I am sure that most of you agree on the importance of teaching children of all ages the concepts of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making otherwise known as SEL or social and emotional learning.  And yes, I am confident that you also understand the importance for using evidence and research based programs and practices to teach these concepts. Research has shown us that the outcomes for children are much more positive if there is a systematic and schoolwide effort to cohesively address these areas that are sometimes called “soft skills”. Skills that will benefit children for their entire lives and help them as they grow into adults and help them become productive engaged members of our communities.

My question most recently though has been, how well are teachers prepared to teach and implement these SEL concepts since there has been such a focus on using SEL concepts in the classroom? While researching this idea, I came a new report that was recently shared by CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) www.casel.org that reveals that although some educators say that SEL is an “add on” or an “extra thing to do” it really isn’t. For good teaching, SEL is essential!

Here are some highlights from the summary that I found interesting:

• Good teachers are caring and communicate their caring to their students.
• Good teachers know that learning is a social process.
• Good teachers know that learning includes the connection and interaction and not just information.
• Good teachers know the strengths and challenges of all of their students and nurture them to reach their highest potential.

The report reveals that the above aspects of “good teachers” are not necessarily taught in teacher preparation courses colleges and universities. They are typically left to the individual teacher to learn or develop on their own through the guidance of other teachers and school administrators. Yet more and more teachers are asked to support the SEL growth of their students without perhaps having adequate training around their own SEL development or professional development in implementing effective SEL practices in their classrooms.

There are lots of implications to think about in the area of teacher SEL preparation and I would encourage you to read the summary of the report or even the full report. Click here to learn more about the findings from the report.

Why is SEL essential for teachers and students? 

Social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making are essential for teachers to learn and practice. These skills help teachers handle more challenging students, improve student learning, and interact positively with others in the school environment.  SEL competencies allows teachers to manage their own stress and support caring relationships with others.   Warm and safe classroom environments along with strong classroom management skills can lessen student behavior problems, reduce emotional distress for the teacher, grow student connectedness to school, and increase student’s capacity to learn which can boost academic outcomes.

SEL helps create a positive school culture through the development of empathy, compassion, and gratitude.  Having teachers who know how to build strong supportive relationships with students, colleagues, and parents, deal effectively with conflict, set firm but respectful boundaries, and regularly demonstrate kind, helpful behavior to those around them.

A teacher with solid SEL skills are more likely to sustain their passion for teaching.  Their classrooms practice respectful communication and problem solving; transitions from activity to activity go smoothly, lessons are designed to encourage student engagement and love of learning which promote academic achievement.  A teacher with SEL skills recognizes their students’ emotions, have insight into what is causing them, respond with compassionate understanding, and re-direct the students’ behavior appropriately.

A vital component of teaching SEL skills to children is modeling them in everyday situations.  By cultivating their own self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making, teachers will be better equipped to model and teach their students.

How can I use SEL in the classroom? 

SEL class meetings that incorporate deep breathing techniques, greetings, sharing, and team building activities only take about 20 minutes of time on a regular basis and it is time well spent! SEL class meetings sessions are a flexible structure that create a more respectful environment in classrooms and students are open to being supportive of each other plus they add a positive vibe to the classroom!

Training for SEL class meeting sessions provides a brief introduction to SEL, how to incorporate SEL into daily interactions with others and familiarizes teachers with a structure for building community in their classroom using the five SEL competencies.

This graphic shows how SEL can be incorporated into an educational system not just a classroom.  It is important to think through all of these aspects of SEL as you are building a structure to support it within a school system.

Contact me if you are interested in finding out more about SEL Class Meeting Session Training or how to build a SEL support system in your classroom, school, or district!

Think back to your favorite teacher and what do you remember about them? For me, it was my fifth grade teacher, Mr. McConnelly at Lafayette Elementary School, in Lancaster, PA. He encouraged me, gave me confidence in my abilities, allowed me to try things outside my comfort zone, and provided me with a safe and nurturing learning environment that taught me how to interact with others, understand myself, and be accepting of others who were different than me. He could have just done his job and taught me math, reading, science and all the other academic stuff but he took time to build a relationship with me…that is what mattered most to me! I had many different teachers throughout my schools years who provided similar environments and that is why I feel so strongly today that if you provide a safe, caring and nurturing educational environment weaving social and emotional skills throughout the school day, we will see more success in academic areas. He didn’t use a set curriculum that I remember, but naturally encouraged the SEL competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making.

Today when I am training teachers to incorporate social and emotional learning into their classrooms, I often hear them say “How can I have influence on them, I am only with them several hours in the day and when they go home everything I do is undone!” or “My students behavior is awful and I don’t have time to add anything else in my day because I can’t get my academic lessons in!” As someone who feels that SEL has had a large impact on her life, I can tell you it is important and well, I will share with a few reasons from research why it is vital to include social and emotional learning into classrooms and how it will help student behavior so you can get to the things you need to teach. This research is from randomized clinical trials of the PATHS® curriculum which is the most evidence-based classroom SEL program in the world.

Reduce Aggressive Behavior (both regular and special needs students)

• Teachers’ reports of students aggressive behavior decreases by 32% and sustain across two grade levels
• Improves students’ ability to tolerate frustration
• Peers rate boys in PATHS^® curriculum classrooms as less aggressive and disruptive in Grades 1 through 3

Improve Self-Regulation

• Teachers’ report of students increase their self-control by 36%
• Teachers’ report lower rates of hyperactivity and inattention
• Teachers’ report significant and sustained improvements in behavior in the classroom over two years

Improve Academic Engagement and Executive Functions

• Increase students’ scores on cognitive skills tests by 20%
• Significantly increases students Inhibitory Control (Stroop Test)
• Significantly increase teachers’ reports of improved  academic engagement

Build Social and Emotional Skills

• Increase students’ vocabulary for emotions by 68%
• Improves plus their ability to use effective conflict-resolution strategies
• Decreases the % of aggressive/violent solutions to social problems
• Reduce depression and sadness among students at risk

These results show that by teaching social emotional competencies to children, you are giving them the skills to build relationships with you as the teacher, and the other students in your classroom. That’s a win, win for everyone!