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BECOOL: A SUPERIOR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING TOOL

BeCool: A Superior Social-Emotional Learning Tool


Alicia Marchini
University of Calgary

BECOOL: A SUPERIOR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING TOOL

BeCool: A Superior Social-Emotional Learning Tool


BeCool is a school-based program that targets elements of emotional intelligence,
including impulse control, empathy, and self-awareness. In particular, the program
teaches children how to be assertive, practice self-control and empathy, and respond to
conflict. BeCool utilizes Assertion Training, which models three different responses to
conflict. Specifically, program participants learn the difference between being aggressive
(i.e., blowing up or hot), passive (i.e., giving up or cold), and assertive (i.e., in
control or cool) through instructional DVDs that are accompanied by teacher guides,
as well as a puppet for younger students. The DVDs feature different modules, which
have diverse focuses that vary depending on the grade level. For example, the lower and
upper elementary students watch videos on coping with criticism, teasing, bullying, and
anger. However, students in upper elementary and lower middle school watch videos on
dealing with disrespect, failure/frustration, and rejection. Furthermore, the students in
upper middle school watch modules that are different from those in lower middle school,
as they learn about reacting to demands, intimidation, threats, and insolence.
Additionally, the hours of video instruction fluctuate, as the instructional time decreases
when students move into higher grade levels. In terms of cost, BeCool can be purchased
separately, according to grade level (i.e., lower elementary, upper elementary, upper
elementary/lower middle school, lower middle school, upper middle school, high school)
for $599.00 or in its entirety (i.e., all six programs) for $2995.00.
BeCool has various strengths in terms of its variations, flexibility and
applicability to students of various needs, and its cost. For example, the program includes
different variations that are developed to target specific grade levels. In this way, each

BECOOL: A SUPERIOR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING TOOL

program is age appropriate and related to the curriculum. A teacher guide is included in
the program, which is positive because all teachers will be able to easily use the program.
This is advantageous because schools or teachers can purchase the programs that are
suitable for the grade level(s) that apply to their students. As well, teachers can select
modules (e.g., responding to bullying) that they feel would be valuable for students to
learn during the times that s/he feels the students will most benefit from them. In addition
to regular classrooms, the BeCool program can be implemented in special education
classrooms. Due to the fact that a lack of self control is associated with various disorders,
such as ADHD, ASD, and ODD, this program can be used to assist these students in the
development of emotional intelligence at an age-appropriate level. Also, icons are used to
illustrate different responses, and these are beneficial for students who have lower
cognitive abilities or lack verbal skills to express their emotions. Another strength of the
BeCool program is its demonstration of opposing responses to conflict and the way in
which these responses can have negative consequences. In addition, the benefits of the
program outweigh the cost, as statistics show that the program results in an improvement
in several areas, including less bullying and fewer suspensions and time-out citations. As
such, the program is effective because its outcomes are positive and indicate the
development of emotional intelligence. Ultimately, its many variations, its flexibility, and
its positive outcomes, which outweigh the cost, contribute to the significant strength of
the program.
Despite these strengths, there is a noted limitation of BeCool in terms of evidence
for its efficacy. For instance, it can be argued that there is a lack of externally published
research that provides evidence for the programs effectiveness. Although the website and

BECOOL: A SUPERIOR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING TOOL

program catalog assert that BeCool is regarded as the top conflict management program
in America, there are no published works indicating such notion. Moreover, the website
and catalog claimed that BeCool led to a decrease in student suspensions by 50%, a
decline in the number of reported bullying cases by 500%, and a reduction in time-outs
by 66%. However, this was based on a study of one elementary school, which was
published by the company. As such, limited research is available to support BeCools
claims.
Although the main limitation suggested that the BeCool program did not have
enough evidence to support its effectiveness, there are other considerations that must be
taken into account when evaluating BeCool. For example, the research team that
developed and revised the program included individuals with their doctorates in
education or philosophy with specializations in special education, instructional
technology, assertion theory, behaviour theory, child development, and clinical
psychology. As such, this skilled team of experts devised the program and reviewed the
content of the videos and the style of delivery to ensure that it was age-appropriate and
accurate. Furthermore, the experts adjusted the BeCool program in consideration of
feedback from field evaluations that they conducted in order to make it more effective.
Also, although the efficacy claims of the website and catalog were based on participants
from one school, there was similar study conducted in Texas that involved approximately
300 students between the ages of 8 and 12. This study found a significant difference in
the means of pre-test and post-test scores, providing further support for its effectiveness.
It is also important to remember that the strengths of the BeCool program outweigh the
limitations. For example, the user-friendly program does not require training, which

BECOOL: A SUPERIOR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING TOOL

eliminates time and additional costs for teacher training sessions. Additionally, the
flexibility of the program enables teachers to implement various modules that are most
relevant to the lives of the students and most suitable for their cognitive abilities and
special needs. Moreover, the way in which the BeCool programs are divided allows for
programs to be purchased separately or all together for a reasonable cost. This cost is
justifiable because the program is effectively improves emotional intelligence, according
to research. Overall, the many strengths of the BeCool program are greater than the
limitations, particularly because the program was developed, evaluated, and revised by a
team of experts and led to positive results.
In comparison to another social and emotional learning program, called Voices,
BeCool is a superior program. The BeCool program teaches students that thoughts impact
behaviours, and it educates them about potential consequences of their actions. This
social and emotional learning program is easily implemented by teachers in the classroom
and is related to the curriculum and is age-appropriate. On the other hand, the Voices
program incorporates literacy and language arts with social and emotional learning. In
this way, it is more academic-based, as it includes read-aloud books, rather than videos.
As a result, it may not be appropriate for special education classrooms because it requires
academic skills. This is not an issue for BeCool, as the modules contain icons that
illustrate different responses, which enable students with lower cognitive/verbal abilities
to participate in the program. Also, the Voices program targets students who are in
kindergarten to grade six, which is a much smaller target group than that of BeCool.
Additionally, although Voices costs less than BeCool, it does not have as much material,
as it does not provide programs for middle school or high school students. Furthermore,

BECOOL: A SUPERIOR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING TOOL

both programs have limited research on efficacy; however, BeCool resulted in positive
effects in an external study conducted in Texas, whereas external research on Voices did
not show significant results to suggest that it is effective. Ultimately, it is evident that the
BeCool program is superior to Voices because, unlike Voices, it is suitable for students
with varying cognitive and academic levels and needs, it targets a wide age range, and its
efficacy is supported by the available research. As well, BeCool is reasonably priced, in
consideration of the amount of material it provides and the effectiveness of the program.

BECOOL: A SUPERIOR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING TOOL

Reference
Caouette, A., Chiu, K., & Davidson, B. (2015). Debate Presentation [PowerPoint slides].
Retrieved from https://d2l.ucalgary.ca/d2l/le/96925/discussions/posts/577618/Vi
ewAttachment?fileId=541923

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