Grazzia María Mendoza Chirinos

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47133/tegc_ch06 

ABSTRACT

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) was introduced in some educational settings during the 1960s (Comer, 1988). However, it was not until the 21st century that educators began implementing strategic actions to support SEL widely across schools. SEL skills are awareness of self and others, sound decision making, communication strategies, empathy with surroundings, and behavior traits. These skills build emotional foundations and support academic growth. An early inclusion of SEL can provide a holistic approach to help learners build tolerance, respect, and openness to the ideas, personalities, habits, customs, and traditions of other people. SEL also helps learners strengthen their resilience, assume intelligent control of their own emotions, and develop abilities to solve challenges effectively. In this chapter, you will learn about SEL. You will learn how to help students use SEL in crisis and conflict situations. You will also learn several strategies for implementing SEL-based activities in your classroom. 

Keywords: social emotional learning, tolerance, respect, resilience, crisis situations, solutions, emotional control

How to cite this chapter: 

Mendoza Chirinos, G. (2023). Supporting Learners’ Social Emotional Learning. In V. Canese & S. Spezzini (Eds.), Teaching English in Global Contexts, Language, Learners and Learning (pp. 88-97). Editorial Facultad de Filosofía, UNA. https://doi.org/10.47133/tegc_ch06 

INTRODUCTION

The Social Emotional Learning (SEL) movement has been driven by a vision for children, youth, and adults to thrive personally and academically, maintain positive relationships, engage in life-long learning, and contribute to a more just and caring world. As such, SEL is an integral part of human development and education. It is a process by which people develop skills, apply these skills, nurture healthy attitudes, manage emotions, and achieve goals not just for their own personal benefit but also for the collective well-being of others. SEL allows people to show empathy, maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible decisions based on care and trust.

In terms of academics, SEL promotes equity in education and allows learners to prosper through the support of a tripartite network: school, family, and community. This network strives to promote safe learning environments, valuable experiences, supportive collegiality, meaningful curriculum, effective instruction, and continuous assessment. SEL can serve to bridge gaps within contextual power dynamics, empower all stakeholders, and build agency for children and youth to construct healthy, safe, and fair communities where everyone comes together to co-create learning opportunities, make informed decisions, and solve problems.  

Background

In a study of over 200,000 children and youth who participated in SEL programs, Durlak et al. (2011) identified high levels of improvement in social and emotional skills. Their study took place in modern classrooms with diverse cultural contexts, ethnicities, languages, beliefs, and religions as well as varied identities, motivations, abilities, and skills. Across numerous settings, the schoolwide development of SEL skills was facilitated by school interventions that promoted well designed SEL programs and by school staff who effectively incorporated SEL approaches. Some findings suggested that developing social emotional competencies in students led to elements for convening, engaging, and empowering. Other findings suggested that these SEL programs contributed toward reducing behavioral issues, enhancing positive social attitudes, and increasing academic success. Based on how SEL can contribute toward these positive impacts, Durlak et al. recommended that educators, policy makers, and the public provide support for the healthy development of children and youth by incorporating well designed SEL programs into education (i.e., programs that are based on evidence from research) and by adopting these programs as standard practice. 

Several studies have generated findings indicating that SEL can produce a positive impact on outcomes, relationships, and well-being (Durlak et al., 2011). SEL can also influence behavior and attitudes of individuals as well as overall perspectives of others within the same context. Repeatedly, research has shown that SEL is critical for long term success at school and beyond because of how it prepares children and youth to meet academic expectations and face modern complexities (DePaoli et al., 2017; Weissberg et. al., 2015). Although SEL programming varies depending on context, the basic SEL tenets include processes through which “knowledge, attitudes and skills are applied to manage emotions, achieve positive goals, show empathy for others, and make responsible decisions” (Weissberg & Cascarino, 2013, pp. 8).

In addition to influencing positive behaviors, effective SEL programming has been shown to increase school attendance, improve academic results, and decrease emotional distress (DePaoli et al., 2017). Several studies have examined schools and classrooms in Latin America where English is taught and, also, where English is used to teach other subjects. After diagnosing their own context and challenges, these schools successfully implemented SEL programs (Melani et al., 2020). Findings from these settings suggest that their SEL programs exerted positive effects on learners’ self-concept, well-being, and school behavior as well as on academic performance—but to a lesser degree as shown by limited consistency across studies. In Honduras, anecdotal results suggest that SEL programming can support students for actively learning in school and, by doing so, has contributed toward increased retention overall. Such experiences also suggest that SEL programming has contributed toward preventing school-based violence. Similarly, SEL programming has been seen to positively influence the development of community cohesion.

