Nick Haisman-Smith

Executive Director of the Institute for Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Workshop Information:

This session will explore what it really takes for schools to move SEL from “another initiative” to something that’s fully embedded in the fabric of teaching and learning. 

We’ll look at how leadership practices can make the work stick. 

Through stories, case studies, and practical tools, we’ll share what’s working in schools and how leaders can create the conditions for SEL and wellbeing to become a shared, sustainable part of school culture.

This experiential workshop offers high-impact strategies and resources to build an equity-rooted, whole-community approach to SEL and wellbeing - that isn’t just ‘another thing on your plate’. 

The workshop will focus on three main themes:

1. The rationale and practices to ensure SEL and wellbeing approaches are rooted in equity and inclusion. 

2. Framing SEL primarily as an approach to all teaching and learning, supported by an articulated program and curriculum.  

3. Pedagogical approaches to integrate SEL and wellbeing into all classes and subjects

Participants will leave with practical and creative resources that are flexible and adaptable, including lesson plans, case studies, and self-reflection tools. Moreover, you’ll leave with a sense of joy and connection that will amplify your commitment to SEL and wellbeing

Session Outcomes:

1. Participants will leave with a practical framework and adaptable tools (including lesson ideas, planning templates, and case studies) to embed SEL and wellbeing into everyday classroom practice — across subjects, age groups, and contexts.

2. Participants will gain strategies to lead equity-rooted SEL integration in their school communities, including ways to build shared language, align with teaching and learning goals, and ensure SEL is sustained as a whole-school approach rather than a short-term initiative.

Biography:

Nick Haisman-Smith (he/him) is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Institute for Social and Emotional Learning and a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Bristol, focusing on SEL and Educator Belonging. Nick supports schools and districts around the world to activate evidence-led best practices for SEL. At the core of his vision for SEL in education are the beliefs that SEL must be rooted in equity and school culture, and that schools must take a whole-community approach to make SEL sustainable. Prior to co-founding IFSEL in 2009, Nick taught upper-elementary through to high school in the UK, South Africa, and the USA.

He has presented and given keynotes at conferences around the world, including The Sunday Times Festival of Education (UK), Talks at Google (UK), Practical Pedagogies (Germany), Future of Education Now (China), National Association of Independent Schools (USA) and the CASEL SEL Exchange (USA). He is a Zinc Inflection Fellow, and Member of the British Psychological Society. Nick’s latest publication is “Building and Sustaining a Whole-Community Approach to Equity-Rooted SEL.” in Social-Emotional Learning: Strategies, Development and Educational Impact, edited by S. Riley Ordu, 105–124. New York: Nova Science Publishers.