Safe and Inclusive Classroom: Social and Emotional Learning
Teaching Students Social and Emotional Skills
Social and emotional issues can have a negative impact on the learning process and can even act as a barrier to academic progress. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia argues, “SEL is sometimes called the ‘missing piece,’ because it represents a part of education that is inextricably linked to school success, but has not been explicitly stated or given much attention until recently” (2007, pg.21). She claims that pedagogy aimed to achieve academic benchmarks can threaten the psychological well-being of children. More emphases should be given to teaching social and emotional skills, especially empathy. She believes most children have the capacity to be taught empathy as a way to reduce victimization by those who bully. Victims can learn how to protect themselves; children who bully can learn to think before acting.
Although her article discusses empathy in the context of bullying, I have come to realize that empathy is important for conflict resolution. In my classroom, my students faced a wide range of social and emotional conflicts that overshadowed their ability to learn. A child needs to know how to manage stress and how to deal with problems. Our role is to help the child in this process. It is important to utilize social and emotional strategies, not just for bullying, but on a regular basis to be more perceptive, to manage the class, to work with colleagues, to understand the learning needs of students, and to impart those skills to students, who see me as their mentor.
Although her article discusses empathy in the context of bullying, I have come to realize that empathy is important for conflict resolution. In my classroom, my students faced a wide range of social and emotional conflicts that overshadowed their ability to learn. A child needs to know how to manage stress and how to deal with problems. Our role is to help the child in this process. It is important to utilize social and emotional strategies, not just for bullying, but on a regular basis to be more perceptive, to manage the class, to work with colleagues, to understand the learning needs of students, and to impart those skills to students, who see me as their mentor.
Artifacts:
Kimberly Schonert-Reichl's article, Educating the Heart as Well as the Mind: Social and Emotional Learning for School and Life Success inspired me to inquire about the social and emotional needs of my students. I wanted to see if students would be more motivated to learn if I made social and emotional wellness a top priority. When incidents of bullying arose, all lessons and activities came to a full stop. Students were asked to come to the conference center to discuss incidents. They filled out anonymous notes and placed them in a box for me to read. Some students came to me on their own for help. I was astonished by the number of incidents experienced by students on the playground and through social media. It was clear to me why certain students could not concentrate in class. I saw this as an emergency. For two weeks, we focused on problem solving strategies and empathy. During the first week, students worked in small groups. They wrote conflict scenarios, applied problem-solving steps, and used drama to teach the class what they learned. The second week, students designed cartoon strips that explored a relevant issue or dilemma, and applied their skills to resolve the situations. At the conference center, we discussed actual classroom incidents. Together, we used our problem-solving skills to work through the issues. Empathy and critical thinking was expressed by students in self-reflection activities. After one week, I noticed that students were becoming more aware of their actions. Students were actively engaged in helping their classmates cope with dilemmas. As a result, a warm, caring environment began to grow within the classroom. In as little as two weeks, students struggling with social and emotional issues displayed a renewed interest in learning and were improving their marks.
I continued to use class time to emphasize critical thinking and emotional development in my instruction. At leisure times, such as recess, I made use of “teachable moments” as much as possible. While the students still experienced everyday conflicts, they were guided in ways to resolve their problems so that negative emotions such as prolonged anger would not prevent them absorbing academic material. My class was a safe place to learn. |
Bibliography
Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Hymel, S. (2007). Educating the Heart as Well as the Mind: Social and Emotional Learning for School and Life Success. Education Canada, 47(2), 20-25.
What Is SEL? | CASEL. (n.d.). CASEL | Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. Retrieved March 8, 2013. http://casel.org/why-it-matters/what-is-sel/
What Is SEL? | CASEL. (n.d.). CASEL | Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. Retrieved March 8, 2013. http://casel.org/why-it-matters/what-is-sel/