Thoughts on SMoLL Steps Framework from board member Dr. Deborah Taylor
I’ve enjoyed a 40-year career as an educator: a teacher, a principal, a college professor, and a university administrator. The various roles I’ve held have required developing the expertise to evaluate curriculum, pedagogy, and how both directly impact student learning. Being inspired by the educational mission of Justice Rising and subsequently joining the Justice Rising board, I was intrigued by the SMoLL Steps framework. I wanted to identify which factors led to its remarkable results in protracted conflict zones—over 4,000 students being able to outperform the national averages. I found the following aspects to be most impressive:
The blend of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation woven through the SMoLL Steps framework
Neuroscience research has confirmed that the best and most permanent learning occurs when teachers connect lessons to students’ interests (intrinsic) while also providing incentives for their performance (extrinsic). This enables the student to make meaningful connections between their lives and what they are learning. The strategic use of behavioral science principles in the teacher training model
Justice Rising trains local teachers who are connected to the culture and language via 3 steps:
Step 1: experienced teachers model curriculum instruction
Step 2: new teachers observe practical demonstrations of how the curriculum is implemented in a classroom setting
Step 3: new teachers practice teaching in trios to receive support and feedback. The holistic nature of the framework, underpinned by an intentionally human centric design
SMoLL Steps framework prioritizes each student’s well-being which ensures that each child feels safe at school and throughout the learning process. As a result, students in these crisis-ridden environments are empowered to learn and develop in holistic ways.
As a result of these key components, Justice Rising partners can confidently say the SMoLL Steps framework provides the stability needed to give each student a good day at school, every day. Most educators would agree that this furnishes the foundational basis necessary to ensure deeper learning, but it also contributes to the long-term benefit of the kind of citizens who will seek peace and actively contribute to building cultural goodness in their adult lives.
Deborah Taylor, Ph.D.
K-12 educator (1988-2001)
University professor (2001-2015)
University Provost and Senior Vice President (2015-2022)