SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

SEL can be categorised into five categories1:

To cultivate self-awareness in students, weekly self-awareness classes/ sessions should be

made mandatory in which students can analyse their growth, strengths and weaknesses.

Self- management can be ensured by involving students in management of their own selves
and their surroundings including schools. Different students according to their age and grade
can be made into different groups and can be given tasks such as cleaning, gardening,
organisational works, etc. which not only better their management skills but also improve their
relationship and interpersonal skills while they interact with other students.
Sessions other than regular ones should be given space in school curriculum wherein students
are given time to interact with each other which may help them in gaining deeper insights in
emotions and feelings while cultural awareness is must too. Students should be aware of the
vast cultural diversity that exists in the country.

Student exchange program even within states can help students to better understand the culture
better with exchange of ideas, opinions, traditions,

Engagements throughout school time can help students build relationship skills. It can be
further enhanced by giving students more responsibility and leadership roles in school.

A few American schools have implemented a pedagogy called Student Taking Action
Together (STAT) to help middle school students plan and take social action within the existing
social studies curriculum to promote active civic participation among students.2
STAT can be implemented in Indian Schools too in which students are made aware of the
pressing issues around them and thus, they can actively participate in debates, discussions,
demonstrations surrounding these issues. Schools should make efforts to actively organise
seminars, workshops, symposiums, etc on the relevant issues.
“Emotional first aid centres” and “emotional labs” where children can go and get help and
learn skills. Emotional first aid centres can act in a similar way as that to first aid room which
provides help in cases of physical injuries. Emotional FACs would help students in dealing
with mental health problems and their emotions effectively. Mental health is major point of
concern among adolescents and while it is really difficult for young children to have access to
psychologists, these Emotional First Aid Centres with help of School Counsellors can be a
solution to the problem and a major breakthrough in area of mental health.
There should be a session every day in school where students learn the technique of
mindfulness.3

1
Framework Developed by CASEL
2
https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/blog/social-emotional-learning-young-learners-school-5455047/
3
https://www.6seconds.org/2017/11/17/whats-summit-sel-indian-schools/
Yoga and meditation can be useful channels to calm the mind of the young students. School
should have a weekly yoga and meditation class which can go a long way in establishing a
balance- both physical and emotional in student life.

Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and
feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or
“wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts
tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining
the future.4

Happiness Class

This program is a new addition to schools’ curriculum in Delhi and aims to improve students’
mindfulness and confidence, which in turn will have an impact on their attainment in their other
academic subjects.5 There as been a good response to Happiness class. These classes involve
various techniques like yoga, meditation, story-telling, breathing exercises, etc. which can be
made part of SEL curriculum. It has been a relatively good experiment in SEL.

A different happiness curriculum has been developed by the State Education Department and
further, teachers are being trained for the same.

It is not necessary that there should be a separate class for SEL Education, but it can instead be
integrated into other subject areas. Languages, literature and geography can help develop
cultural awareness and empathy; history teaches critical thinking; and team-building can be
developed through PE and drama, for example.6

There is a debate surrounding whether SEL education should be standalone or integrated

with other subjects, one of the solutions as was provided by the Principal advisor to Director
of Education, Delhi Government can be that:

SEL can start as a standalone exercise in the early years/classes, but gradually it should be
integrated into other subjects because the whole purpose of learning is: If you learn maths, you
learn calculations, but how do you apply it in your life? If you are learning science and you
become a doctor, how would you use your medical practice ethically? So as a result, this
exercise – Social and Emotional Learning – needs to be integrated with the school
curriculum… In the beginning, it is possible that you can introduce [SEL] as a matter of
practice so that the teachers get more acquainted with the methodology. But, as we move on,
the idea, at least in Delhi, is: whatever subject you are teaching, apply the learning of the
process that you learned while transacting your happiness class into teaching the subject that
you are teaching.7

