Social Emotional Learning Articles- The word “social and emotional learning” (SEL) describes how children gain social and emotional competencies. These abilities include goal-setting, stress management, emotional regulation, responsible decision-making, and cultivating wholesome relationships.

Despite the widespread belief that children pick up these abilities organically as they mature, some may find it difficult. This may result in behavioral problems that affect their learning and academic success.

Many schools now offer SEL programs from pre-kindergarten through high school to address this issue. These educational efforts seek to impart these vital abilities to kids.

Teaching social and emotional skills is similar to teaching arithmetic, according to LaKisha Hoffman, MSW, social worker and Senior Director of School and Community Programs at the Child Mind Institute. She points out that rather than penalizing kids for misbehaving, we should teach them how to control their feelings, just as we teach them arithmetic when they do not know it.

What are the basic social-emotional skills?

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), which coined the term “social and emotional learning” (SEL) more than 20 years ago, is the name of one popular framework for SEL.

Five interconnected areas of knowledge make up SEL, according to the CASEL framework:

Self-awareness is the capacity to identify and comprehend one’s own feelings and ideas and how they impact one’s actions.

Social awareness is the capacity to observe things from multiple angles and to have empathy and respect for other people.

Making morally sound decisions about one’s conduct and social relationships is referred to as responsible decision-making.

Self-management is the ability to control one’s feelings and impulses, healthily deal with stress, and establish and pursue personal objectives.

Relationship skills: These comprise the capacity to build and maintain gratifying, healthy bonds with other people.

The CASEL framework offers a thorough method for helping people of all ages build these skills. Teachers and parents may help children and young adults develop the skills they need to overcome obstacles in life, form wholesome relationships, and achieve both academically and personally by concentrating on these areas.

How can parents support their child with SEL at home?

The social-emotional development of children is greatly influenced by the way parents model and support SEL competencies at home. Parents are their children’s first teachers. If families and schools collaborate, they can also share information about what works best for each unique child.

Hoffman says, “I think the partnership between parents and schools is really important.” “Students are learning skills in school that they can use at home, and parents can communicate with teachers about things that are really effective at home but that they may not even consider SEL skills.”

For instance, a parent could inform the teacher that their child finds it easier to manage their feelings at home when they meditate or concentrate on taking deep breaths. After that, the teacher could figure out how to use this activity in the classroom if needed.

He says, “We have to really value the expertise of the home as well as the school.”

What to do if you think your child needs additional SEL support

If you think your child is having trouble with social and emotional skills, the first thing you should do is talk to their teacher about it. The teacher can look at their progress and tell you if they need more SEL help.

As per Dr. Mendel, “It is great that all kids get SEL instruction—these are skills that will help them be successful in their lives.” We would look at their utility, though, to see if they might need more than what they are getting now. Are their grades getting worse? How are they doing in school? How do they get along with their friends? Are they fighting a lot? Can they handle their anger, sadness, or worry without letting it get in the way of their daily lives?

If they are having trouble with their behavior or schoolwork, making a behavior intervention plan or getting therapy at school might help. Dr. Mendel also says it is important to try to figure out if any deeper issues cause your child’s behavior. For example, a child who is really upset and angry might act out around other kids, and this behavior might be mistaken for a simple lack of basic social skills. On the other hand, someone with ADHD may find it very hard to control their feelings because they are impulsive. For your child to do well, getting help from a mental health professional for these issues may be important.

New Findings on SEL

This meta-analysis was the first of its kind to look at a number of SEL topics in a thorough way that had not been done before. It led to new knowledge that will change how civic engagement and school safety are practiced, researched, and governed in the future. When it comes to safety and experiences with school climate, talking about ways to help kids feel and be comfortable learning in school is at the top of the list. The most important thing that this in-depth study showed was that SEL programs made students feel safer and more included at school, which was the major effect that was looked at.

This study may be the first to separate the statistically significant differences between prosocial behaviors (like being a good friend) and civic behaviors and attitudes (like knowing about current events, social justice, civic processes and systems, and moral or ethical reasoning). Both of these areas got better after SEL programs were put in place. The results show that SEL can help make schools safer and healthier places for kids in grades K–12. This is because students’ academic, personal, and social growth are all affected by healthy environments and habits. These results only scratch the surface of the extra supporting data for SEL in the newly filed report.

Incorporating SEL into academics: It’s complicated

A study by the EdWeek Research Center found that almost half of teachers (46%) say they do not have enough time to teach these soft skills because they are also trying to help kids catch up in school during the pandemic.

Jones, for example, starts each day’s lessons with what she calls “roundtable conversation time.” This is a time for her students to talk about anything going on in their lives, especially if it is making it hard for them to learn.

