Introduction to Social and Emotional Learning. (SEL) Marilyn Robb Ph.D.

Objectives This introduction to SEL will allow the learner to : Review the historical development of SEL in schools. Understand concepts of emotions and social and emotional learning. Define what are SEL skills? Examine the benefits of applying SEL skills to classroom and school environment. Apply SEL to Parenting

Historical Perspective Robert Thorndike (1930s) was writing about social intelligence. David Weschsler (1940s) proposed non-intellective and intellective elements of intelligence, (affective, personal and social). He was proposing that the non-intellective abilities are essential for predicting one’s ability to succeed. Guilford (1967) – presented view of intelligence as a multifaceted construct consisting of 120 different types of intelligences. Gardner (1983) – argued for a new view of non-hierarchically arranged primary mental abilities called multiple intelligences. Salovey and Mayer (1990) – first used the term Emotional Intelligence. They view EQ as a set of skills hypothesized to contribute to the accurate appraisal and expression of emotion in oneself and others, the effective regulation of emotion in self and others, and the use of feelings to motivate, plan and achieve in one’s life. Goleman(1995) – defines EQ as …being able to read another’s innermost feelings; to handle relationships smoothly. “SEL a set of abilities that helps us get along in life with other people in all kinds of life situations”. It the ‘missing piece in American education’. Maurice Elias.

Definitions What are emotions? Biologically driven, cross-cultural responses to environmental stimuli. Eric Jensen Human beings’ warning systems as to what is really going on around them. Emotions are our most reliable indicators of how things are going in our lives; they help keep us on the right track by making sure that we are led by more than cognition. Maurice Elias The glue that holds the cells of the organism together in the material world, and in the spiritual world they’re the glue that holds the classrooms and the society together. Candace Pert. Teaching and learning are not only concerned with knowledge, cognition and skill. They are also emotional practices”. (Hargreaves, 1998

Definitions Peter Salovey and David Sluyter: Emotional Intelligence involves the ability to perceive accurately, appraise, and express emotions; the ability to access and/or generate feelings when they facilitate thought; the ability to understand emotion and emotional knowledge; the ability to regulate emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth. Source: Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Educational Implications, 1997).

Definitions Maurice J.Elias: Social and emotional competence is the ability to understand, manage and express the social and emotional aspects of one s life in ways that enable the successful management of life tasks such as learning, forming relationships, solving everyday problems and adapting to the complex demands of growth and development. It includes self-awareness, control of impulsivity, working cooperatively and caring about oneself and others. Social and emotional learning is the process through which children and adults develop the skills, attitudes and values necessary to acquire social and emotional competence.

Definitions Dr. Jonathan Cohen: Self-reflective capacities on the one hand and the ability to recognize what others are thinking and feeling on the other provide the foundation for children to understand, manage and express social and emotional aspects of life. Social and emotional competencies allow us to modulate emotions, to solve social problems creatively and to be effective leaders or collaborators, to be assertive and responsible or to be able to ask evocative emotional and/or social questions that lead to new learning. Source: Educating Minds and Hearts.. Social Emotional Learning and the Passage into Adolescence. (ed.) Teachers College Press.

My Note My Note: Social and Emotional Learning is the development in students and teachers of skills related to their social and emotional growth that are essential and complementary to their learning and to the process of education. It is not something to be done to the young people. It is not something extra to be added to the curriculum. SEL is about what teachers do and encourage students to do everyday in the classroom to create a climate of caring, support and validation that promotes learning and good relationships. All human beings are born with the capacity to love each other and treat each other with respect. They are born with the capacity to think well and to learn (unless there is physical or physiological brain impairment), once they are allowed to acquire the necessary information in a way that allows them to assimilate and process it properly. We do not need to teach young people the skills of caring, creating and thinking. We need to provide environments that will ensure that these natural abilities are not interfered with. SEL helps to reclaim the inherent ability to release negative emotions that interrupt our good thinking.

Exercise Write your own understanding or definitions of the terms: emotions/feelings emotional intelligence (EQ) social and emotional learning

SEL skills Self –awareness- being able to recognize and identify one's own feelings and to have some understanding of how these feelings affect behaviour. Emotional awareness- Understanding other’s emotions is essential to read social situations accurately and respond to them appropriately. Managing emotions- coping with feelings and regulating them to aid handling of situations, controlling impulses and solving problems creatively. Empathy- caring for others, identifying and understanding the feelings of others. Respecting others and appreciating diversity. Listening to others. Self-monitoring and performance- setting goals, focusing on tasks, using feedback to improve performance. Building relationships- communicating effectively with verbal and non- verbal skills, establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, working cooperatively, resolving conflicts.

Benefits of SEL Attention, learning, memory and decision-making capabilities are all intimately connected with emotions. Children with highly-developed social skills perform better academically than their peers who lack such skills. Students who believe that teachers support and care about them are more emotionally engaged with their work. Improvements in behaviour Makes inclusion of difficult children easier Improved school attendance Reduces mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders in both young people and teachers.

Why promote SEL in schools oRelationships provide a foundation for learning oEmotions affect how and what we learn. oPositive effects on academic performance, health, relationships and citizenship. oEssential for life –long success. oImportant to employers.

Emotionally Intelligent Parenting Emotionally intelligent parenting is about: 1) Acknowledging our feelings and clearing them out so that they do not interfere with our thinking. 2) Listening to the child- paying attention to the emotional message beneath the words so that we can respond to the child's hurt and not just to the words or behaviour resulting from the hurt. 4) Teaching children how to correctly identify and label their feelings. This means teaching the feeling words and the variations of these such as frustration, excitement, etc., and to identify the real origin of these feelings. 5) Helping children correctly perceive others' feelings and therefore appropriately responding to them. 6) Helping children deal with their feelings in appropriate ways. This includes assisting them to see and understand another's point of view. 7) Helping children build good relationships.. 8) Teaching constructive and creative problem solving skills.

Activity- applying the SEL skills 4 Questions to ask about an event: 1.How was each person feeling? (perception of emotions). 2.What were you and the other person/s thinking about as a result of these feelings? (emotions influence how we think.) 3.What caused each person to feel the way he/she did? (understanding emotions). 4.What did you and the other person/s do to manage these emotions? (managing emotions).

Resources On the Web-:

Thank You Introductory Lecture Prepared by Marilyn Robb Ph.D. Educational Consultant A Joyful Place