Social and Emotional Learning

“Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is 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.”

(CASEL, n.d.)

What is SEL?

Whether it’s called SEL or simply good life skills, many educators are now familiar with the “Core SEL Competencies” developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

This framework, based on decades of research, describes five broad domains of intrapersonal (within the self) and interpersonal (between people) functioning. The five domains or competencies of the CASEL framework are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. How these competencies fit within the CASEL framework can be visualized above in the “CASEL Wheel.”

These competences can be taught in many ways, including explicit SEL instruction, modeling desired behaviors through instructional practices, and school culture and climate strategies. Further, the competencies can (and should) be reinforced across many different settings from classrooms to homes.

Evidence for the effectiveness of SEL in schools is incredibly robust, and many teachers (Bridgeland, Bruce, & Hariharan, 2013), administrators (Atwell & Bridgeland, 2019), parents (McGraw-Hill Education, 2018), and employers (CASEL, & Committee for Children, 2016) are acutely aware of its importance. However, some research suggests that while a large majority of teachers believe helping students develop strong social emotional skills is an expected part of their jobs, less than half of those teachers believe they themselves possess the social and emotional competencies to effectively meet the needs of all students (Schwartz, 2019). Furthermore, many teachers feel under-supported in acquiring and implementing SEL best practices in their classrooms (Civic Enterprises, Bridgeland, Bruce, & Hariharan, 2013).

Even when school staff have fully embraced the need for SEL in their schools, the best path to successful implementation of SEL is not always clear. In recent years, we have seen enormous growth in SEL-related research and interventions. In fact, there are now dozens of evidence-based SEL classroom programs available to educators. Evaluating these SEL programs and discerning how they can be conceptually and practically integrated with schools’ existing behavior management programs and mental health services can be a daunting task.

In this mini-course, we will address some of the ways in which instruction, grading, discipline, and wellness practices can work together to support students and staff. Motivating students academically is not about one simple trick, as much as we wish it could be. Motivation is about creating and sustaining an environment that supports rather than hinders students’ and educators’ satisfaction of basic psychological needs. Indeed, the satisfaction of these basic needs is critical for supporting autonomous motivation, facilitating the healthy internalization of important academic and life values and goals, and cultivating positive self-concept and wellbeing.

Consideration for the social, emotional, and cultural aspects of learning does not mean simply adding SEL lessons to teachers’ already full plates. Addressing students’ social and emotional needs is best accomplished by embedding SEL in both academic content and social interactions. Of course, social and emotional support does not only impact students. It also affects educators’ job performance, job satisfaction, and wellbeing. 

School staff with well-developed social, emotional, and cultural competencies are better able to create supportive classroom environments, sustain positive relationships, and manage their own job and life stresses.   

Exploring your own assumptions and beliefs, modeling competencies, seizing opportunities to practice these skills, and reflecting upon your own experiences in and out of the classroom are all critical steps in developing a mature social, emotional, and cultural lens. It’s important to remember these processes are ongoing. No one ever fully masters them. Rather, we keep trying, reflecting, and improving, as we ask our students to do the same.

“After all, we cannot expect teachers to model and teach something they have not experienced themselves, and we cannot expect a safe and supportive classroom environment to blossom amid a punitive, toxic, or competitive culture among faculty or district staff. Furthermore, students are acutely aware of the adult cultures around them and, especially as they approach adolescence, they are experts at spotting hypocrisy.”

(Markowitz & Bouffard, 2020, p. 8)

Social and emotional learning is not just a curriculum or workshop. It is not meant to be an “add-on program.” Social, emotional, and cultural competencies can be reinforced in a systemic manner across all roles and all levels within a school system when staff understand and model these competencies in their interactions with students, families, and colleagues.

Systemic integration requires embedding these principles within the fabric of school life by explicitly aligning educational standards, school policies, and classroom practices (including grading and discipline) with social, emotional, and cultural competencies. This consistency is critical for sustaining the change process. This kind of learning, growth, and capacity building does not occur in a one-day workshop. Rather, it is an ongoing, iterative—and at times, quite challenging—process, but one that yields demonstrably better outcomes both for students and the adults with whom they interact.

“We are not asking teachers . . . to do more, and we are certainly not asking teachers “to be therapists,” as we often hear educators say when we talk about social and emotional competence. Rather, this . . . asks teachers to work differently, to view students from a perspective that encourages and develops their social and emotional growth in support of academic success and in concert with the efforts of families, youth leaders, clergy people, pediatricians, neighbors, and everyone who influences the life of a child.”

(Markowitz & Bouffard, 2020, p. XI)

Comparing Frameworks

Over the years, educators have continued to adapt and innovate on CASEL’s SEL Competencies Framework. One such effort we find useful is the Social, Emotional, and Cultural (SEC) Anchor Competencies Framework developed by the Center for Reaching and Teaching the Whole Child.

We believe this framework reflects the importance of various social supports for autonomous motivation in schools and highlights the essential connections between social and emotional learning and culturally responsive teaching, two pedagogical domains that are, unfortunately, frequently treated as separate endeavors rather than an interconnected whole. 

For a detailed explanation of the framework and a thorough discussion of practices and implications, particularly regarding teacher education and professional development, we highly recommend reading the book Teaching with a Social, Emotional, and Cultural Lens: A Framework for Educators and Teacher Educators by Nancy Lourie Markowitz and Suzanne M. Bouffard.

Rather than focus exclusively on curriculum or stand-alone programs, the creators of the SEC Anchor Competencies Framework emphasize the importance of developing a social, emotional, and cultural lens.

“Much like putting on a pair of glasses helps someone see the writing in a book or the bird flying in the distance, using the social, emotional, and cultural lens moves teachers to see things, ask questions, and gather data that would be blurry or even invisible without the lens.”

(Markowitz & Bouffard, 2020, p. xii)

The SEC Anchor Competencies Framework reflects an integrative approach to developing and applying critical thinking skills that addresses both academic performance and interpersonal relationships. Additionally–and just as importantly–it recognizes the needs of adults in educational settings. Educators’ social, emotional, and cultural competencies impact not only their effectiveness, but, also, largely determine the quality of their relationships with students and job satisfaction (Markowitz & Bouffard, 2020, p. 10).

This framework is consistent with much of the research on basic psychological needs and motivation in educational contexts, it is focused on adults’ successful acquisition and modeling of social and emotional skills as a mediator of students’ achievement and wellbeing, and it provides a useful way to organize specific and concrete teaching strategies and techniques. Focusing on SEC competencies can also help educators cultivate a sense of purpose and joy in a job that can sometimes feel overwhelming.

We also invite you to investigate other approaches to SEL by visiting the Explore SEL website produced by the Ecological Approaches to Social Emotional Learning (EASEL) Laboratory at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which provides visual tools and resources for exploring and comparing various SEL domains, frameworks, and terms.

Finally, SEL is not just about implementing a stand-alone program or curriculum. Effective SEL education involves attending to corresponding social, emotional, and cultural anchor competencies at the same time as academic standards. This requires some thoughtful preparation not just at the program or course level, but also within specific lessons. Educators can weave these competencies into everyday instruction and informal interactions with students, peers, and parents, as well as create coherence among other often disjointed aspects of schooling, such as discipline practices and mental health supports.

Demonstrating responsiveness to students’ social and emotional needs during instruction (and beyond) is a proven way to enhance engagement, motivation, performance, and wellbeing.

“These practices are not separate from pedagogy in math and science; they anchor that pedagogy in the kinds of interactions and environments students need to learn everything else.”

(Markowitz & Bouffard, 2020, p. xiii)