editor Have you heard about social-emotional learning aka SEL? How well do you understand the concept and are you emotionally intelligent? Social-emotional learning and emotional intelligence are two different concepts, but they share a lot in common.
Social-emotional learning generally teaches learners how to handle emotions or co-exist with others. It is also a process of learning social and emotional skills. This leads to emotional intelligence. Today, we are going to talk about social-emotional learning (SEL), how it leads to emotional intelligence and why it’s essential to indulge children in SEL in the early stages of life. Saving water at home is a social-emotional learning opportunity to teach children about responsibility, environmental stewardship, and empathy for others.
Well, social-emotional learning refers to when students identify, understand, and regulate their emotions, effectively relate with others, make decisions, and build relationships. The term social-emotional learning first came to the limelight in the early 1990s when the Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) was formed.
The initiative saw child well-being advocates, educators, psychologists, and researchers join hands to expand the concept, and create school and community curricula. It was not so long when Daniel Goleman’s concept, “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ,” took a center stage.
Social-emotional learning when incorporated into learners’ curriculum can help them navigate school life positively, perform better, and lead a successful life afterward. Orton-Gillingham teachers understand the importance of social-emotional learning in helping their students succeed. It’s not bad for teachers to focus on students’ academic performance, but in order to produce all-round professionals, social-emotional learning must be at the center of it all.
The Cores of Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Social-emotional learning involves 5 aspects and these include;
Self-Awareness: It refers to a situation when one is aware of self. Have you heard about people who look at themselves in the mirror, only to forget how they look a few minutes later? Well, self-awareness isn’t something that one will focus on every minute but being aware of yourself can help you understand and regulate your emotions or feelings. Education change post-COVID should prioritize social-emotional learning to help students thrive in a rapidly changing world. When you understand what pisses you off and control your emotions, you are able to control yourself and react differently. Generally, one is aware of his behaviors, traits, and feelings.
Self-Management: According to the CASEL framework, self-management is the ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations to achieve personal aspirations. Self-management requires one to navigate his feelings, thoughts, and emotions in order to make quality decisions.
Social Awareness: Self-awareness awakens one to know more about himself i.e emotions, feelings, and traits, whereas social awareness awakens one to become more aware of the people around him. The skill of social awareness helps to value people, relate with them empathetically, or behave compassionately with them.
Relationship Skills: The skill of social awareness helps people build meaningful relationships. Being socially aware means that one considers the different perspectives of other people. If we are able to adjust to relate more with others, only then can we build positive relationships. Developing positive relationships is vital for a successful life and survival.
Responsible Decision-making skills: The aspect of responsible decision-making refers to one’s ability to make quality decisions that are ethical and developmental. The skill induces one to think thoroughly about his decisions knowing that they have consequences, either positive or negative and that they can affect oneself or others.
So with all that, why do you think that social-emotional learning is necessary?
5 Compelling Reasons Why Social-emotional Learning is Vital
1. Better Collaboration
Student life to a good extent is about collaboration. In fact, students learn more or acquire better knowledge when they collaborate with others. However, effective collaboration can’t occur where there is no social-emotional intelligence. Teachers can look at collaboration as a two-way approach. An educator can introduce collaborative tasks for social-emotional learning or they can teach social-emotional intelligence through collaboration activities.
When students are aware of themselves and those around them, they tend to form a common ground where they can cooperate and get things done. They are able to understand others’ emotions and they won’t be highly influenced by negative emotions. They will also be able to make quality decisions that can help them achieve bigger goals during their academic life.
2. Fewer Disciplinary Cases
There are many factors that can lead to disciplinary issues among students. Some can be triggered by family dysfunctions such as spousal disagreements, physical abuse, and income instability. On the other hand, students’ indiscipline can be induced by aggression, poor choices, bullying, and disrespect. Since social-emotional learning teaches social and emotional skills, students learn how to engage with others, control their emotions, and know that their thoughts can influence their behaviors.
There is nothing destructive like anger and an aggressive character. People who act out of these negative emotions are liable to making bad decisions with at times huge consequences. Social-emotional learning helps students learn how to tame their emotions and never be influenced by them, especially when it comes to making decisions.
SEL helps students learn to respect others, show compassion, and cooperate with others despite their differences. Before bullying others, a student will think about how he would feel when bullied. Or in other words, he will put himself in others’ shoes before making a decision. With positive social and emotional skills, there will also be fewer disciplinary issues in school.
3. Builds Quality Relationships
Healthy relationships are vital for one’s overall health and wellbeing. In pre-school, children may not know the value of social-emotional learning but activities like pairing, providing space to others while waiting in line, and playing together can help them form relationships. As one grows up, he or she learns the kind of friends to associate with depending on his or her character, values, and the impact they have on his or her life.
Social awareness plays a crucial role in developing quality relations. Here one is able to develop relationships, behave or make decisions that positively impact social circles. One will not be highly influenced by emotions while making decisions and where necessary, he or she ensures to overlook personal emotions in order to focus on the bigger picture (friendship).
Generally, students are compelled to be more compassionate and empathetic and they also tend to develop a growth mindset. All these work together to bring about adaptability, flexibility, and personal growth. However, they learn to value relationships that positively impact their lives.
4. Helps Improve Academic Performance
Social-emotional learning can help students be themselves, feel that they belong, openly express themselves, participate in class and be more energized and willing to take risks or handle challenges. Apart from SEL activities, an SEL curriculum can help teachers introduce social-emotional learning in schools. These skills help students set smart goals, think logically, stay organized, solve problems and manage stress effectively. Social-emotional learning will also help students develop other skills such as time management, perseverance, and resilience which are vital in life.
5. Increases Motivation
Kids and young learners find many challenging experiences in schools and so do high school or college learners. Unfavorable classroom environments, bullying, family issues, and negative attitudes from classmates can all lead to demotivation in children and young adults. This can highly affect their academic performance and social life. SEL skills have a major impact on learners’ academic performance and are a reliable approach to achieving SMART Goals. SEL skills allow students to embrace themselves cordially and improve themselves to become the best of what they can be. In other words, it makes them feel more confident about who they are.
