Staff member shares the impact of emotional literacy on student interactions

Beatrix Roeller, administrative coordinator in the School of Engineering, recently presented at the 36^th University-Wide Teaching Conference at Tufts University. Following this year’s theme of “Reconnecting, Reengaging, and Cultivating Relationships”, Roeller focused on emotional literacy for her presentation. 

While traditional learning happens between faculty and students in the classroom, many staff members have student-facing roles that can impact student learning as well. Drawing on her expertise in student interaction and support as well as over a decade of experience in community mediation, Roeller outlined the benefits of needs-based communication for staff when working with students. According to her presentation, viewing interactions from a place of meeting one another’s needs can help people to overcome potential differences and barriers to working together. 

Each year, the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching at Tufts University (CELT) holds the conference to share research, insights, and knowledge about teaching across the Tufts community. The overall theme changes each year to address the most current and relevant topics in teaching. This year centered on relationships. “Connection and engagement with our learning, our scholarship, and each other are essential components of the Tufts community. Yet, in today’s world there are so many factors that inhibit or disrupt deep and meaningful connections,” wrote the organizers in the conference program. This year’s conference included both virtual and in-person components on Tufts’ Boston campus. 

Roeller presented in her capacity as a Social Emotional Learning for Equity and Civic Teaching (SELECT) Fellow. The program is another CELT initiative, led by Lecturer Deborah Donahue Keegan of the Department of Education. A cohort of 18 SELECT Fellows from across Tufts’ schools and programs meet monthly in a year-long program designed to facilitate social emotional learning at Tufts. Faculty members and staff in student-facing roles learn best practices and ways to integrate social emotional learning into their interactions with students. Moving forward, Roeller plans to use what she learned in the course and continue sharing her insights with fellow staff and faculty.