Pear Deck Templates for School Counseling: Understanding Feelings
We’re proud to release a new set of Pear Deck templates designed for school counselors. These templates were contributed by counselor (and Pear Deck blog guest author) Michael Creekmore. We asked Michael to share a few words about why he developed this pack:
Feelings can be so complex, maybe even more so now than in years past. Acknowledging emotions often seems simple — until we experience difficulty recognizing those of others. This Deck was designed to help us identify and process how we can better care for our classmates, teachers, families, schools, and communities.
Let’s take a look at some of these new templates, and explore how you can use them with your own class; whether or not you’re a counselor, social-emotional learning can have a place in your lessons.
Using templates for social-emotional learning
It can be easier for students to recognize how their classmates are feeling with practice. You can use the provided faces, or insert photos if you prefer. For further practice, consider adding a new prompt and asking students to explain why they think that. What about the sad girl’s face makes her look sad? What about the happy boy’s face makes him look happy?
It may be easy for students to imagine having empathy for someone “like them” — such as another student in their age group — but it can be trickier to imagine showing empathy to others (for example, people older than them). Use this slide to encourage them to think about what that would look like. If students are struggling, try using the Teacher Feedback tool to prompt their thinking. You, or their classmates, may be able to help them recall an experience they had forgotten.
Once students understand the concept of empathy, you can discuss the different types. They can use this slide to reflect on which type of empathy feels most natural to them. You can also ask them to reflect on whether they think one type or another is a more balanced one. What would be the benefits and drawbacks of truly feeling another person’s emotions? Is it important to always offer help, or are there times when it might be best to just listen without judgment?
Be sure to check out the Pear Deck Orchard for more ready-made templates and lessons.