Since 2016, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD; 2021) has been conducting surveys to determine the impact of SEL programs. Their findings have revealed relevant aspects regarding gender and social background. After participating in SEL programs, girls experienced higher levels of responsibility and achievement while boys experienced higher emotional skills such as stress resistance, optimism, and emotional control. Regarding social backgrounds, students from advantaged backgrounds often developed higher SEL skills. 

Among conclusions from these research studies, the short term SEL programs were seen as having positive outcomes and the long term SEL interventions as contributing to improvements within SEL domains. Subsequent studies have included independent replications in diverse contexts and geographic areas. These studies have been sufficiently rigorous to produce largely consistent results.

MAJOR DIMENSIONS

As a follow up from these studies, the OECD (2021) and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL; 2020) have identified six SEL domains, five student-level core competencies, and five program indicators. The SEL domains are as follows: 

• skills for identifying emotions, self-management, conflict and problem resolution, decision making, and related aspects;

• attitudes about self, one’s surroundings, and the social environment that includes helping others;

• positive social behavior that entails establishing relationships, showing concern, developing empathy, and building peace;

• problematic conduct that includes disruptive behaviors, aggression, and discipline issues; 

• emotional distress that includes depression, anxiety, stress, and social withdrawal; and 

• academic performance related to achievement (or lack thereof), test results, and academic competencies.

Based on these six SEL domains, CASEL (2020) identified five student-level core competencies. These five competencies are as follows:

• self-awareness—recognizing emotions and impact on behavior and acknowledging strengths and weaknesses; 

• self-management—assuming ownership of thoughts, emotions, and actions; 

• social awareness—exhibiting empathy and ethics in home, school, and community;

• relationship skills—maintaining healthy relationships, listening abilities, and conflict resolution; and 

• responsible decision-making—choosing how to act or respond by weighing consequences based on ethics and safety. 

These student-level competencies are illustrated as the five inner wedges in the CASEL Framework Wheel illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1

CASEL Framework Wheel.

Note. From “CASEL’S SEL Framework” by SEL Publications, 2020, (https://casel.org/casel-sel-framework-11-2020/). Copyright 2021 CASEL. Social and Emotional Learning Framework. All rights reserved. casel.org. Reprinted with permission.

On this CASEL Framework Wheel (Figure 1), SEL’s student-level competency wedges are surrounded by a circle. This circle is entitled “Classrooms: SEL instruction and classroom climate,” which represents SEL elements implemented as integral parts of classroom instruction. However, for these SEL classroom elements to be effective, they need to be part of a schoolwide SEL program as illustrated by the three outer circles on this Wheel. The first of these outer circles represents schools promoting schoolwide culture, practices, and policies. The next circle represents schools establishing authentic partnerships with families and caregivers. Finally, the outermost circle represents schools aligning their learning opportunities with communities.

This CASEL Framework Wheel guides schools in promoting schoolwide SEL by incorporating SEL elements into the academic, social, and personal aspects of learners as they move from grade to grade (Durlak et al., 2011). The overarching SEL goal is to prepare learners for future entry into the professional realm. By guiding schoolwide SEL programs and classroom based SEL elements, this Framework Wheel can positively support school environment and classroom climate as well as student behavior, achievement, and success. This framework can also support diversity in services and programs, promote cultural responsiveness, and provide space for the ongoing development of SEL skills. 

To support SEL domains in school-based SEL programs and to develop student-level SEL competencies, CASEL (2020, 2022) encourages the incorporation of five program indicators. These five indicators are as follows:

1. SEL must be explicit and integrated into academics with ample opportunity for application and practice. 

2. Youth must have a voice, be engaged in the process, and participate as decision makers and agents of change. 

3. The overall school climate (including the applied disciplines) must be supportive and must focus on relationship building and restorative discipline. 

4. SEL should focus on the entire education community and, by doing so, build family partnerships that are authentic, align to meet goals, and support learners to thrive within the school and beyond. 

5. An ongoing system for integrated support should focus on meeting learner needs and ensuring continual improvement. 

Most importantly, SEL is not just a few sporadic lessons, short talks, or webinars. For a SEL program to be effective, SEL-based activities must be incorporated systematically throughout the school curriculum, and their results must be monitored. 

