What is SEL?

Social -emotional learning (SEL) has been brought into the for front of education recently but it is not new.  It is now being recognized as an important part of education for students. As per the reading, SEL is how people acquire knowledge in order to develop healthy identities, management of their feelings, feel and show empathy, establish and maintain relationships and responsible decision making. It is important since it helps students be relatable to each other and empathy for another person. It allows  them to balance and understand their emotions and how their actions can affect others, allowing them to be more successful in the world. 

Social - Emotional Learning is an important part of education and child development.  In addition to educating students in academic skills, students must also be taught social emotional skills.  These skills have an impact on the students both in school and in life.

Integrating social emotional learning adds a layer on to the traditional academic curriculum that is taught.  When students can regulate emotional skills and have appropriate social interactions, they have a greater potential for greater academic success.

1. How would you define Social-Emotional Learning and why is it important?
Social- Emotional Learning is essentially how young people acquire the knowledge to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain relationships, and make responsible decisions. SEL is important because it helps students balance and understand their emotions and how their actions can affect others. It helps kids relate to one another, have empathy, and be successful in the world. 

2. How is integrating SEL into the curriculum different from traditional education?
SEL takes a step back and "examines the whole child" by incorporating lessons on self awareness, self management, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and social awareness into the curriculum. These essential skills are then applied to classroom academics and incorporated into daily lessons, to create a learning environment based on trust, collaborative relationships, and meaningful instruction. "SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities."

1.  What is social Emotional Learning:  learning to develop the whole child.  How we can teach a person emotional learning, self- awareness, and social awareness.  The child can learn decision making and relationship skills.

2.  How to use in a classroom:  Create conditions to access and develop skills that can help them learn and grow as a student in your classroom, use daily journals or daily check ins.  You can have fun games or a talking piece to discuss feelings.

Social Emotional Learning provides individuals with the skills and knowledge to manage emotions, establish positive relationships, achieve goals, develop resiliency and problem solve. SEL encompasses a wholistic development of an individual. Social Emotional Learning teaches how to establish and maintain positive relationship. Individuals learn how to be resilient to adversity and how to apply problem solving skills. 
All learning is relational. Integrating Social Emotional Learning into curriculum allows educator and learners to understand the whole person first before academics. Individuals are more mindful of their interactions and relationships. SEL looks at the essential skills people need to be successful in life. 

Social Emotional Learning is the basically the whole child.  Getting them be interested, having them to feel safe, having them be excited to learn and be there.....addressing what they need.  The real learning is when you are invested in the content.  You have a connection to it.  There is an emotional connection.  Students need to be ready to learn. They have so much other things in their lives from outside the classroom, but they don't stay outside the classroom.  We need to treat the student in a way that their outside trauma doesn't affect their learning.  Our understanding has to be different. All students are not the same and they need to taught that way.  

The difference between SEL learning and traditional learning is that SEL looks at all aspects of the child and their social well being.  Traditional curriculum treats all students the same and the focus is on the material only.  There is no differentiation.

SEL is the process through which individuals acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Social-emotional learning is important, as these qualities that individuals gain in self-awareness are indeed taught and fine-tuned through purposeful practice. The acquisition of those characteristics lead to mindfulness and attitudes that foster successful learning. 

Traditional learning focus' on content only. SEL places the focus on the learners and their emotional well-being and growth as members of a community. Students will understand what it takes to be successful and how to face and overcome challenges that all people face. In traditional learning the student looks to the teacher for answers and with SEL the student will focus on their own skills and the skills of the relationships they build around them. It builds the confidence of the child and the ability to find their success. 

Social Emotional Learning is where we consider the students as people not just a place to dump learning. Students that have successful relationships with themselves, their peers and the adults they interact with are open and and more eager to learn. They will be able to create their own learning and problem solving. Being successful at life not just academics. 

1. It involves tools kids need to be successful learners and members of society. It involves teaching kids the tools they need to do these things and to build on awareness, responsible decision making and relationship skills.

2. Using this in the classroom will allow students to develop skills they are missing out on at home. Students need to be active and engaged learners. You can allow them the ability to set classroom goals and manage some decisions along with a reflection of how it turned out. You can also set up time for students to journal and share their thoughts and feelings about life. You can have them discuss their days and routines with you and how those emotions are playing into their experience at school.

Social-emotional learning is responsible for the development of the young population. It is important because it is our duty as teachers to help teach students the skills they need in order to make them successful in the future and in life. The way that we teach has a direct effect on how we shape students. We need to make sure we keep students engaged, positive, and open to learning new things constantly. It is important to help the students form habits while young, that will then contribute to their growth as a person. 
Using Social-Emotional learning in your curriculum goes a long way. There are a variety of ways to incorporate activities into your lesson that will teach the student successful lifestyle habits. As a teacher, I think it is important to celebrate the small victories of students each day, to help build them up and feel comfortable branching into situations. Celebrating the small things helps make the students more confident to speak up and practice necessary life skills in and out of the classroom.

1.  What is Social Emotional Learning:  learning to teach and develop the whole child.  How a child or person can learn emotionally and develop self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, decision making and relationship skills

2.  How to use in a classroom:  Create conditions to access their magic to learn, develop skills that can help them learn and grow as a person so they can learn and grow as a student in a classroom. You could use journal, daily meet and greets, read alouds, and check ins.