Compared
Second Step and VEN Method
Different tools for different jobs. This page describes Second Step only from its public positioning and makes no claim about it we cannot back; for its pricing and details, use its own site.
Second Step · Committee for Children
A published, scripted social-emotional learning curriculum — lessons with videos, discussion and activities that a teacher delivers in dedicated SEL time across a school year, with materials and training bought by the school.
VEN Method
A teacher-led ritual for the whole class, one round per pair (about three minutes each, for as long as the teacher chooses): a secret colour, three seconds of eye contact, one question both answer while everyone listens. The method itself is published free under CC BY-SA; the software is $1 per student per month.
| VEN Method | Second Step | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | A teacher-led ritual for the whole class, one round per pair (about three minutes each, for as long as the teacher chooses): a secret colour, three seconds of eye contact, one question both answer while everyone listens. | A sequenced curriculum of scripted lessons delivered by the teacher in dedicated SEL time. |
| Where it runs | On the classroom screen from the teacher’s laptop. Students bring nothing and have no accounts. | Printed and digital lesson materials, videos, family resources. |
| What students do | Stand up in pairs, look at each other, answer out loud. Everyone else practises listening. | Watch, discuss, do activities and worksheets as a class. |
| What the teacher does | Plans in two minutes, approves every question one by one, runs the rounds, watches the room. | Prepares and delivers a lesson from the script; schedules SEL time. |
| Data and monitoring | A first name per student, pairings, timings, the teacher’s private ratings and 1–5 check-out answers. No cameras, microphones, monitoring or alerts. | Lesson completion and programme materials; see their site for details. |
| Evidence | One six-week controlled pilot at a single Danish school (800 students, not randomised): cohesion +29% vs +3.1% in control; unexcused absence −18% vs +2%. Under ESSA that supports Tier 4, a research-based rationale — not Tier 1 or 2. Details and limitations. | A long research record for the programme family; see their site. |
| Price | The method is published free under CC BY-SA 4.0 and can be run with paper. The software is $1 per student per month. | Licensed per school or district; see their site. |
Can you use both?
Yes, and it is a natural fit. A curriculum teaches the vocabulary; the ritual is the daily practice. Schools that already own a curriculum use VEN Method as the daily practice where children actually do the thing the lesson described.
Which one?
Choose a curriculum if you need a scoped, sequenced programme for dedicated SEL periods. Choose VEN Method if you want a practice that fits inside the lessons you already teach and gives you a number for whether the room is changing.
See it in a room, not a table.
The home page runs a round the way a class sees it, and the whole method is published free.