At first, the program was part of her school’s plan to focus more on SEL when classes started up again after the pandemic came to an end. She was told to use the time to improve her reading skills more lately, however. Still, Jones has mostly kept up the conversations and has sometimes linked them to the books she is teaching.

She said, “We really do not have enough time to reach my ideal goal of spending much more than 15 minutes on social and emotional learning.” “I can see the tears coming out if I can find an article, short story, or book that they can read and relate to.” We are going to take a break and talk about it. Moreover, I love the answers they give.

What are the 5 concepts of social emotional learning?

The following descriptions of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) are from CASEL. They address five broad, interrelated areas of competence and provide examples for each: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

The model shows five areas of social and emotional competence that are important for mental health growth. Each skill area has several parts. Effective SEL application also includes giving kids and teens chances to practice and generalize the skills and teaching those skills on purpose.

The best way to teach SEL is to focus on helping kids, and teens learn the skills they need to improve their knowledge and skills in school and early childhood education. The process continues throughout school.

What is the purpose of social emotional learning?

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a strengths-based, developmental process that begins at birth and evolves across the lifespan (Weissberg et al., 2015). It is the process through which children, adolescents, and adults learn skills to support healthy development and relationships.

What is SEL (social and emotional learning), and why does the school care about it? People in school who say things like “This is stupid” or “Why are we learning this?” are some of the worst things they could say to you. Remember the things that made you the most angry when you were in school.

You and your students might agree on one thing: You both wish you had been given clear reasons for why things were important and how mastering a skill or field will help you now and in the future. Dealing with anger, learning good ways to deal with problems, and being polite to others are some of the main ideas behind social-emotional learning, or SEL.

In today’s world, which is becoming more and more diverse, kids often meet people with different backgrounds, views, and skills for the first time in school. Social and emotional learning (SEL) tries to help students understand their feelings and thoughts better, become more self-aware, and show more compassion for people in their community and around the world. This helps make up for these differences and gives every student the same chance to do well.

What are the 4 C’s of social and emotional learning?

Breakout EDU games require students to utilize their Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills, as well as Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, and Creativity (The 4Cs).

People worldwide are facing a wide range of problems and crises. Many are in a hurry to meet their people’s needs and figure out their own problems. It is very important to understand that people’s actions cause all problems in society, not just political or natural ones.

There is a link between how people act, what they make, and how they connect, as well as the many problems we face today. School districts could create programs that encourage better behavior, stop bad or troublesome exchanges, and help make people more aware. At NIA, we have chosen to focus on four important traits or skills: courage, compassion, consciousness, and control. We are sure that these will change and improve the way our kids feel about other people and the world. We believe these will make everyone better, not just Muslim groups.

What are the 5 main areas of SEL?

The five SEL competencies (self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills), are vital to the teaching and understanding of social and emotional learning at school.

When you start using social-emotional learning (SEL), it can help to focus on just a few SEL traits that are most important to the teachers and students at your school.

Because of this, many district and school officials use the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework. CASEL lists five basic social and emotional learning skills that can be taught in various ways in any school or area.

In this guide, you will find the five basic SEL competencies, along with their meanings and examples from real life. We also include low-lift SEL activities, methods, and teaching practices that you can use right away in your school to help adults and students with SEL for each key competency. 

What are the 3 R’s of social emotional learning?

Embedded at the core of positive psychology, and emotional learning, are the three R’s of emotional literacy: Regulation, Reconstruction, and Resilience.

Emotional learning and positive psychology are based on the three R’s of emotional literacy: Regulation, Reconstruction, and Resilience.

To control their feelings, students learn how to turn a bad mood into a good one, just like they would with a baseball card. Reconstructing negative feelings is a skill that you need to be able to get strong and positive emotional responses. Students learn how to break down negative emotions in order to make good ones. When students can handle different and conflicting feelings, they become emotionally stronger. They become more calm, capable and resilient.

It is easier for students to make and keep friends if they are emotionally grown and able to handle their feelings. A strong emotional connection makes you more compassionate and committed to making interpersonal contributions that are satisfying for both the other person and yourself. It also boosts your sense of self-worth, which keeps the closed loop of emotional regulation going.

School teachers have a big impact on how Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs are run and how well they work. The study’s goal was to find out what teachers in a rural elementary school with many needs thought and felt about SEL adoption.

Fifteen educators—social workers, special education teachers, classroom teachers, and school managers—participated in this qualitative study. The researchers also watched classes and took notes on 17 different days over two semesters.

From the inductive analysis and ongoing comparison of the data, six themes emerged: the importance of SEL for academic success, how it can be used to improve everyday skills, problems with time constraints, a lack of professional development and preparation, issues with relationships between home and school, and student resistance.