Social Emotional Learning…
Social Emotional Learning…
Questions You Should be Asking Part 1
There is a lot of focus around the country on social emotional learning (SEL) and what it does/doesn’t or should/shouldn’t cover or if it should even be in the public schools. I want to help you understand this topic, determine if it is an effective learning tool, and determine what our children will lose, if anything, if we cut SEL programs.
Questions I will be addressing in this article:
- Is SEL New?
- What exactly IS SEL?
- What should SEL cover?
- Why is it used in schools?
- Is social emotional learning an effective tool?
- In the end, if we cut SEL programming from our schools, what do our children stand to lose?
Is SEL new? (Is it a trend or bandwagon the schools are jumping on.)
It seems like, in education as well as other institutions, we have an all or nothing way of doing things. There is a pendulum in education and it seems to swing from opposite view to opposite view. Whole Language vs Phonics or Portfolio Assessment vs Grading are two examples of how schools have swung to and fro in the past.
SEL is not new, it was founded in the 1960’s by James Comer, a child psychologist. Yale School of Medicine founded, with Comer leading, the SDP, Comer School Development Program, which became the “ancestor” to social emotional learning.
The intention of SDP is stated to prepare students for school and mainstream life success.
SEL has a long history based in research and analytics, starting with results from SDP. I will be showing a lot of the research for results here.
Fast forward 30 years and you will find CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. The co-founder of CASEL is Daniel Goldman, who wrote the most comprehensive book on emotional intelligence: Emotional Intelligence; Why It Can Matter More than Your IQ.
2. What exactly IS SEL?
Social emotional learning is (very simply) defined as the teaching of skills in emotional intelligence. If it were a part of speech, I would label it a verb.
SEL refers to a wide range of skills, attitudes and behaviors that can affect student success in school and life.
CASEL, the leading authority on SEL, further defined it as the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.
Emotional Intelligence, which is what SEL is based upon, is basically the ability to blend, effectively, thoughts, feelings and actions. I would label it as a noun. Daniel Goleman’s book: “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ” has research on the importance of SEL being taught to students and the difference it can make in their lives. It also defines exactly what SEL looks like and how it effects individuals.
It is important to note that in 2018, CASEL altered their definition of SEL to encompass a new term, Transformative SEL. This new definition emphasizes equity: a process whereby young people and adults build strong, respectful, and lasting, relationships that facilitate co-learning to critically examine root causes of inequity, and to develop collaborative solutions that lead to personal, community, and societal well-being.
I will be discussing this in Social Emotional Learning: Questions You Should be Asking Part 2
3. What should SEL cover?
If you want to get a full understanding of SEL, I recommend reading “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ” by Daniel Goleman to understand the basics of what EI is, what it does to help a child, and how it should be used. Remember this is the “subject” of the sentence and SEL is the “predicate”; they both go hand in hand.
The other book I recommend for anyone teaching SEL or in charge of curriculum content is:
Promoting Social and Emotional Learning: A Guide for Educators
This guide can be found online, free and it tells the need for SEL, encourages looking at the current way it is taught in your school, how it can fit in schools, creating context for SEL skills in the classroom, how to evaluate the success of SEL education, and how to assess strengths and move forward.
Goleman (1995) recognized five distinct categories of skills which form the key characteristics of EI and proposed that, unlike one’s intelligence quotient (IQ), these are all skills that can be learned or improved upon where present.
CASEL, where Goleman was a founding member, expanded upon these 5 categories for personal and emotional growth, by adding to them what should be accomplished at each level, giving them more
- Self-awareness
- Identify one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values.
- Recognize one’s strengths and limitations.
2 . Self-management
- Manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
- Delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation.
3. Social awareness
- Understand the perspectives of and empathize with others.
- Understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings.
4. Relationship skills
- Ability to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships.
- Communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve, and negotiate conflict constructively.
5. Responsible decision making
- Ability to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations.
- The capacity to evaluate the benefits and consequences of various actions for personal, social, and collective well-being.
In a quick glimpse or nutshell, these 5 categories are it; they are the entirety of the goals to be accomplished in social emotional learning. So, if you are looking at an SEL program, you should always be able to go back to these goals for every lesson.
