What is SEL?
What is SEL?
SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) is a style of learning in which young students are taught how to manage their emotions and how to have healthy relationships with themselves and others that can positively impact their future. Through SEL, students are taught empathy and vital skills and tools to help them thrive in their lives after school (Pentón Herrera & Martinez-Alba, 2021).
Children and young adults who practice and focus on their social and emotional well-being are more likely to have better mental health outcomes, academic achievements, and a better chance at fostering social connections, vital to thriving in a socially interconnected world (Hawkins & Nabors, 2018). Many educators find SEL to be important in elementary school, that way students can work on these skills as they go through school.
Social-emotional learning in elementary school teaches students critical skills about their emotions and feelings that can help their skills excel in their personal and school lives. SEL has had a broader practice in recent education in the forms of "wellness conversations, mindfulness interventions, trauma-informed instruction, restorative circles, and yoga" (Pentón Herrera & Martinez-Alba, 2021, p. 5).
The box below contains resources about SEL practices, the theory behind them in the classroom, and how other instructors have found them beneficial.
Resources for Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom
- Building academic success on social and emotional learning : what does the research say?Call Number: LB 1072 B85
Learn from nationally recognized leaders in education and psychology why examine SEL's effects, causes, and relationships in the classroom. This source is great for users looking for scientific evidence to bring to building personnel. - Effective interventions for social-emotional learningCall Number: LB1072 .G74
Effective interventions for students with SEL needs include mindfulness practices, social skills, social values, and emotional understanding. - Everyday SEL in early childhood : integrating social-emotional learning and mindfulness into your classroomCall Number: LB1072 .T358
Learn different strategies for teaching SEL, practical methods such as meditation activities, and proactive classroom management strategies for an SEL-based classroom. - Introduction To Sel (Social Emotional Learning)A very brief video that shows emotions and how children express them.
- SEL: Nurturing young minds in challenging timesThe article acknowledges various books supporting an approach to children's social-emotional learning as children grow up in a challenging and frightening world.
- Social-Emotional Learning in the English Language Classroom : Fostering Growth, Self-Care, and Independence.Learn more about the growing SEL practice in the U.S. and strategies for incorporating SEL into the classroom community. You will also learn about practices such as wellness activities, trauma-based interventions, and movements that can support young learners.