Social Emotional Learning
What is Social Emotional Learning and why is it important?
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a process through which children develop in their ability to integrate thinking, feeling, and behaving to succeed at important developmental tasks. SEL is the process process to acquire and 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.
Learning is a social and cognitive process, the quality of our relationships and social interactions shape our ability to learn. The ability to think, reason, and solve problems deepens our understanding.
Social and emotional skill building can have a positive impact on the school climate, help students become good learners, and prevent or reduce many risky behaviors, including drug use, violence, bullying, and dropping out.
SEL Curriculum
District 6 has selected Second Step social emotional learning curriculum to be used at our K-5 schools. District 6 has selected 7 Mindsets social emotional learning curriculum to be utilized at our middle and high schools.
The approaches to promoting SEL skills include:
- Free-standing lessons specifically and explicitly designed to enhance students' social and emotional competencies (e.g., such as a lesson that teaches students strategies for coping with stress or anxiety).
- Teaching practices designed to create optimal conditions for the development of social and emotional competence, including strategies that promote reflection by students or build positive and supportive relationships among teachers, students and families.
- Integration of SEL (lessons and/or practices) and academic instruction (such as an ELA, social studies or mathematics curriculum that incorporates SEL lessons or practices).
- Organizational strategies designed to create systemic structures and supports to promote students' social and emotional development, including a schoolwide culture conducive to learning. Such approaches should also ensure that evidence-based classroom or schoolwide practices or prgrams are used to support student social and emotional development.