Social-Emotional Learning In The Classroom

By Grace Minor

Learning Targets:

Students should be able to define social-emotional learning (SEL)
Students should be able to explain how SEL affects education now
Students should be able to identify the problems within it

1 out of 5 school-age children have a diagnosable emotional, behavorial or mental health disorder.

1 out of 10 have problems so severe that they impair how they function at home, school, or in the community.

With statistics this alarming (Association for Children's Mental Health, 2019), something must be done in order to provide education to students about their emotional and mental health. When it comes to modern education, this "something" appears to be Social-Emotional Learning.

Image courtesy of The Pennsylvania State University.

These preschoolers are learning
how to understand emotions and their differences!↑

So, what is SEL?

Social-Emotional Learning is a form of collaborative education in which teachers help their students learn more about their emotions and how to manage them effectively (Brown and Denham, 2010). Using SEL, students can gain knowledge about many key social and emotional skills that are crucial for their successful emotional development.

Focusing in on specific areas such as self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness and relationship skills, SEL is used to help students learn how to manage their feelings in a healthy, positive way that will ultimately help them in all areas of their lives.

Take 1 min

Watch these elementary school teachers provide examples of teaching social-emotional

learning...

How does it currently affect education?

Within research conducted involving the implementation of SEL in schools, it was found that:

Social-emotional learning has been shown to have significantly positive results for both the students and educators involved in the process (Bouffard and Jones, 2012). In a classroom setting which embodies social-emotional learning, not only do the students thrive, but also those that teach them.

Here are some examples of
some current popular SEL programs:

What are the problems within it?

SEL programs are a lot to handle. For a lot of schools, SEL programs often require such a broad amount of resources that they simply can't provide them (Becker et al, 2019).

Even if given proper resources, teachers can't take on the added responsibility of teaching SEL. Not only does learning how to teach these programs to students take up valuable time, but including SEL within the rest of the curriculum that students have to learn in each class is almost impossible for many teachers.

Even within current SEL programs, many are confused as to what exactly should be taught due to the varied and broad curriculum (Doolittle and Jones, 2017). Because so many new elements have been added, educators haven't been able to focus in on any specific aspects to improve on.

Reflection & Conclusion

Social-Emotional Learning, a learning strategy aimed at teaching students more about their emotional and mental health, is beneficial to both the students and teachers within a classroom setting. As a recent high school student myself, I can agree with the notion that emotionally-aware teachers have greater success implementing SEL because my best teachers were those who could emotionally connect with their students; however, I must also consider the issues that are currently preventing SEL from becoming more mainstream. As a future educator myself, I feel that the next generation should aim to implement Social-Emotional Learning within their classrooms for the sake of the well-being of the students involved. Even with the areas that still need improvement, the substantial progress that has been made already is enough for me as a future teacher to support the implementation of social-emotional learning within our schools.

End Questions:

Which option below can NOT be considered a result of current Social-Emotional Learning? (Knowledge)

a. Being successful academically

b. Getting into more colleges

c. Having a better understanding of emotions

d. Maintaining healthier friendships

Mrs. Smith wants to teach her students more about their social and emotional health. Which classroom activity below could she use below that would most likely incorporate aspects of social-emotional learning? (Application)

a. Group project

b. Pop quiz/exam

c. Reading assignment

d. Solo presentation

1b, 2a

References

Association for Children's Mental Health. (2019, March 10). Problems at school: Association for Children's mental health. ACMH. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from http://www.acmh-mi.org/get-help/navigating/problems-at-school/.

Jones, S.M. and Bouffard, S.M. (2012), Social and Emotional Learning in Schools: From Programs to Strategies and commentaries. Social Policy Report, 26: 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2379-3988.2012.tb00073.x

Jones, S. M., & Doolittle, E. J. (2017). Social and Emotional Learning: Introducing the Issue. The Future of Children, 27(1), 3–11. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44219018

Lawson, G.M., McKenzie, M.E., Becker, K.D. et al. The Core Components of Evidence-Based Social Emotional Learning Programs. Prev Sci 20, 457–467 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-018-0953-y

Susanne A. Denham & Chavaughn Brown (2010) “Plays Nice With Others”:Social–Emotional Learning and Academic Success, EARLY EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT,21:5, 652-680, DOI: 10.1080/10409289.2010.497450

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