Social-emotional learning (SEL) is an area of human development and education that can help students succeed in all aspects of life. SEL curriculum typically delivers learning to help students understand and manage the ways they think and feel about situations that occur at school and in life. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and increase safety, health and justice in communities.
Building Social Connectedness
Social connectedness plays a significant role in academic performance and outcomes. Students who feel connected to their teachers are more likely to engage in learning activities. SEL curriculum can be highly effective in helping students overcome challenges that create a lack of connectedness, such as when students are new to a classroom. However, most students can benefit from resources that strengthen their ability to engage in social environments all year long.
Cultivating Self-Regulation Techniques
Learning to to regulate emotions and thoughts can benefit students in many aspects of learning, as the foundation of effective behavior management. Students tend to react to situations based on how they feel instead of adapting their behavior to the situation. A curriculum that teaches self-regulation can help students navigate a variety of difficult emotions, such as anger and frustration, by teaching methods for handling good and bad feelings in positive ways. When upsetting situations come along at school or at home, students who benefit from an SEL curriculum are better able to self-regulate emotions and behaviors in healthy ways.
