Overview: Social-Emotional Learning

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which we gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop positive relationships with ourselves and others, and make responsible choices that further enrich our personal and community interactions. Developed with evidence-based research and data, CASEL created a framework through which educators can promote better student outcomes.

The CASEL framework addresses five key competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making. By incorporating these competencies in class curriculum and management strategies, educators create a wholistic environment that empowers students' learning experiences.

But what does that look like?

Standards, Benchmarks, and Indicators

To start, let's take a look at Washington state's implementation of the CASEL framework. Guided by the principles of equity, cultural responsiveness, universal design, and trauma-informed practices, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) used CASEL's framework to develop six standards and related benchmarks for observing developmental milestones of those standards. The standards are divided into two categories. The "Self" category includes Self-Awareness, Self-Management, and Self-Efficacy. The "Social" category includes Social-Awareness, Social Management, and Social Engagement.

Within these standards are benchmarks - the observable outcomes educators can use to assess students' social-emotional development. The indicators of those benchmarks are the success criteria based on grade-level progression. For example, the standard for Self-Awareness is:

(the) Individual has the ability to identify their emotions, personal assets, areas for growth, and potential external resources and supports.

And one of the benchmarks for this standard is:

Demonstrates awareness and understanding of one’s own emotions and emotions' influence on behavior.

If, after a fourth-grade teacher asks a student how he or she is feeling, the student answers, "I'm feeling very angry!" the teacher could use follow-up questions to assess the following indicator:

I can explain the different intensities of my emotions and feelings.

Here lies the beauty of the framework: Through the assessment, teacher and student engage in a meaningful dialog that promotes respectful interaction. This strengthens the feeling of the classroom as a safe space and the student learns how to choose positive responses to emotions.

SEL and Classroom Management

When students are not able to identify and manage their emotions, they can make poor choices that negatively affect their interactions with the teacher and with their peers. These negative interactions may create disruptions or result in unfocused behavior that need to be addressed.

In order to successfully implement SEL strategies in the classroom, educators need to be aware of two key factors that can inhibit successful learning:

Misinterpreting behavior - Educators should never assume they know why a student behaves a certain way. Personal, cultural, and socio-economic circumstances are just a few influencers that guide behavior. Behavior that is "normal" to one person may be interpreted differently by another.

Identifying bias - The expectations educators place on students can be influenced by the stereotypes, attitudes, and values they unconsciously attribute to those students. These implicit biases can negatively affect student-teacher relationships. By becoming aware of and acknowledging these biases, educators are better equipped to implement SEL strategies.

Once these factors are recognized and addressed, educators can start to successfully create a positive classroom environment, which manifests in a well-managed classroom. The safer and more welcomed a student feels in the classroom, the more likely a student will better identify and manage their emotions and be positively engaged in the classroom. The SEL strategies an educator develops will differ with the needs of each class, but the end result will always be to promote an emotionally safe learning environment.

Strategies can be as simple as greeting students at the door to show that a teacher is excited to see the students (social awareness), to something more complex like creating a "job" system where students have assigned tasks - such as erasing the board or reading the daily targets out loud - that require cooperation to complete (relationship skills). Decide what competency you would like to work on and go from there.

For other ideas and examples of strategies educators can use in the classroom to promote a positive experience, browse through the posts in the Resources for Classroom Management page.

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