What does SEL mean and why is it important? Those might be the questions in your mind, right? Well, SEL is an acronym for Social Emotional Learning, a methodology that fosters consciousness in learners. SEL, in school curriculum, can be a program or an activity that helps students to better ponder and better understand their emotions, feeling, thoughts, actions, and their impact on others.
If you’re already familiar with the term SEL, you might be aware of the difference it can bring to a learning environment. More so, the change it brings in learners.
However, if not familiar with the term and you’re a parent or a teacher, this is a guide that will help you better understand the term and how to foster SEL skills.
Benefits of Social Emotional Learning
Over the last few decades, the consensus of SEL emerged among educationists and policymakers, and currently, many schools of all levels have made SEL part of their curriculum. Generally, SEL derives its superiority from the competencies it cultivates or enhances in a child or an adult.
Cultivating SEL skills during childhood and throughout early school years offers a child an added advantage due to the benefits associated with the program.
SEL activities help maximize student potential and help them develop into full-fledged professionals. For example, individuals who are knowledgeable and socially responsible.
One study indicated that SEL programs contributed to academic, social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes in school students.
Effective SEL programs and activities promote core competencies such as self-awareness, and social awareness, and can also help students build positive relationships. More precisely, SEL leads to the following competencies.
1. Self-Awareness
It refers to the ability to understand one’s self (emotions, thoughts, and feelings), strengths, and weaknesses. It also stretches to understanding how your emotions and actions can affect others.
2. Self-Management
The ability to control or manage one’s emotions and behaviors is what self-management means.
3. Social Awareness
It is the ability to put oneself into others’ positions. People who are highly socially aware are keen on others’ feelings i.e., they practice empathy and serve others.
4. Relationship Skills
This is the ability to build and maintain reliable relationships. Generally, one is able to communicate effectively with others, ask for forgiveness when wrong, and also know the importance or value of people.
5. Responsible Decision Making
It is a facet where one first weighs in on the consequences of a possible decision both on himself and others. This facet generally refers to the ability of one to behave socially responsibly.
Reasons Why SEL Should be Added to the School Curriculum
There is a wide range of reasons why SEL should be added to school curriculums or followed while raising children. However, some of them are;
1. Fosters a Positive Learning Climate
School is a place where learners of all ages go to study. However, attending school isn’t only for acquiring knowledge.
School interactions and the relationships that learners build contribute to their well-being. A positive learning environment characterized by good relationships, learning resources, and ethics can help learners become their best version.
However, the opposite is also true. A learning environment characterized by bullying, fighting, and student misbehavior can make it difficult for learners and teachers to attain SMART Goals. This can negatively impact their academic performance and lead to classroom anxiety and absenteeism.
2. Enables Learners to Cope with Stress
There is a range of factors that can lead to childhood stress and anxiety. Children who are stressed can easily lose interest in their studies and are highly likely to mishave in class. However, when SEL is incorporated into the school curriculum, this can help teach children empathy and social skills.
Generally, SEL activities and programs cultivate a positive thinking attitude in learners. Besides that, some do learn how to manage their emotions, and become more aware of the impact of their decisions and others can find means of coping with stress and irritating occurrences.
3. Promotes Interpersonal Skills
One of the biggest worries that parents express due to the growing trend of e-learning is the inability for learners to associate with others. Socializing and building social circles is associated with a range of benefits. Precisely, socializing allows learners to develop quality interpersonal skills.
They can learn how to treat others or behave while in public. Whether you’re a teacher or a parent looking for the best approaches to help a child develop quality interpersonal skills, socializing is an immediate tip. The process helps a child or an adult understand inappropriate behaviors and those that are acceptable. It also helps them apply the SEL skills they learn.
4. Enhances Motivation
Social-emotional skills help children and students to be themselves.
When children feel good about themselves, they become more confident and are motivated to take risks. They also learn to express themselves and associate with others. It also help them to overcome stage fright and boost their public speaking skills. SEL programs can excellently help children to become motivated.
In the long run, the children will become more interested in their studies and are also more likely to participate in class. With that, integrating the SEL curriculum into the school endeavors can impact learners dimensionally.
5. Reduces Behavioral Issues
Behavioral issues are some of the stressors that school teachers deal with on a daily basis. Some students may misbehave to attract attention whereas others may do so due to stress.
Social-emotional skills are important for child development because they teach them to control their feelings and actions. SEL also helps learners to understand how to manage conflicts and how to deal with others.
Instead of fighting, a child will be able to report the matter to the concerned. This can help teachers to outshine the art of classroom management and create a positive learning environment. All in all, this can help lower behavioral and misconduct issues.
Conclusion: SEL in School Curriculum
SEL like emotional intelligence is a concept that has gained fame in recent years. Both focus on helping individuals understand their emotions, feelings and thoughts and as well as their impact on those around them. When people know the impact of their emotions, they are better positioned to control themselves.
SEL programs can excellently help kids and all learners to better understand themselves and the impact of their behaviors on others. In the long run, this can help them transform into the best version of themselves.
