Week 4 - Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Instructional Technology

August 9, 2022

SEL: Why is it important that educators focus on SEL (social and emotional learning)? How can you support your students’ SEL?

I think now more than ever, it is important for schools and educators to put an emphasis on ‘social and emotional’ learning in our classrooms. Covid’s isolation and the negative effects that resulted show no prejudice throughout every facet of our daily life, and education is no exception. In this post pandemic climate, the ubiquitous social and emotional ineptness that exists in our students is undeniable and present across all grade levels, in general and special education students alike. For the last two years, I feel like educators and students have been playing ‘emotional catch-up’, as teachers have been working diligently to equip and reacquaint their students with skills necessary for social interaction inside and outside of the classroom. They have been implementing lessons and programs that focus on SEL to help in this process, albeit a slow one.

Working in a ‘behavioral classroom’ with 4th and 5th graders, one of the SEL tools that we utilize is a program called Silas. This is an interactive platform in which students create their own avatars to represent themselves, and then create dialogue between each other that is appropriate for each emotional scenario. One situation highlights an ‘appropriate’ response and another includes an ‘inappropriate’ response. The students can then see these ‘skits’ in action and how the avatars interact. Additionally, our students began a program this year called ‘Boot Camp’. Although this is not a technological tool, its premise is similar to that of Silas in that students are given a series of exercises to help gauge their feelings. These lessons present different social and emotional scenarios which elicit responses as how they pertain to their own personal experiences. I believe that programs such as these, in addition to SEL Program Development for educators that focuses on empathy and social and emotional awareness, are effective tools in facilitating these learnings.

In conclusion, it stands to reason that children who are educated in being ‘socially and emotionally aware’ will translate into their success as they form personal and professional relationships in the future. Furthermore, as they go forward and eventually integrate into the workforce, these skills will especially be paramount as they prepare to embark on their professional journeys. In an article from La Trobe University in 2022, it states, “Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and regulate one’s emotions and understand the emotions of others. A high EQ (emotional quotient) helps you to build relationships, reduce team stress, defuse conflict and improve job satisfaction. Further to my point, it is evident that there is a definite relationship between social and emotional intelligence in yielding individuals with an overall positive sense of ‘well being’ and going on to lead contented, successful lives.