students, families, and community.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
PBIS is an evidence-based three-tiered framework to improve and integrate all of the data, systems and practices affecting student outcomes.
www.pbis.org

PBIS World
PBIS World is a website containing links to hundreds of interventions, supports, resources, and data collection tools, all of which are organized into the multi-tiered system of supports.
www.pbisworld.com

Intervention Central
Academic and Behavioral Interventions
www.intervention central.org

Mental Health Association of Greater Houston
Offers a Resource Guide, programs, training, mental health e-news
MHA Mental Health Screenings: screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools?ref=MHAHouston

National Center on Intensive Intervention
Behavior strategies to support intensifying interventions.
intensiveintervention.org

Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
SEL program guides, videos and resources.
casel.org

Sanford Educational Programs at National University (Primary/Elementary SEL for Aldine ISD)
SEL resources on multiple learning platforms for Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade, providing online access to lessons, activities and resources to assist teachers in navigating the social and emotional needs of their student.
online.sanfordharmony.org

The 4th R (SEL Curriculum)
YouthRelationships.org

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
sdqinfo.org

Students with Special Needs
Pacer Center
pacer.org

Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
csefel.vanderbilt.edu

Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (TACSEL)
www.challengingbehavior.cbcs.usf.edu

College and Career Readiness Resources
Everfi.com/k-12/teacher-remote-learning/#blur-container

Mental Health
MentalHealth.gov
• US National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE/1.800.784.2433
• US Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-723TTY/1.800.787.3224
• National Association of School Psychologists
nasponline.org/families-and-educators

Mindfulness
25 Fun Mindfulness Activities: https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-for-kids-activities
10 Ways to Teach Mindfulness: https://leftbrainbuddha.com/10-ways-teach-mindfulness-to-kids/

Overcoming Obstacles – LifeSkills Curriculum: overcomingobstacles.org

More Social and Emotional Learning Professional Development

Resources During COVID-19

Social and Emotional Elementary Website

Social and Emotional Learning Secondary Website

Social and Emotional Learning School Counseling Websites

Social Emotional Learning Books

  • Fostering Resilient Learners, Kristin Van Marter Souers with Pete Hall
  • Relationship, Responsibility, and Regulation, Kristin Van Marter Souers, Pete Hall, et al.
  • Behavior: The Forgotten Curriculum — An RTI Approach for Nurturing Essential Life Skills (Transform Your Differentiated Instruction, Assessment, and Behavior-Management Strategies), Chris Weber
  • Culturize:  Every Student. Every Day. Whatever It Takes., Jimmy Casas
  • Help for Billy: A Beyond Consequences Approach to Helping Challenging Children in the Classroom, Heather T. Forbes
  • Teaching to Strengths:  Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence and Chronic Stress, Debbie Zacarian, Lourdes Alvaraez-Ortiz, and Judie Hayes
  • All Learning is Social and Emotional:  The Hidden Curriculum
  • The Formative Five:  Fostering Grit, Empathy, and Other Success Skills Every Student Needs, Thomas R. Hoerr
  • The Morning Meeting Book, Roxann Kriete, and Carole Davis
  • Taking Social-Emotional Learning Schoolwide:  The Formative Five Success Skills for Students and Staff, Thomas R. Hoerr
  • Teaching to Empower:  Taking Action to Foster Student Agency, Self-Confidence, and Collaboration, Debbie Zacarian and Michael Silverstone
  • Relentless:  Changing Lives by Disrupting the Educational Norm, Hamish Brewer
  • Better Than Carrots or Sticks:  Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management, Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, et al.
  • Hacking School Discipline:  9 Ways to Create a Culture of Empathy and Responsibility Using Restorative  Justice,than Maynard, and Brad Weinstein

Social Emotional Learning Articles

 https://www.weareteachers.com/school-teaching-self-regulation/
 https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/providing-a-sense-of-normalcy-amidst-uncertainty/
 https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/supporting-students-self-care-virtually/
 https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/tips-activity-ideas-and-resources-for-virtual-learning/

Equity Resources

Teaching Tolerance
Social Justice Standards
Facilitating Critical Conversations with Students
Discussing Race, Racism and Other Difficult Topics with Students
Strategies for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Prejudice: Essential Principles

Race Forward
10 Ways to Start a Conversation About Race

ADL: Fighting Hate for Good
Race Talk: Engaging Young People in Conversations About Race and Racism

Future of Learning
Race Conversations in the Classroom

National Network of State Teachers of the Year
Discussion Guide: Courageous Conversations About Race in the Classroom

