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The EdTech Startup Show


Jul 24, 2020

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Today’s guest on The EdTech Startup Show Podcast is Sara Potler LaHayne, Founder and CEO of Move This World.

Move This World strengthens the mental, emotional, and social well-being of Pre-K to 12th grade students, educators, and families by building a daily practice of identifying, expressing, and managing our emotions in healthy ways.

The learning program has impacted over a million students across 30 states for more than 13 years. In addition to projecting the strategic and creative vision and direction of the organization, Sara is an advocate for mental health and social-emotional wellness for all children.

Move This World was largely conceived out of Sara’s own experiences growing up. It is this personal quality that defines the program’s unique approach to learning: Parents and teachers are encouraged to practice Social-Emotional Learning in their own lives; the program is continuously updated as it adapts to the ever-evolving realities of its end-users; and SEL is taught to become an ubiquitous part of schools’ learning cultures.

Questions for Sara Potler LaHayne

  • What is the vision-mission of Move This World?
  • How does Sara help teachers with Social-Emotional Learning?
  • How did Sara’s background lead to the founding of Move This World?
  • What can teachers do to incorporate SEL in remote or hybrid learning environments amid social distancing measures?
  • What are some great resources to learn more about SEL?
  • How do educators and school district leaders currently view SEL programs compared to a few years ago?
  • How can a school make SEL an ubiquitous part of their learning culture?
  • What can teachers and parents do to prepare their children to go back to school?
  • What has Sara learned through the years about the efficacy of an SEL program?

Highlights from the conversation

  • Those who apply SEL strategies in their own lives become more effective teachers in the classroom
  • Beyond allying yourself with mentors and advisors in your subject matter, work with builders and creators who have taken their ideas and made them real
  • COVID-19 made parents and teachers realize that resources and exercises must be as easy as possible to use
  • Two of the key components of the Move This World approach is the validation of thoughts, perspectives, and experiences; and making time for processing and reflection.
  • Satisfaction, engagement, and usage, though important for the end-user, does not mean efficacy. Impact is the key.

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