Knowledge
SEL: Creating a Compassionate and Inclusive Learning Environment
All students should have regular chances to acquire and practice skills that are developmentally appropriate for their stage of development
I learn to condemn when I am criticized, I learn to be shy when I am ridiculed,
I learn to fight when I live with hostility, I feel guilty when you make me live with shame
I learn to be patient when I live with tolerance, I learn Justice when you make me live with fairness
I gain confidence when you encourage me, I learn to appreciate when you praise me
You teach me faith when you make me feel secure
I start loving myself when you like me as I am
I learn to find love in this world when you accept me and befriend me
Social Emotional learning is a very big word for me, but when you help me handle my feelings, you have helped me learn to live.
SEL affects change. We know this because the research data shows that SEL-focused education is beneficial for a variety of outcomes, including academic success, good relationships, mental well-being, and more. SEL supports Education Equity and Excellence.
SEL has the potential to be an effective tool for fostering schools that are compassionate, just, inclusive, and healthy and that help all students in realizing their full potential. Equity and excellence in the context of SEL refer to all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, family income levels, learning capacities, native tongue, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other factors, participating in high-quality educational opportunities and environments that best promote their healthy social, emotional, and academic development.
SEL promotes excellence and equity in education by:
Fostering genuine school-family-community relationships in which children, families, educators, and community members collaborate to design, carry out, and constantly enhance methods and programs to best serve all kids in their particular setting. Through SEL, participants can build the abilities and connections necessary for productive cross-cultural communication and teamwork.
Cultivating relationships of trust and cooperation in which teachers can recognize and value the special talents and developmental needs of each student, gain a deeper understanding of the backgrounds, cultures, and learning styles of their students, and design inclusive learning environments in the classroom. In order to forge closer bonds with one another, SEL teaches and practices empathy, perspective-taking, and active listening skills to both adults and children.
A rigorous, purposeful curriculum and instruction that holds all students to high standards and expectations and actively involves them in gaining the academic, social, and emotional skills they need to succeed in life and give back to their communities. All students should have regular chances to acquire and practice skills that are developmentally appropriate for their stage of development, according to evidence-based SEL programs and methods.
Applying continual policy, practice, and result evaluation to guarantee that all students are treated equitably, have access to supportive learning environments, participate in high-quality educational opportunities and programs, and flourish in academic, social, and emotional outcomes. SEL implementation based on research and ongoing development helps direct efforts toward fair and ideal results.
Prioritising SEL allows educators, families, communities, and students to collaborate on skills development and learning environment and experience creation that more completely nurtures the development of all young people so that they may flourish.
SEL results in better academic performance and behavior
Academic learning quickens when kids have encouraging interactions and opportunities to develop and put their social, emotional, and cognitive talents to use in a variety of situations. Numerous studies have shown repeatedly that SEL improves academic achievement.
THE SEL’S LONG-TERM AND SHORT-TERM BENEFITS
In both classroom and daily life, students do better when they:
Know how to handle oneself
Recognize others’ viewpoints and communicate successfully with them
Make wise selections regarding your personal and social affairs.
SEL programs encourage a number of short-term student outcomes, some of which are these social and emotional skills.
Other advantages are:
Improved self-efficacy, confidence, perseverance, empathy, connection to and devotion to education, and a feeling of purpose. More positive attitudes towards oneself, people, and tasks.
Enhanced social skills and interactions with adults and peers
Decreased risk-taking and behavior issues decreased emotional distress
Higher grades, test scores, and attendance
Schools must incorporate social and emotional learning (SEL). But as there is more demand, there is also more misunderstanding about what SEL is and why it is crucial to every child’s education. Fortunately, decades of study and application have established a strong case for SEL:
Lifelong, future-ready abilities are developed through social and emotional development.
To enhance the well-being of all children and adults, social and emotional development is desperately required today.
Academic success is improved by social and emotional learning.
The majority of parents are in favor of social and emotional learning.
5 ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
The following five crucial abilities are developed by pupils through integrated classroom, school-wide, family, and community practices in effective social and emotional learning programs:
Self-Awareness
Understanding one’s own feelings, objectives, and ideals is a necessary component of self-awareness. This involves having a realistic assessment of one’s abilities and limits, having a good outlook, and having a solid sense of self-efficacy and optimism. Understanding the connections between ideas, feelings, and actions is a prerequisite for high degrees of self-awareness.
Self-Management
The ability to control one’s own emotions and behaviors needs the development of self-management abilities and attitudes. This involves the capacity to suppress urges, regulate stress, restrain emotions, and persevere in the face of difficulties in order to achieve one’s personal and academic objectives.
Community Awareness
The capacity to comprehend, empathize with, and have compassion for people from other origins or cultures is referred to as social awareness. It also entails being aware of community services and assistance as well as family, school, and societal standards for acceptable behavior.
Skills in Relationships
Students who possess good interpersonal skills may build and sustain satisfying connections and behave in accordance with societal standards. These abilities include being able to speak effectively, listen intently, cooperate, withstand unwarranted social pressure, resolve conflicts in a constructive manner, and ask for assistance when necessary.
Making Responsive Decisions
Making responsible decisions includes developing the ability to make wise judgments about one’s actions and social interactions in a variety of contexts. It necessitates the capacity to weigh moral requirements, safety considerations, precise behavioral norms for dangerous behaviors, one’s own and others’ health and wellbeing, and the ability to assess the effects of various acts realistically.
One of the main settings where kids gain social and emotional skills is in school. The word SAFE stands for four components that a successful SEL program should include.
Sets of actions that are integrated and coordinated in order to promote the development of talents
Active learning methods can assist students in acquiring new skills.
Focused on fostering the development of social and personal skills
Explicitly concentrating on certain social and emotional abilities
Author – Jigna Khoyani, Co-Founder, Eyes Foundation