Center for Racial Justice in Education
Resources for Talking About Race, Racism and Racialized Violence with Kids

ASCD
ASCD anti-racism resources
How to Be an Antiracist Educator
ASCD Building Racial Justice and Equity Resources

Additional Articles/Resources
Sesame Street Town Hall on Racism
“Please, I Can’t Breathe”: Watch How the Minneapolis Counseling Director is Supporting Students After George Floyd’s Murder
Talking to Kids About Race
Ring the Alarm: The Crisis of Black Youth Suicide in America
How to Talk to Your Children about Protests and Racism
Police killings and their spillover effects on the mental health of black Americans: a population-based, quasi-experimental study
APA Stress in America Report: High Stress Related to Coronavirus is the New Normal for Many Parents

Children’s Books
Ruby Bridges Goes to School – The True Story
Separate is Never Equal – Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation
We are Grateful
Young Water Protectors…A Story about Standing Rock
Hair Love
My Family Divided
Brown Boy Brown Boy What Can You Be?
I Am Not A Number, by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Kathy Kacer
Shining Star – The Anna May Wong Story
Little Leaders – Bold Women in Black History
Let It Shine – Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Something Happened in Our Town
Twice Toward Justice
As Fast As Words Could Fly
The Stone Thrower, by Jael Ealey Richardson (Ages 4-9)
Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years

responsiveclassroom.org/maintaining-a-positive-community-remotely/

Topic: Aldine ISD – Elementary AM – Center for Optimal Brain Integration

Date: Aug 7, 2020 08:00 AM
Meeting Recording

Topic: Aldine ISD – Elementary PM – Center for Optimal Brain Integration

Date: Aug 7, 2020 12:06 PM
Meeting Recording

Topic: Aldine ISD – Secondary AM – Center for Optimal Brain Integration

Date: Aug 14, 2020 08:16 AM
Meeting Recording

Topic: Aldine ISD – Secondary PM – Center for Optimal Brain Integration

Date: Aug 14, 2020 12:03 PM
Meeting Recording

CASEL Guide to School-wide SEL
 
CASEL SEL Assessment Guide
 
CASEL SEL Program Guide
 
CASEL SEL Starts at Home
 
CASEL SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook
A tool that supports systemic SEL

Related Resources

 
Emerging Insights: Advancing SEL as a Lever for Equity and Excellence, a CASEL report by Justina Schlund, Dr. Robert J. Jagers, and Melissa Schlinger. 
 
It’s Time to Rethink How Schools Use Data to Implement SEL, by CASEL’s Director of Research Partnerships Ally Skoog-Hoffman. Education Dive. 
 
Report: Building a Grad Nation, by Civic and the Everyone Graduates Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Report on the campaign goal of a national on-time graduation rate of 90 percent.  
 
Teaching Tolerance Resource Page: Race & Ethnicity. Resources to prepare students to live and work together in a diverse world. 
 
Support for Teachers During COVID-19, from Facing History and Ourselves. 

Teaching Tolerance
Social Justice Standards
Facilitating Critical Conversations with Students
Discussing Race, Racism and Other Difficult Topics with Students
Strategies for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Prejudice: Essential Principles

Race Forward
10 Ways to Start a Conversation About Race

ADL: Fighting Hate for Good
Race Talk: Engaging Young People in Conversations About Race and Racism

Future of Learning
Race Conversations in the Classroom

National Network of State Teachers of the Year
Discussion Guide: Courageous Conversations About Race in the Classroom

Center for Racial Justice in Education
Resources for Talking About Race, Racism and Racialized Violence with Kids

ASCD
ASCD anti-racism resources 
How to Be an Antiracist Educator
ASCD Building Racial Justice and Equity Resources

Texas A M University, Commerce, College of Education and Human Services
Inaugural Symposium: What Truth?

Building Racial Justice and Equity
Access free resources to help you as we collectively do the work to dismantle racism at every level—individual, institutional, structural—and educate ourselves to do and be better.

Webinar: The Innocent Classroom
Alexs Pate, creator of the Innocent Classroom and author of The Innocent Classroom, will help educators in this webinar understand key Innocent Classroom concepts and how to apply those concepts to undermine racial bias in their classrooms and schools.

