Social Emotional Learning
- Think Inclusive
- Dec 6, 2018
- 2 min read
By: Marisol Zeron
For decades if not centuries it has been thought that when it comes to school all that matters is the grade you get, if you made it to the honor roll and the dreaded GPA, just to have a notion if you had been successful in school or...not. Emotions,
feelings were told to be left at the school gate, there was no time for that in the rigorous academic school system setting.
The year 2018 paints a vastly different picture in the importance of social relation and emotions in the classroom. While it’s still our main responsibility as parents to nurture and develop social emotional skills within the household, theory and practice are now strongly shifting for schools to aid students in their social emotional development named Social Emotional Learning or SEL for short. While it’s true that academics play an important part, the SEL component shouldn’t be taken lightly and should be considered an intrinsic part of our education system. Research based in the social emotional theory and program suggest that there are many benefits to be gain from SEL program in school:
Increase Academic outcome, it has been shown that student that participated in evidence-based SEL programs showed an 11 percentile-point gain in academic achievement compared to students who did not.
A 2015 national study published in the American Journal of Public Health found statistically significant associations between SEL skills in kindergarten and key outcomes for young adults years later in education, employment, criminal activity, substance use, and mental health.(www.casel.org)
To name a few…. Many more can be found in the Casel website.
As a mother of three I feel that I am no longer alone when it comes to how my children feel, react, make friends and learn to be resilient. While the core responsibility is for us, the parents, to carry it is extremely comforting to know that schools are trying to become a meaningful, social emotional, place in the lives of those who are most precious to us.
Stay tuned for our next blog: Bulldog Community and the Responsive Classroom
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