What is Social-Emotional Learning?

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is a process in which students acquire, develop and apply a set of skills, knowledge and attitudes that help them to be good students and citizens, achieving success in both their academic and personal lives.
Social-emotional learning improves the emotional intelligence (EQ) of a student; and this is stated to be a better predictor of success and well-being than academic intelligence (Daniel Goleman, 1995).

Core Competencies of Social Emotional Learning:
Researchers have identified 5 sets of cognitive and behavioral competencies that are essential for cultivating a student’s social and emotional learning. The skills are:
Self-awareness: Identifying emotions and thoughts and its impact on self- behavior and others. It helps them to be aware of their strengths and limitations, in turn developing confidence and esteem.
Self- management: Learning to control and manage emotions, thoughts and behaviors in various situations. They also learn stress management, impulse control, positive goal setting and achievement.
Social awareness: Developing feelings of empathy towards others and recognizing the various resources and supports (family, community) available to them.
Relationship skills:  Building and maintaining effective and healthy relationships with individuals and groups and learning community survival skills (like communicating effectively, resisting negative social pressures, negotiating conflict etc)
Responsible decision making: To make personal and social decisions, considering societal norms, safety, standards and based on an evaluation of the consequence of one’s action on the well being of self and others.
Emotional intelligence is enhanced when students achieve mastery of these five major competencies.

Outcomes of Social-Emotional Learning:
The SEL program leads to an improvement in the core competencies or skills of the student which invariably improves their attitude and belief about self, school and others. These gains were further exhibited as improvements in the student’s social behaviors, conduct problems, emotional distress and academic performance.
Following SEL training, various negative behaviors like aggression, disrupting classes, truancy, noncompliance and indiscipline reduced considerably. This gave way to more positive attitudes and behaviors like commitment and motivation towards learning, increased student engagement and participation, increased active learning and spending more time in class and school related activities.
There was also a decline in emotional distress with fewer reports of anxiety, depression, social withdrawal and stress. Students engaged in positive group dynamics and established effective inter and intrapersonal relations within and outside the classroom. Studies also reported that students who underwent SEL training reported a higher academic achievement than students who did not receive the same.

Integrating SEL in the classroom:
It is necessary that we incorporate the various SEL skills into our daily curriculum. Discussions, modeling, role playing etc are some methods by which we can introduce and educate students on the various SEL skills. Provide positive reinforcements and encouragement, when targeted behaviors are exhibited.  Encourage students to participate in different group and community activities that will instill and cultivate the skills necessary for social emotional learning.
Thus by providing them with the opportunities and resources necessary for SEL training, we can help them succeed.

Discuss here:  What are the methods by which you teach social emotional learning in your classroom?

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