Are Your Teachers Happy?
When teachers’ needs are met, they are able to do what they do best — take care of their students. Here are 5 ways to help your teachers stay happy and productive. – Read Blog

Promoting Diversity Through Storytelling
Telling stories is how educators can support diversity, equality and inclusion in the classroom and our society. – See How

Black Scientists Who Made History
Learning about these Black scientists and their impact on the world can inspire students to overcome social barriers and pursue their dreams. – Read Blog

Finding Diverse Voices in Children’s Books
Here are some children’s books that will help you share different cultural perspectives with your students. – Learn More

Black History Month Resources

Black History Month Header

Celebrate Black History Month

Use the following resources to help your students understand the history and contributions of Black men and women in America. 

 

“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.”
– Dr. Carter G. Woodson

 

Dr. Woodson founded Black History Month to help African Americans piece together a history which continues to be broken apart by white supremacist culture. He hoped to ignite a sense of power and need for justice in Black people across the nation. Every February, the country furthers his work by recognizing the numerous achievements and contributions of Black leaders and activists. As we approach March, it is important to remember that this work must be continued all year long. As Dr. Woodson conveyed, in order to uplift Black voices of the present, we must spotlight Black voices of the past. 

We hope that the resources below provide students and educators with the support needed to empower Black voices in our school communities year-round.  

 
Teaching to Thrive
(Abolitionist Teaching Network)
10 Black History Resources for Educators
(Facing History, 2/9/21)


My Education Journey: Elevating Black Voices
(ASCD, February 2021)


Black History in the Making
(Learning for Justice, 2/18/21)


Strategies for Retaining Teachers of Color and Making Schools More Equitable
(Gobir, N., KQED 2/8/21)


The 180 Podcast: Getting Back to School Safely and Better with John King
(Turnaround for Children, 2/17/21)


Images and Inspirations: 45 Picture Books for Black History Month
(BCBA, 1/23/21)

Intro Video

Use this video to introduce different Black leaders from history. 

Teacher Talk 260x230 Email Body Pic

Plus, watch and discuss videos from our Black History YouTube Playlist

 
 

Fighting for Freedom

Use this video to inspire tough questions about history.  

Tuskegee Airmen of World War 2
 

February Dates to Remember

February 1, 1865 – 13th Amendment Officially Approved

February 1, 1949 – First National Freedom Day celebrated   Learn More

February 1, 1960 – Greensboro, North Carolina, sit-ins spark protests

 February 4, 1913 – Rosa Parks’ Birthday

February 14, 1957 – SCLC formed with Martin Luther King, Jr. 

February 20, 1895 – Frederick Douglass’ Birthday

 
 
 

Mindfulness Activities and Resources

What is Mindfulness? (Helpful Videos)

Introduction to Mindfulness

How a Glitter Jar Improved Behavior in the Classroom

Teaching the ABCs of Attention, Balance and Compassion: Susan Kaiser Greenland

Breathing Activities 

54321 – a simple relaxation or grounding strategy

Box Breathing Technique – simple strategy to calm anxiety

Glitter bottles – a simple calming strategy

Five Finger Breathing

Breathe With Me – Guided Breathing Meditation for Kids

Books

Children Books

The Breathing Book! 

Happy Right Now

Turn a Dull Day Into A Mindful Day! Mindfulness with Children

A Reading of Breathe and Be: A Book of Mindfulness Poems

The Lemonade Hurricane: a story of mindfulness and meditation – a read out loud story book

Books for Older Students

Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness in and out of the Classroom by Meena Srinivasan

Imaginations by Carolyn Clarke

Mindfulness for Teen Anger: A Workbook to Overcome Anger and Aggression Using MBSR and DBT Skills by Jason R. Murphy and Mark C. Purcell

Adult Resources (Books)

Little Book of Mindfulness by Rebecca Howden and Medibank

Everyday SEL in Elementary School-Integrating Social-Emotional Learning and Mindfulness Into your Classroom by Carla Tantillo Phillbery

Websites

https://positivepsychology.com/

https://www.mindfulschools.org/

https://www.mindfulmazing.com/

https://www.mindful.org/

Aldine At-Home Learning Plan
Sites.google.com/aldineisd.org/aldine-emergency-response-plan/parents/socialemotional-learning-resources 

Behavioral Interventions with Students with Disabilities
Parentcenterhub.org/behavior-atschool.com

CharacterStrong (K-12): characterstrong.com

Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
CASEL COVID-19 SEL Resources for Educators, Parents, and Caregivers
casel.org/resources-covid/

Confident Parents, Confident Kids
A website with parent and child resources that support social-emotional development.
www.confidentparentsconfidentkids.org

Everfi Digital Lessons for Remote Learning
Everfi.com/k-12/parent-remote-learning/

