There are just certain expectations and common experiences one faces when they transition from one place to the next. No, I am not talking about “crossing over” to the other side. I am talking about changing workplaces where in teaching, this means more than having to deal with coworkers. We have to spend a lot of time interacting with students, after all they are one of the main reasons we are there. At my new workplace, people kept asking and seemed to be sitting and waiting for me to experience some sort of culture shock. Of course there was some onboarding [see blogpost here] but one of the things that stood out in this transition to me was a general lack of…to put it bluntly– manners amongst students. It may seem like a small thing to you but all the clichés come to mind “manners maketh man”, “you catch more flies with honey” etc. I was able to see the merit in these sayings.
Some, including myself, tried to find why that was so. Sometimes I put it down to not having social interaction in the traditional sense during online learning 4 years ago but that could not be all. As expected, when we returned to school, some of the classroom behaviours were not there. Some of the simple things that we may have taken for granted like, the raising of hands to answer questions or asking permission before leaving one’s seat /going to the bathroom, were glaring absent. These in previous years served as part of the rhythm of classroom interaction. It became clear how we took for granted how these things impacted the smooth running of classrooms and the wider school community.
In moving about the new environment one could see how the absence of simple pleasantries/ manners “good mornings’, “please’ and ‘excuse” impacted the wider school culture. Often in my interactions with students, when I reminded them of common courtesy and manners, those who did not bristle at my suggestions and prodding's, almost seemed embarrassed to utter phrases like “please” and “thank you” to their classmates. After a while I came to realize that it wasn’t that they had forgotten, but in many cases, they simply did not know! This saddened me a bit. I told them that many of their problems stemmed from not engaging in common courtesies, which landed them in situations where they ended up in conflicts or offending someone.
I struggled to navigate how to deal with this, because they are things that seemingly never had to be taught at this level, since students already came to us having been taught the basics at home or at school. Now when there were no longer virtual hands to raise on zoom, virtual waiting rooms or opportunities to mute at the push of a button, disequilibrium took place. I couldn’t properly function and I had this nagging feeling for a while that there was something I had to do. Then it just dawned on me one day that my perspective of success had to shift. We often talk of the “hidden curriculum” but there is another quiet yet powerful underlying force at work crucial in shaping the future of our students – Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
I realized that students didn’t know how to deal with others because they had not been taught. What was needed was Social Emotional Learning. Social Emotional Learning encompasses a range of skills that are crucial for managing emotions, building and maintaining relationships, making decisions and personal well-being, all of which are crucial for future success.
According to Casel.org, 2020 (as cited in Gimbert et. al., 2023) SEL is defined by “the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for other, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”
.png)
So Why Does Social Emotional Learning Matter?
Based on the definition alone, one can see the connection between SEL and academic achievement. Any educator will tell you that students with strong SEL skills perform better academically. The benefits of SEL to students can also be seen in the life skills they exhibit. Such students have better conflict resolution, critical thinking and communication skills, all of which serve to benefit them later in their careers and personal life. Of course we cannot deny the benefits to mental health and emotional well being which goes a long way in creating a feeling of safety an developing a place where they can learn. When students thrive emotionally there is transformation of the learning environment and then the culture of large.
How to Incorporate SEL in Your Classroom?
1. You can start by integrating daily routines and class practices. You can start the day with a student check in. Ask students how they are doing.
2. Nurture a culture of kindness by acknowledging and sharing acts of kindness.
3. Build social emotional vocabulary by modeling the vocabulary you want them to use, for e.g " I am feeling [insert emotion here] today."
4. Include reflective writing. You can use journaling or blogs to help students analyze their thoughts, feelings; strengths and weaknesses. This also provides you with the chance to respond to students' reflections and offer suggestions.
5. Allow time for talking. Too many teachers think that a quiet class means that learning has taken place. This couldn't be farthest from the truth. Giving students a chance to tell you how they feel in their own words and actively listening to their contributions is crucial in supporting their social emotional development.
What I am advocating for is that we teach students ways that they can move forward that goes beyond the academic parameters of our classroom. Helping students to grow their social emotional skills will equip them with the necessary means of navigating the future in a way that benefits everyone.
Copyright © Lana. S. 2024
Reference
Reference
Gimbert, B. G., Miller, D., Herman, E., Breedlove, M., & Molina, C. E. (2023). Social emotional learning in schools: The importance of educator competence. Journal of Research on Leadership Education, 18(1), 3-39.
Comments
Post a Comment