What is Social Emotional Learning?
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults learn to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. (Excerpt taken from casel.org)
Most schools have been teaching SEL for years. However, over the past 10 years the focus has been to teach these skills in an effort to prevent or remediate early social emotional issues. Most schools are working to build a system in which SEL can be taught explicitly in the classroom, in much the same way math or reading is taught. We believe that SEL does not happen in isolation but is built through years of direct instruction and reinforcement.
Key Social Emotional Learning Areas
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is knowing your emotions, strengths and challenges, and how your emotions affect your behavior and decisions.
Self-Management
Self-management is controlling emotions and the behaviors they spark in order to overcome challenges and pursue goals.
Social Awareness
Social awareness is understanding and respecting the perspectives of others, and applying this knowledge to social interactions with people from diverse backgrounds.
Relationships
The ability to interact meaningfully with others and to maintain healthy relationships with diverse individuals and groups contributes to overall success.
Responsible Decision-Making
Responsible decision-making is the ability to plan and make choices that are good for you and others. It is also taking into account your wishes and the wishes of others.
Creating Social Emotional Learning program at your school or district:
Creating a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) for Social Emotional Learning can seem like a daunting task. However, there is more research every day for the teaching of social emotional skills to help prevent and/or treat mental health and behavior issues at school. It is something that is important to build into your classroom, school, and district level planning.
Sample MTSS Framework
Universal-Goal is to prevent and present a common language across grade levels and school.
Examples: Second Step® at K-8 grades
School Connect or Advisory Curriculum 9-12
Targeted-Goal is to prevent and/or remediate mental health or behavior issues.
Examples: Check in-Check Out
Problem Based Small Groups (Coping Skills, Anger Management, Executive Functioning, Divorce, Grief, etc.)
Intensive-Goal is to remediate or lessen the impact of mental health or behavior issues.
Examples: Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Zones of Regulation®
The Incredible 5-Point Scale®
Not sure how to begin? Click the button below for a free 15 minute consultation to get you started. We are knowledgeable in about every SEL program and implementation of it across different learning environments and systems. We can help!
Additional Resources
- CASEL (www.casel.org)
- Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) (https://csefel.vanderbilt.edu)
- Edutopia (www.edutopia.org/social-emotional-learning)
- Illinois Social Emotional Learning Standards (www.isbe.net/Pages/Social-Emotional-Learning.aspx)
- Parent Toolkit (www.parenttoolkit.com/topics/social-and-emotional)
- Teaching Tolerance (www.tolerance.org)
- Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (https://ei.yale.edu)