Parachute
A user-friendly, research-based parenting app that provides easy access to solutions for common parenting challenges.
www.parentparachute.com

Parent Toolkit
A website with information and tools that cover all aspects of child development.
www.parenttoolkit.com 

PBIS Positive Behavioral Supports At Home
http://www.apbs.org/about/families
https://www.pbisworld.com/tier2-2/social-stories/

Second Step
secondstep.org

Free SEL resources
cfchildren.org/resources/free-classroom-activities/

Mind Yeti
A mindfulness website and app with guided sessions that help student de-stress, focus, get along with others and relax.
www.mindyeti.com

Parent and Teen Connect
parenteenconnect.org

Other Activity Based Resources for Families

Children’s Museum of Houston (cmhouston.org)
The Children’s Museum provides a daily virtual learning broadcast schedule and free resources.

Rock Hall of Fame (edu.rockhall.com)
Rock Hall EDU, the Rock Hall of Fame’s digital learning platform, includes lesson plans, activities, videos, playlists and more from the Rock Hall’s Library & Archives at no cost.  Among them are the Music and Civil Rights Collection, Introduction to Rock Drumming with Max Weinberg and Good Vibrations Experiment.

GoNoodle (gonoodle.com)
This is a great resource for kids that includes everything from learning to dance to overall wellness.  It helps kids deal with anxiety, learn to relax and have fun with yoga.  Good Energy at Home includes movement, mindfulness videos, off-screen home activities and more at no cost.

Storyline Online (storylineonline.net)
Videos featuring actors reading children’s books with illustrations. 

Story Time from Space (storytimefromspace.com)
Astronauts read children’s books from space.

Raddish Kids (raddishkids.com)
Free cooking kits, recipes, and live classes for kids.

Virtual Farm Tours (americandairy.com/dairy-in-schools/virtual-farm-tour.stml)
The American Dairy Association is offering virtual tours of farms for kids of various ages.

Houston Zoo Webcams (houstonzoo.org/explore/webcam)
Live and up close views of the animals like gorillas, giraffes, rhinos and more (if they are in the mood).

America’s Test Kitchen Kids (americastestkitchen.com/kids)
The site is offering all resources for free, including recipes, activities and experiments that promote healthy eating and cooking together.  There are also daily lesson plans and videos.

Tinkergarten at Home (tinkergarten.com)
Free weekly activities with outdoor fun, parent insights and online sessions.

PBS Kids (pbskids.org)
PBS Kids offers a newsletter with activities and games for kids ages 2 to 8 years.  The PBS Kids Video app offers educational videos and livestream of the PBS Kids channel. 

Duolingo (duolingo.com)
A free language learning platform that can teach you Spanish, French, Japanese and more.

Outschool (outschool.com)
Outschool is offering free live online classes for students ages 3 to 18 years that are done via video chat.  Classes include English, math, social studies, science, coding, health and wellness, music, art, and world languages.

Khan Academy (khanacademy.org)
A free online learning platform with practice exercises. instructional videos and a learning dashboard for students.  It also has specialized content from NASA, the Museum of Modern Art, the California Academy of Sciences and MIT.  There are daily schedules for students Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 to follow from home.

English

Spanish

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions (CASEL, 2012). 

Access and register for Second Step SEL for Adults by clicking on the links: 

Second Step Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias Resources

Second Step On-Demand Webinars

Committee for Children’s Back to School Supports and Free COVID-19 Resources

Child Protection Unit All-Staff Training

Extended school closures have made many students vulnerable to abuse and neglect. To help schools recognize and respond effectively to signs of abuse and neglect, Committee for Children is providing free access to our Child Protection Unit All-Staff Training through June 30, 2021.

Please note, we cannot offer a certificate of completion for this version of the training.
K-5 Child Protection Unit All-Staff Training Module
Early Learning Child Protection Unit All-Staff Training Module

Bullying Prevention Unit All-Staff Training

Research shows that one of the most effective ways to prevent bullying is to train all school staff on how to respond to it. This online training course from our Bullying Prevention Unit helps staff develop ways to effectively identify and deal with bullying throughout their school. This module is easy to implement and will help make a difference in students’ lives.

