Get it While It's Hot: 3 Practices for Developing Social Emotional Learning

One of the hottest topics in education today is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). It is emerging as a key indicator of student success and correlates with positive academic outcomes. To ensure that students are college and career ready, educators need to integrate these non-academic measures, often referred to as 'soft-skills' by business employers.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), defines social-emotional learning as the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary 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. Developing these SEL skills is even more critical for children living in areas that are under resourced and surrounded with stressors that make learning more difficult (CASEL, 2013).

This blog provides resources that educators can use to build social-emotional learning using three recommended practices that range in implementation from 'easy, do-it-yourself now' to 'easy, do-it-with-others over-time':

1. Build Social-Emotional Learning through Reading Aloud and Independent Reading
2. Build Social Emotional Learning through Integration: Classroom Management, Routines, and Environment
3. Build a Culture of Social Emotional Learning School-wide

Note: Hyperlinks are embedded in the content below to to provide access to resources

Build Social-Emotional Learning through Reading Aloud and Independent Reading

It is imperative that we meet both the academic AND the social-emotional needs of our students. I have a firm belief that we cannot expect our children to achieve academic success if they are struggling emotionally and we cannot expect them to achieve emotional success if they are struggling academically. The simplest way to meet both needs is to read to your children on a daily basis. The power of the Read Aloud is strong y'all! Reading books about SEL issues provide an opportunity for children to make text-to-life connections as they think deeply about their own personal feelings and issues. You can address SEL needs implicitly by just exposing students to stories with characters who exemplify strong social-emotion strength and the ability to overcome life complications and issues and by creating a safe and encouraging learning environment.You can also explicitly address SEL needs by intentionally naming, describing and discussing social-emotional strengths. Aligning these discussions with academic learning targets provides the one-two punch needed to increase student achievement!

But first...it is essential that you build your own background knowledge through reading. As educators, we must practice what we teach!

Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell, co-authors of Every Child A Super Reader, introduce educators and parents to what they call the 7 Strengths (belonging, friendship, courage, confidence, kindness, curiosity, and hope). These strengths are simply habits and feelings that can be cultivated and developed in children. I recommend starting with this book! It's a quick read (less than 200 pages) that will leave you empowered and equipped to meet the SEL and academic needs of your children. Chapters 1-9 introduce readers to the 7 Strength Model, providing a description of each strength with classroom vignettes, close reading lessons, classroom activities and actions to promote each strength in school, out-of-school programs, and in the home. Chapters 10-14 introduce educators to the 7 Strength Model in action, providing a description of best practices for super readers including routines and strategies for whole class instruction, small group instruction, independent reading, management, and assessment. The appendix lists strength-specific children's texts (grades K-8) that you can use to kick off your goal of building social-emotional learning through reading. Many of the books can be found on your current classroom, school, or home library bookshelves. This truly is an amazing book that both educators and families will find exciting to read and implement. I used this text as a common read for our family literacy night program for the 2018-19 school year. Throughout a series of ten family literacy night events, we discussed the text, discussed read alouds, and completed art-based projects as souvenirs of our experiences. It was truly a learning and growing experience for all involved!

...and in case the appendix recommendations were not enough, here is a link to 50 Must Have Picture Books and a link to Storyline Online, an award-winning children's literacy website that streams over 50 videos featuring celebrated actors reading children's books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Use these videos as exemplars for your own classroom read alouds! Use the Activity Guides (curriculum developed by a credentialed educator) to supplement your ELA and SEL instruction.

Take steps to build a diverse classroom library. Check out Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids by bestselling author Donalyn Miller and 5th grade classroom teacher Colby Sharp! Read this article, How to Build Your Classroom Library for ideas on how to fill your library with books that encourage lifelong reading habits on a budget!

Build Social-Emotional Learning through Integration: Classroom Management, Routines, and Environment

Education is truly the best profession in the world! Thanks to those committed to educating both in and out of the classroom, we are privy to online resources that can be used to build classroom SEL practices throughout the day. When students are immersed in a SEL environment on a daily basis, they gain access to routines and procedures that enable them to engage in positive relationships and interactions in their school AND home communities.

