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Principles such as respect, responsibility,
self-control, and empathy need to be taught directly and systematically.
~ Jon Erwin
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Kids come in all shapes and sizes and in all degrees of social and emotional maturity from Calm Cathy to Cantankerous Carl.
The goal is to help students develop social and emotional skills that allow them to excel at problem solving, communication, connectedness, self-awareness, and self-management that will serve them well now and in the future. Unfortunately, consequences of not mastering social skills and emotional intelligence can go far, far beyond poor student achievement to extremes such as depression, criminal behavior, substance abuse, bullying, and even suicide.
Wikipedia defines social and emotional learning (SEL) as a process for learning life skills, including how to deal with oneself, others, relationships, and work in an effective manner. Research has shown that people with social and emotional competence are most likely to succeed academically, have a sense of well-being, and contribute to their communities.
While it may seem overwhelming to think that SEL requires more teaching beyond math, reading, writing, science, history, etc., it actually can be a part of all classes. For example, some teachers institute Class Meetings so students have an opportunity to discuss relevant topics that can promote social and emotional wellbeing and promote a sense of community in the classroom.
Some use the characters in literature as focal points to discuss appropriate social behavior or to explore how emotions were displayed.
Others introduce Journal Writing so that students can explore their emotions and reflect on their actions.
Simply creating a classroom that is stress-free, warm, friendly and inviting is another way teachers help students feel more at ease socially and emotionally. A teacher who encourages all students to participate and not fear making mistakes also promotes social and emotional growth and well-being. Even kind teacher language can set the tone for emotional wellbeing.
Designing lessons so that collaborative learning or service-learning projects and activities are frequently included also helps students develop the skills needed to raise their emotional intelligence as well as practice social skills.
It doesn’t require a special class to teach SEL, but it does require a special teacher!
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