PEDAGOGICAL APPLICATIONS

Based on the domains, competencies, and indicators described above, start implementing SEL in your own classroom at any grade level from pre-school through high school. An underlying premise is that the sooner SEL is implemented schoolwide, the more favorable its outcomes. For example, at the pre-school level, students can learn to share. In the elementary grades, they can learn to identify their strengths and weaknesses, express themselves openly and safely, and make agreements to avoid teasing and making snide remarks. In high school, they listen to others’ opinions and understand the rationale behind these remarks. Here, students also discuss important terms like empathy, justice, diversity, equity, and equality. 

For teaching English as a foreign language, you can integrate SEL through different types of activities and materials (Yagcioglu, 2017). For listening and speaking, the targeted SEL activity can be a song where, after listening, learners speak about ethical values and what people might do in different situations. For reading, the SEL activity can be reading a passage on happiness and what makes people feel positive. For writing, it can be using a prompt related to what learners appreciate.

When designing and implementing SEL-based activities in your classroom, use CASEL’s (2020) program indicators to inform your decision-making. Consider approaching this in different ways such as dedicating different portions of the day to SEL or making SEL a recurring theme throughout the curriculum, which, in turn, will guarantee that the core SEL competencies become more evident to learners. Support SEL by selecting SEL-related topics for journal writing activities, either individually or in pairs. When negotiating their writing, leaners engage with peers who can provide needed support at different stages of this SEL-based activity.

SEL can be well supported through class projects. Assign roles to learners such as historic characters who need to make ethical decisions or solve problems. Learners debrief the related conflicts, solutions, emotional implications, and ethical aspects. To monitor progress, create a chart and provide learners with a measurable way to map their achievement. Maximize the time you spend listening by focusing on what the learners are experiencing. Minimize the time you spend lecturing by playing down what you know as a teacher. In other words, focus on building relationships before developing theories and concepts. 

Another way is starting the day with check-ins where learners express themselves orally or in writing. For written check-ins, learners can put their responses in a box. Partnered reading and story time are good opportunities for learners to discuss feelings, ethics, and values. This can include the well-known strategy of having students change the story ending or adjust the response given by a certain character. Numerous options exist. For example, in partnered listening-speaking activities, include tasks for politely requesting something from the other partner and then for complimenting one another. To effectively integrate SEL in English classes, be intentional and target specific SEL aspects and domains. Moreover, when preparing SEL activities, consider two important aspects—a time for reflective writing and, also, a place for reflective thinking (e.g., calm, quiet corner).

Yet another way is creating a SEL community of practice (CoP; Wenger & Snyder, 2000). This CoP can be based in an individual classroom for students to share SEL challenges and successes or across a school for teachers to share best SEL practices and learn from each other (CASEL, 2022). These CoPs are safe places for students and teachers, respectively, to establish a support network with like-minded peers. CoPs also foster collaboration and bring SEL out of a silo, thus contributing to the intentional integration of SEL into your daily teaching practice. As such, CoPs are a space for all stakeholders to experience ongoing reflection and continuous improvement. 

Of utmost importance is that, by implementing SEL in your classroom and school, you can also help yourself. When designing and implementing SEL activities, you can further develop your own social competence and become more resilient (i.e., less prone to burnout). You can also 

• develop nurturing relationships with your learners, 

• serve as a behavioral role model for learners, and 

• self-regulate and manage your own emotions. 

In turn, you will be better able to build family and community partnerships with the goal of valuing norms, ensuring cultural representation, and providing an inclusive environment for decision-making and learner support. Through your work with SEL, you will contribute toward engaging the family and community and, by doing so, support the services they provide to learners. When all stakeholders work together on SEL, a lasting support network will be created for learners. 

In this chapter, you learned about SEL domains, student core competencies, and program indicators. You learned about designing and implementing SEL activities in your classroom and school. You also learned about discussing challenges, giving learners equal opportunities to succeed, and guiding them in self-reflection. SEL is both essential and enjoyable. Be sure to incorporate SEL in your classroom so that you and your learners can thrive and have fun.

Grazzia María Mendoza Chirinos, Education Specialist at USAID Honduras, supports the Ministry of Education regarding projects for quality education and safe learning spaces. With master’s degrees in international education (Framingham State University, USA) and teaching English to speakers of other languages (Francisco Morazán National Pedagogical University, Honduras), Grazzia has been a language educator, teacher trainer, and consultant for 29 years. She was recognized by the U.S. State Department for teacher professional growth projects and by the TESOL International Association for service (Virginia French Allen Service Award). Grazzia has served as a TESOL board member and Finance Committee Chair, founder/inaugural president of Honduras TESOL (HELTA), and president of the Latin American and Caribbean TESOL group. 

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5994-7813 

Email for correspondence regarding this chapter: grazziem01@yahoo.com

Cover Photo by Van Tay Media on Unsplash