Select lessons from the College of Education Center on Disability Studies (CDS) Growing Pono Schools (GPS) curriculum are now available in the nationally recognized Panorama Playbook. GPS focuses on culture and place-based character education curricula and is funded by the USDOE Native Hawaiian Education Program. Lessons are co-developed with ALU LIKE, a Native Hawaiian serving organization whose mission is To kōkua Hawaiian Natives who are committed to achieving their potential for themselves, their families and communities.
The Playbook is Panorama Education’s professional learning library that connects educators with hundreds of instructional resources and strategies across academics, attendance, behavior, and social-emotional learning (SEL) to support students holistically and within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework.
“When students see their cultures and communities reflected in curriculum and school practices, they feel more valued and understood, which has a huge impact on their sense of belonging and overall engagement,” said Christina Gillen, Senior Professional Learning Director at Panorama. “We are honored to be partnering with Growing Pono Schools, the UH Mānoa College of Education, and the Hawai‘i State Department of Education to integrate locally-developed culture and place-based social-emotional learning (SEL) and character education resources into Panorama’s nationally recognized educational resource platform.”
The Hawai‘i State Department of Education (Department) facilitated the collaboration by introducing Panorama Education and GPS to one another. Fern Yoshida, from the Department’s Office of Student Support Services, said, “GPS lessons being included in Panorama’s Playbook supports the Department’s aim to provide our educators with SEL resources that resonate with the students of Hawai‘i and align with Nā Hopena A‘o (“HĀ”). The Hawai‘i Board of Education’s policy E-3 defines HĀ as the Department’s core values and beliefs in action. GPS lessons are a resource educators can tap into to support this policy.”
GPS lessons in the Playbook were selected to represent topics most responsive to feedback Panorama is hearing from Hawai‘i educators around a craving for strategies that support equity and inclusion through a focus on self, place, community, and belonging. They include strategies appropriate for both elementary and secondary grade levels, that are a low-lift for teachers to implement, and strengthen student-teacher and student-student connections.
Selected lessons are all Tier 1 strategies that are designed to be helpful to all students. Topics include:
Aloha Tree
Common Ground
Multiple Intelligences: Smart in Many Ways
My Mixed Plate
Perspectives: To Each Our Own
The Many Pieces of Me
Who I Am
Words to Live By
Educators can access these strategies and more by logging into Panorama’s Playbook or visiting Growing Pono Schools.
