Social-Emotional Learning

Topics:

• Self-Management and Self Awareness
• Responsible Decision-Making
• Relationships and Social Awareness
• Social-Emotional Learning for Leaders

Overview:

Social-Emotional Learning is the practice of equipping students with skills and strategies to understand their own emotional response to situations, navigate interpersonal relationships with peers and adults, and ultimately develop the independent decision-making skills and resilience needed to be successful beyond the classroom. 

In many schools, the emphasis on test scores can make it tempting for teachers to focus solely on content. However, taking a step back and supporting students to acknowledge and understand themselves as people - individual people and also people who are also members of a larger community - can help create a more positive context in which students can learn and thrive.. As we live in a country in which our public education system has contributed to and perpetuates structural inequalities, it is increasingly important to develop social-emotional skills in teachers and students that will help them to confront those inequalities. A growing body of research shows that students supported in social-emotional learning programs develop social skills and emotional well-being as well as improved school outcomes.

What We Believe:

We believe that school leaders should cultivate social-emotional skills in their faculty which, in turn, directly supports the collective wellbeing of the students and teachers. 

We believe that in order to set students up for success in their futures, teachers must ensure that students learn and practice social-emotional skills and habits of success while they are in school, and that teachers employ these same practices..

We believe that teaching social-emotional skills to students, especially in making decisions that promote collective wellbeing, will create a healthy learning environment and community.

BetterLesson Blog Posts: 

• Larkin, Hannah. Building Social Emotional Learning and Habits of Success into your Classroom. December 13, 2018.

• Larkin, Hannah. Building Gratitude into Your Classroom. November 29, 2018.

• Larkin, Hannah. Navigating the Holiday Season with Students. November 20, 2018.

• Roehm, Leigh Ann. Building Meaningful Relationships is at the Heart of Teaching Students with Disabilities. October 25, 2018.

• Finley, Kate. How To Use Empathy To Address Plagiarism. July 24. 2018.

External Resources:

• Applied Learning Sciences: McGraw-Hill Education. "Building Social and Emotional Learning into the School Day: Five Guiding Principles."

• Belfield, Clive et al. "The Economic Value of Social and Emotional Learning." Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education. Teachers College, Columbia University. 2015.

• CASEL. "2013 CASEL Guide: Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs - Preschool and Elementary School Edition." 2013.

• CASEL. "2015 CASEL Guide: Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs - Middle and High School Edition." 2015.

• CASEL. "Resources: SEL Implementation Tools and Resources." 2018.

• Clayton, Victoria. "The Psychological Approach to Educating Kids." The Atlantic. 2017.

• Committee for Children. "Why Social and Emotional Learning and Employability Skills Should Be Prioritized in Education." 2016.

• Durlak, Joseph A. et al. "The Impact of Enhancing Students' Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions." Child Development 82:1. 2011.

• Harris, Adam. "How to Turn Schools Into Happier Places." The Atlantic. 2019.

• Jackson, Lori et al. "Managing the Classroom by Teaching Emotional Regulation." ASCD. 2018.

• Jones, Damon E. et al. "Early Social-Emotional Functioning and Public Health: The Relationship Between Kindergarten Social Competence and Future Wellness." American Journal of Public Health 105:11. 2015.

• Nazerian, Tina. "Rocket Fuel: How Schools Can Create a Positive, SEL-friendly School Culture." EdSurge. 2018.

• Schwartz, Katrina. "Setting School Culture With Social And Emotional Learning Routines." Mindshift. 2018.

• Selingo, Jeffrey J. "Forget coding. It's the soft skills, stupid. And that's what schools should be teaching." Washington Post. 2018.

• Taylor, Rebecca D. et al. "Promoting Positive Youth Development Through School?Based Social and Emotional Learning Interventions: A Meta?Analysis of Follow?Up Effects." Child Development 88:4. 2017.

• Terada, Youki. "The Science Behind Student Stress." Edutopia. 2018.

• Transforming Education. "Insights From The Field: Facilitating Dialogue And Learning Within A Research-Practice Partnership On Social-Emotional Learning." 2018.

• Transforming Education. "Introduction to SEL Toolkit." 2018.