Social-Emotional Learning and the Brain: Strategies to Help Your Students Thrive

by Marilee Sprenger (ASCD, 2020)

Social-Emotional Skills and the Brain

Social-Emotional Learning and the Brain examines connections among students' social-emotional competencies (such as self-awareness and self-management), instructors' own competencies, and brain structures related to learning. At the college level in particular, executive function is a major concern, since most students face an increased workload and greater expectations for independence. CASEL, the central hub of social-emotional learning, describes components of self-management including impulse control, stress management, self-discipline and self-motivation, goal setting, and organization. The prefrontal cortex and the amygdala are heavily implicated in these skills.

Predictability and Planning

Recognizing that significant life stressors are not evenly distributed across the population, the author advocates predictability in the classroom to put students at ease for optimal learning. Teaching organization in the context of preparing for a major test could improve student understanding and performance. The author suggests guiding students to focus on their personal goals, then on a plan to step toward them.

Academic Integrity in Math 1A

In Math 1A, our campus has often had a significant problem with academic integrity. A relevant social-emotional skill is responsible decision-making, "the ability to make constructive choices" aligned with pro-social behavior, personal goals, and the rules of society. According to the author, responsible decision-making can be strengthened by leveraging time, values, and priorities. Timely scaffolding of exam preparation can help more students arrive well-prepared instead of panicking into a cheating attempt, and appealing to values and priorities could motivate them to use the longer preparation timeline. Seen this way, academic integrity is not only a matter of policy but a social-emotional skill that can be taught alongside the mathematics.

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