Please note, we cannot offer a certificate of completion for this version of the training.
Bullying Prevention Unit Training Module

Grow Kinder (at Home) Podcast

Grow Kinder (at Home) is a series of mini podcast episodes designed to help educators and families through the dramatic changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. With discussion topics ranging from teacher self-care and reopening schools to supporting anxious kids and managing screen time, Grow Kinder (at Home) explores real-life challenges and how we can overcome them by using our social-emotional skills and practicing empathy.

https://www.cfchildren.org/podcasts/

OSPI Social Emotional Learning Moodle https://learn.ospi.k12.wa.us/course/index.php?categoryid=18

There are six segments of the social and emotional learning online module. The intent of the module is to support teachers, administrator and school staff understanding of what social and emotional learning (SEL) is and its importance, as well as to explain how to implement and integrate SEL into their respective contexts in a culturally responsive way.

  • Introduction to SEL
  • Embedding SEL School-wide
  • Creating a Professional Culture Based on SEL
  • Integrating SEL into Culturally Responsive Classrooms
  • Trauma-Informed SEL
  • Identifying and Selecting Evidence-Based SEL Programs

Aldine At-Home Learning Plan
Sites.google.com/aldineisd.org/aldine-emergency-response-plan/parents/socialemotional-learning-resources

CASEL Weekly Webinars
casel.org/weekly-webinars/

CharacterStrong (K-12)
Characterstrong.com

Sanford Harmony Sanford Inspire Free Online SEL PD (P-12)
online.sanfordharmony.org/?utm_source=LPI+Master+List&utm_campaign=5efefb017-LPIMC_COVID-19-Resources_20200319&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7e60dfa1d8-5efefb017-422915

Second Step (PK-8)

Second Step Bully Prevention Staff Training
https://cdn.secondstep.org/prod/bpu/module-2/scormcontent/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3oe-fgcxhjh4VqxCxQgUj6sQLQji_1_vVMAwv-zU3RH4brk4Q8zB4nWas#/

Second Step Live Webinars
Secondstep.org/webinars 

Second Step On-Demand Webinars
https://www.secondstep.org/webinars/on-demand-webinars

More Social and Emotional Learning Professional Development

Social and Emotional Elementary Website

Social and Emotional Learning Secondary Website

Social and Emotional Learning School Counseling Websites

Social Emotional Learning Books

  • Fostering Resilient Learners, Kristin Van Marter Souers with Pete Hall
  • Relationship, Responsibility, and Regulation, Kristin Van Marter Souers, Pete Hall, et al.
  • Behavior: The Forgotten Curriculum — An RTI Approach for Nurturing Essential Life Skills (Transform Your Differentiated Instruction, Assessment, and Behavior-Management Strategies), Chris Weber
  • Culturize:  Every Student. Every Day. Whatever It Takes., Jimmy Casas
  • Help for Billy: A Beyond Consequences Approach to Helping Challenging Children in the Classroom, Heather T. Forbes
  • Teaching to Strengths:  Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence and Chronic Stress, Debbie Zacarian, Lourdes Alvaraez-Ortiz, and Judie Hayes
  • All Learning is Social and Emotional:  The Hidden Curriculum
  • The Formative Five:  Fostering Grit, Empathy, and Other Success Skills Every Student Needs, Thomas R. Hoerr
  • The Morning Meeting Book, Roxann Kriete, and Carole Davis
  • Taking Social-Emotional Learning Schoolwide:  The Formative Five Success Skills for Students and Staff, Thomas R. Hoerr
  • Teaching to Empower:  Taking Action to Foster Student Agency, Self-Confidence, and Collaboration, Debbie Zacarian and Michael Silverstone
  • Relentless:  Changing Lives by Disrupting the Educational Norm, Hamish Brewer
  • Better Than Carrots or Sticks:  Restorative Practices for Positive Classroom Management, Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, et al.
  • Hacking School Discipline:  9 Ways to Create a Culture of Empathy and Responsibility Using Restorative Justice, Nathan Maynard, and Brad Weinstein

Social Emotional Learning Articles

https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/maintaining-a-positive-community-remotely/

Substance abuse in young people has increased in the pandemic.

Support your students with resources they’ll actually use:

  • MTV’s “16 and Recovering” is a multi-episode documentary showing the real-world struggles of addicted teens and how they’re reaching out for support.
  • The #RecoverTogether movement includes online meetings, podcasts and resources for youth in your area.
  • The Ripple Effects Teens Program offers evidence-based lessons that address alcohol, marijuana, vaping and opioid use, along with 400+ lessons on the personal triggers that lead to students’ picking up.

Rooted in social and emotional learning and positive youth development, WE Schools: WE Virtual Learning Center offers support for teachers and empowers young people to be their strongest selves: gaining the critical skills to be future-ready and compassionate citizens.

WE Wellbeing for Families and Caregivers Resources

WE Teacher Modules