4. Why is it used in schools?
Simply, because SEL has been found to be effective.
An SEL type program, SDP, was first used in New Haven in 1968.
The goal of the SDP was to create a replicable system that addressed developmental and learning principles for positive outcomes in K-12 programs.
It was determined that students who are developing well can learn well.
Further evidence was collected and SEL came out a clear winner in the “must teach” category. Schools found that social emotional learning helps improve student academic performance, curtail bullying, reduce dropout rates, and build character.
In my opinion, SEL was brought into the schools because the schools had a clear definition, outlined goals, and overwhelming evidence that students needed to learn more than academics.
5. Is Social Emotional Learning an effective tool?
This is the important question. Any program has a cost associated with it. The teachers also have to get on board and be trained to efficiently communicate and teach the ideals of the program. This is done more successfully in schools that use SEL as part of a comprehensive, integrated course of study.
I interpret this as a holistic view. The entire district, if not state, needs to be on the same program. The SEL technique needs to be scheduled regularly, studies have reported at least once a week. The way this would look is in an elementary classroom, for example, the students may read a book and then talk about how the characters felt, or what the students felt about the way a specific dilemma was handled. The next week students may be learning about myths from different cultures and why these myths were told. The SEL aspect of this would be looking at the culture who created the myth and looking into the need for the tale in their society.
I like numbers. Here are some amazing statistics that speak to the effectiveness of a social emotional learning program in schools.
- Students were 42% less likely to report involvement in physical aggression (2013)
- There was 20% less bullying of students with disabilities (2015)
- SEL programs in schools reduced the dropout rate by 5-12% (2014)
- There was a 13% increase in academic achievement. (2017)
- 79% of employers say SEL skills are the most important skills for job success (2016)
- Return on investment: $11 returned on each $1 invested in social emotional learning (February 2015)
6. In the end, if we cut SEL programs from our schools, what will our children lose?
I live in Arizona. We have educational debates, seemingly, every three years. The last one was based on the value of learning cursive. Educational programming should be evaluated every two – three years. We should be cognizant of what students are learning and what the world will expect of them. Then we need to adjust what we are teaching; we only have so many educational hours in a day.
I am grateful for the extensive research that has been done since 1994 on social and emotional learning and its benefits.
The short term benefits include:
- More positive attitudes toward oneself and others. Confidence in oneself. Feelings of empathy and connection to others. Many also develop a sense of passion or interest in life and activities.
- More positive social behaviors are exhibited as well as better relationships with peers and adults.
- Reduced behavior problems and risk-taking behavior.
- Decreased emotional distress.
- Improved test scores, grades, and attendance.
In the long run, benefits include:
- Increased rates of high school graduation
- Better readiness for postsecondary education
- Career success
- Positive family and work relationships
- Better mental health/increased ability to manage stress and depression
- Reduced criminal behavior
- Better self image/feeling of worth
In my opinion, the skills learned in well thought out and implemented social emotional learning programs teach life long skills that never go “out” of style regardless of the new learning and skills that will be expected of our students. The number one complaint I hear from older adults about younger generations is that they do not know how to communicate face to face with others. The fourth foundation of SEL, Relationship Skills, addresses this specifically. The data shows students are having better relationships with both peers and adults. Knowing how to interact with a variety of people will always be necessary, and it is this specific skill that is actually taught in an SEL program.
In School Vouchers: What You Should Know, I talked about the fact that schools are doing more than they should and this is the reason they are going, in my opinion, bankrupt. SEL programs have a lot of money behind them. There are grants schools can get to fully integrate programs into the approved curriculum. This is one area I would strongly advocate for to NOT be removed from the schools.
Check out: Social Emotional Learning…Questions You Should be Asking Part 1 next week to answer these important questions about SEL:
- What is equity and why is it appearing with SEL?
- Should SEL be used to “promote” or call attention to specific issues?
- How does a teacher decide what to teach?
- How can parents determine what is taught in SEL programs?
- How is a program approved of in my district?
“Do you ever look at someone and wonder, ‘What is going on inside their head?'”
~Joy, Inside Out