Social emotional learning (SEL) is a process for learning life skills, including how to deal with oneself, others and relationships, and work in an effective manner. In dealing with oneself, SEL helps in recognizing our emotions and learning how to manage those feelings. In dealing with others, SEL helps with developing sympathy and empathy for others, and maintaining positive relationships. SEL also focuses on dealing with a variety of situations in a contructive and ethical manner.

Historical Influence

During the mid 1990's, Daniel Goleman

Daniel Goleman

Daniel Jay Goleman is an author, psychologist, and science journalist. For twelve years, he wrote for The New York Times, specializing in psychology and brain sciences. He is the author of more than 10 books on psychology, education, science, and leadership.-Life:Goleman was born in Stockton,...

 published his book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, which popularized the concept of emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a skill or ability in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. Various models and definitions have been proposed of which the ability and trait EI models are the most...

. The term social emotional learning (SEL) emerged from the research in social competence programs which could be applied to emotional intelligence .

15 Skills involved in SEL

The following 15 skills listed are involved and promoted in SEL:

1. "Recognizing emotions in self and others"
2. "Regulating and managing strong emotions (positive and negative)"
3. "Recognizing strengths and areas of need"
4. "Listening and communicating accurately and clearly"
5. "Taking others' perspectives and sensing their emotions"
6. "Respecting others and self and appreciating differences"
7. "Including indentifying problems correctly"
8. "Setting positive and realistic goals"
9. "Problem solving, decision making, and planning"
10. "Approaching others and building positive relationships"
11. "Resisting negative peer pressure"
12. "Cooperating, negotiating, and managing conflict and nonviolently"
13. "Working effectively in groups"
14. "Help-seeking and help-giving"
15. "Showing ethical and social responsibility"

Illinois Learning Standards for SEL

There are three goals for SEL in the Illinois Learning Standards.

Goal 1 - "Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success."

Goal 2 - "Use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships."

Goal 3 - "Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community contexts."

Benefits

The benefits of SEL can be found both in a school and home setting. For instance, SEL improves positive behaviors while reducing negative behaviors. Positive behaviours include improved social emotional skills, improved attitudes about self and others, and improved behaviour within the classroom. Negative behaviours that are reduced include conduct problems, bad behaviour and emotional distress. Furthermore, SEL skills are maintained throughout life, even into adulthood they can help to foster success .

Moreover, SEL help to improve several skills including nonverbal communication skills, socially compentent behaviour, and social meaning and reasoning. Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication is usually understood as the process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages. Messages can be communicated through gestures and touch , by body language or posture, by facial expression and eye contact...

 is important because majority of emotional meaning is conveyed without spoken words, instead paralanguage, facial expressions, gestures and postures, interpersonal distance, and touch, rhythm and time . Social skills also play an important role in interpreting, encoding and reasoning social and emotional information that are associated with the social behaviour exhibited by the child . Finally, social meaning and reasoning are important in problem solving. Social meaning is the ability to interpret others emotions and language, and to be able to respond appropriately. While, social reasoning is that ability to identify a problem, set goals and evaluate the possible solutions available.

SEL in Education

Teachers, counselors and parents can play an important role in facilitating SEL. To begin, learning social and emotional skills is similar to learning other academic skills. Implementing a prevention program in schools can help to increase competence and learning in students which may be applied to more complex situations in the future. Teachers can accomplish this in the classroom through effective and direct classroom instructions, student engagement in positive activities, and involving parents, students and the community in planning, evaluating and implementing the program into the classroom. . For instance, a program known as the Strong Start: A Social and Emotional Learning Cirriculum was evaluated in a classroom setting for children in second grade. The results of the study illustrated that the Strong Start curriculum program fostered tools important for social and emotional competence, which was evident through increased positive peer interactions and reduction in negative interal emotions . Also, a program known as Roots of Empathy

Roots of Empathy

Roots of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom program that has shown dramatic effect in reducing levels of aggression among schoolchildren by raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy. The program reaches elementary schoolchildren from Kindergarten to Grade 8...

 was created by Mary Gordon

Mary Gordon

Mary Catherine Gordon is an American writer and is the McIntosh Professor of English at Barnard College. She is best known for her novels, memoirs and literary criticism...

in Toronto, Canada of 1996 . The globalization of the evidence-based classroom program promotes increasing social and emotional competencies, and empathy in children .

Furthermore, counselors can also play an important role in facilitating SEL. The role of a counselor is to promote academic and social development for students. The expertise and leadership roles that counselors fulfill can be applied to a student environment that promotes social and emotional development. However, this type of initiative involves tending to students of all backgrounds, through classroom counselling for all students in SEL. Counselors should collaborate with teachers, students, parents and administration to design and implement a program to promote SEL .

SEL and Parents

It is important to also recognize that the facilitation can happen both at school and home. Acquiring nonverbal communication skills is important for developing SEL skills, since the majority of emotions are conveyed without words. Teachers and parents can improve nonverbal communication skills through the technique of emotional coaching. Emotional coaching is a teachnique developed by John Gottman and can provide guidance about emotions for children through a step process.
Step 1: One needs to be aware of the learner's emotions,
Step 2: Recognition of uncomfortable feelings can be a gateway for teaching and guidance opportunities,
Step 3: Emotions exhibited need to be validated rather than evaluated,
Step 4: Learners need help in labeling these emotions,
Step 5: Finally, the problem that led to the emotions needs to be solved .

Furthermore, at home SEL can be fostered through the emphasis of sharing, listening, confidence, and tending to matters. A child's emotional and social development can grow by promoting and practicing these behaviours .

SEL and Learning Disabilities

It is recognized that the majority of children with learning disabilities have difficulties with social relationships. More specifically, there are three SEL skill areas that can be addressed and improved for children with learning disabilities. Firstly, it is difficult for children with learning disabilities to recognize emotions of self and others. However, academic implications to improve the skill may involve reading or hearing a story and understanding the emotions of the characters and the plot. Secondly, it is difficult for children with learning disabilities to regulate and manage strong emotions, both positive and negative. Improving this skill may involve conversing with the teacher about these emotions and recording these emotions on a scaled thermometer. Lastly, it is often difficult for children with learning disabilities to recognize their strengths and areas of need too. Until the Last Child is a vehicle to promote positive connections between school contributions and recognizing strengths. Also, Ability and Time of Ability is a program used to help identify strengths of students and then have them work together at set times .

Published resources

1. Promoting Social and Emotional Learning: Guidelines for Educators, by Maurice J. Elias

2. Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning: What does the Research Say? by Joseph E. Zins, Roger P. Weissber, Margaret C. Wang, and Herbert J. Walberg

3. Social and Emotional Learning in the Classroom: Promoting Mental Health and Academic Success, by Kenneth W. Merrel PhD and Barbara A. Gueldner PhD
4. Promoting Emotional Education: Engaging Children and Young People with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (Innovative Learning for All), Edited by Cefai C. and Cooper P.

5. VIDEO: An Introduction to Social and Emotional Learning by Edutopia/The George Lucas Educational Foundation

6. VIDEO: Smart Hearts: Social and Emotional Learning Overview by Edutopia/The George Lucas Educational Foundation