“Noble is the person who embraces life as a gift, cherishes friendships and relationships, and makes a positive impact in society. I don’t know about you, but I want to leave this world a better place than I found it.” - Nick Vujicic
THE NOBLE SHIFTS
From:
Insecure students who focus on their weaknesses. They believe a person is either born smart or not.
To:
Confident Students who leverage their strengths. They believe that being smart is achieved with hard work.
From:
Passive Students who allow others to tell them what to feel, think, do, and believe. they let their emotions control them, too.
To:
Proactive Students who manage their own emotions, thoughts and behaviors.
From:
Students who demonstrate respect and compassion only for people who are like them.
To:
Students who demonstrate respect and compassion for all people, even when it is not popular to do so.
From:
Students who are socially awkward. They might even allow themselves to be in negative, unhealthy relationships.
To:
Students who are comfortable in social situations. They establish and maintain positive, healthy relationships.
From:
Students who act without considering the consequences for themselves or others. They do what they want to do, no matter what.
To:
Students who make responsible decisions. they weigh the "what-ifs" when making decisions.
Aligned to the five CASEL competencies (Self-Awareness; Self-Management; Social Awareness; Relationship Skills; Responsible Decision-Making), the Noble Shifts integrate the skills, behaviors and mindsets that define them. After all, this is how it works in real life.Think of the competencies as the spokes of a wheel. If one isn’t working, your tire might be flat, making things more difficult to move forward.
We recognize that students are in different places in each of these areas. We also recognize that the shifts take on new meaning as children grow up. For example, children explore different kinds of relationships as they mature. They also face decisions with greater long-term consequences. Our goal is to support them in making progress from where they are right now at every age.
THE NOBLE Actions and Techniques
To support the Noble Shifts, students learn about and apply 8 Noble Actions that align to the five SEL competencies.The Noble Actions provide the framework or umbrella for the Noble Techniques,or SEL skills, that students repeatedly practice throughout the AIA experience.
In grades K-2, 14 Noble Techniques are introduced, taught, practiced and monitored in:
- Teacher Lesson Plans
- Community Circle /Class Check-Ins
In grades 3-8, 18 Noble Techniques are introduced, taught, practiced and monitored in:
- Teacher Lesson Plans
- Online Student Tutorials
- Student Action Steps
Some of the techniques grow in sophistication in new grade-levels while others remain the same over time. Most of the techniques introduced in K-2 are also re-taught and practiced in grades 3-8.
In high school, the Noble Techniques translate into applicable, real-world actionable skill-sets for strategic and innovative thinking and solutions-oriented approaches to problem-solving. These skill sets are referred to collectively as a Noble Focus.
