I Don't Know What to Say, I Have No Words: How Can We Explicitly Teach and Cultivate Language to Express Our Emotions?

Introduction

The series of four books entitled “I am like a Tree,” which use the parts of the tree as a metaphor to cultivate emotional understanding of Self and others, will improve practice and learning in inclusive learning communities. This resource is offered as a tool for educators working to implement the principles of Universal Design for Learning, especially the principle of Multiple Means of Engagement. The metaphor and the ‘Ways of Being’ described can be a tool for members of a safe learning environment to support dialogue needed to thrive as a community. The metaphor and common language will support learners to self-regulate and recognise the need for each member to feel that they belong with dignity. When members belong in the learning community and find ways to self-regulate, learning is optimal. The authors of the series posit that the metaphor, the stories, and the educational resources included in each book will provide a tool for educators as they attempt to create inclusive learning communities.

There is a process to this chapter that starts with a story from the point of view of a practicing teacher faced with the daunting task of teaching a diverse group of students. This teacher discovers the “I am like a Tree” series in a teacher magazine. After the story, there is a description of the background of the series of four books and the educational resources coupled with background information on the principles of engagement in UDL. The issues, controversies, and problems of inclusion follow in the ‘Main Focus of the Chapter’ with the goal of supporting a teacher in their practice of including every student in a diverse learning community. The metaphor of ‘Tree’ creates common language that a community can use to navigate the complex emotions of members of learning communities. The complex emotions create energy in the classroom and finding ways to harness the energy and remain self-regulated and ready to learn is an everyday challenge. Finally, there are some ideas for future research.

In the author’s experience it is rare to find tools to support the implementation of the principle of engagement from Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and she offers a metaphor and four books as a practical tool. These four books are entitled “I am like a Tree” written by Kerry Armstrong and Terri Mack and illustrated by Lisa Shim. (Armstrong & Mack 2020a,b,c,d). Each of the four books follows characters in conversations which highlight belonging with dignity, and self-awareness. The key points of this chapter are about how an educator might be able to use these four books to design an inclusive learning community where each member is engaged in learning with dignity.

The first section is a scenario presented in the role of an educator attempting to use the book called “I am like a Tree, Leaves and Branches: A story of Belonging and Growth” (Armstrong & Mack, 2020c). It is written as an internal dialogue of the teacher’s thinking as she reads through the book, to highlight and demonstrate how to use these books to cultivate social emotional growth and the UDL Guideline: Multiple Means of Engagement. The story of this resource is from a teacher’s point of view so that the reader can utilize these four books as a practical and strategic tool that would be an immediate support to their practice.