21 Simple Ways to Integrate Social Emotional Learning Throughout the Day
Thanks to Elizabeth Mulvahill, author on the We Are Teachers website, educators are introduced to a jackpot of easy to integrate strategies like daily check-in, partner/group work, building a culture of kindness, growth-mindset phrases, a 'Peace Place', peer mediation, role-playing, games, class meetings, reflective writing, art, classroom jobs, and more!

3 Practical Resources to Help Teachers Integrate SEL and Academics
Thanks to Kelly Stuart, author on the EdSurge website, here is an article that is part of the guide Social-Emotional Learning: Why It Matters and How to Foster It. The article provides practical ideas for seamlessly integrating SEL and literacy on a daily basis. "SEL skills that can be explicitly taught, practiced, and reflected upon including taking turns listening and speaking, participating in partner work and class discussions, building upon one another's thinking, contributing ideas that are different from others, sharing partner's thinking with the class, taking responsibility for learning and behavior, and reflecting upon one's own behavior". Read the article to learn more about planning lessons with integration in mind, seeing classrooms in action, and taking time to debrief with other teachers.

Social-Emotional Learning in K-8 Classrooms
Thanks to Nancy Zuckerbrod, author on the Scholastic website, this article discusses "why social-emotional learning is getting so much attention, and how to do it well in you classroom" and provides classroom examples from K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 educators. There are also links to 8 Great SEL Resources (fill-in posters, picture books, The Zone of Regulation website, how-to-guides, and a short film, The Science of Character.

Build a Culture of SEL Practice School-wide

This article, How to Take SEL to the Next Level at Your School, provides recommendations for transforming four key insights in specific practices at your school.

1. Build adult expertise through learning experiences.

• Paired/Small Group activities (mindful breathing, active listening, support teams, Best Possible Self practices)
• Staff Meeting Opening/Closing Rituals 
• Resilience Plans
• Greater Good in Education Activities 

Here, educators will find the best research-based methods for developing a happier, more meaningful life. Curated into practices that include awe, compassion, connection, empathy, forgiveness, gratitude, happiness, kindness, mindfulness, optimism, resilience to stress, and self-compassion. 

2. Transform learning settings so they are safe and supportive for all young people.

• Developing 'Transformational' vs 'Transactional' relationships
• Using 'Restorative Practices' vs 'Exclusionary Discipline'

3. Embed SEL skills in academics and school wide practices.

• Literature Integration (across the curriculum)
• Cooperative Learning projects/activities

4. Forge close connections between research and practice.

• Identify actionable solutions for teachers based upon the rich research base already established in the field. 

Below are links to some amazing Research-to-Practice resources:

Teaching the Whole Child
Social-and-Emotional-Learning SEL Coaching Toolkit
Best Practices in Social Emotional Learning
Social and Emotional Learning and Traditionally Underserved Populations 
From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope

Lastly, use the SEL Framework, 5 Social and Emotional Competencies (CASEL, 2013), to develop classroom, school, and district-wide SEL implementation plans.

• Self-Awareness: Recognize one's own feelings, interests, strengths, and limitations
• Self-Management and Emotion Regulation: Regulate emotions and manages daily stressors
• Social Awareness: Take perspective of others and appreciate similarities and differences.
• Relationship and Social Skills: Exhibit prosocial behavior and demonstrate positive social skills in order to develop meaningful relationships.
• Responsible Decision Making: Make ethical decisions and strengthen the ability to develop appropriate solutions to identified problems. 

Examples of District Implementation Plans

• Check out this resource from Michigan Department of Education that includes a rationale for the five core competencies, indicators, and strategies: MDE Early Childhood to Grade 12 Social Emotional Learning Competencies and Indicators
• Check out this Toolkit for Tennessee Teachers and Administrators that provides examples of teacher practice, student behaviors, staff discussion prompts, and videos of SEL in a action: Incorporating Social Emotional Learning into Classroom Instruction and Educator Effectiveness 

References:

Source: The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2013) CASEL Guide: Effective Social, and Emotional Learning Programs. Chicago, IL. Retrieved from https://casel.org/guide/