4
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition
5
https://www.salzburgglobal.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Documents/2010-
2019/2018/Session_603/Issue2_SalzburgGlobal_603_Newsletter.pdf
6
Ibid
7
Ibid
Role plays, skits, and dramatic readings are excellent strategies not only for bringing history to
life but for student development of cross-cultural awareness and an appreciation of different
perspectives.8

When discussing literature (e.g., short stories, novels, poems, and picture books), the teacher
can solicit students' emotional reactions to themes, characters, and plot developments. For
example, students can identify how characters showed their feelings; explain other ways
characters could have expressed themselves; articulate how these alternative actions would
have affected other characters in the story; and relate how they feel about a character's
decisions. Students can also study and process emotions through analyses of music videos and
song lyrics.9

SEL at Elementary Level

First, focus should be more on outcomes at the teacher and classroom level, because teachers'
own social-emotional competency and the quality of the classroom environment can have a
huge effect on students' SEL.

Measuring student skills in isolation provides an incomplete picture of the classroom

environment and the interactions that students engage in daily. Teacher- and classroom-level
outcomes can give a richer picture of classroom practices, processes, and relationships, which
are likely to affect student-level SEL skills and other key outcome.

Second, because the elementary years span a great many developmental and environmental
transitions, SEL programs should take care to focus on the skills appropriate to each grade and
age, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.

Third, measurement of SEL skills among children in this age range should grow narrower in
focus but broader in context and depth.

SEL in Adolescents

Adolescence begins at puberty and ends with independence from adults. Adolescents (8th-12th
graders) generally go through numerous biological as well as psychological changes and
majorly have four developmental tasks10:

i. to stand out: to develop an identity and pursue autonomy;

ii. to fit in: to find comfortable affiliations and gain acceptance from peers

8
Taylor, H., & Larson, S. (1999). Social and Emotional Learning in Middle School. The Clearing
House, 72(6), 331-336. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30189466
9
Ibid
10
Bradford Brown, a developmental psychologist at the University of Wisconsin, wrote in a report for the
National Academy of Sciences
 iii. to measure up: to develop competence and find ways to achieve

iv. to take hold: make commitments to particular goals, activities and beliefs.

The research paper talks about effective programs which are not based on skills model, even
though they teach some skills. Instead, they find ways to motivate young people in terms of the
values that matter most to them and they try to change how young people see the world- their
mindsets. 11

It discusses various programmes in context of U.S. which don’t focus on teaching adolescents
a particular type of skill set or work on the skills they have but rather focus on changing their
mindset with activities like community services, training in areas like self-confidence and
social skills.

Combining the above developmental tasks with the SEL programs can have significant
outcomes and would fit in the overall scheme of SEL. Programmes like community service,
student-led discussions and other series of activities that build relationships and a sense of
community with others in a small group.

All these activities can be inculcated in the SEL where developmental tasks as listed above are
also accomplished. Community service helps students to develop a separate identity for
themselves other than academics. Further, if students are given a chance to lead these activities,
it gives them a sense of freedom and autonomy. Student-led discussions amongst peers in a
school or community allow students to gain acceptance form fellow students helps in boosting
self-confidence.

These types of activities can help in inculcating SEL more effectively rather than imparting
some specific skills or moral education. Efforts should be made so that students themselves
develop an understanding for right and wrong rather than imposing it on them.

Skills based or moral education-based programs such as moral education classes under SEL
can be part of curriculum in elementary level. As in case of early childhood, it becomes
important that children develop a level of understanding for them to distinguish between right
and wrong. But once in middle school and high school, SEL should focus more on giving
leadership role to students in developing activities keeping in mind the suitability of the
activities and further, helping them in leading activities such as community services,
discussions, group projects, activities, etc.

Some Approaches which can be of Use of Teachers in Middle and High School Are12:

Emphasize moral and ethical reasoning

11
Yeager, D. (2017). Social and Emotional Learning Programs for Adolescents. The Future of
Children, 27(1), 73-94. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/44219022
12
Supra at 8
Apply moral dilemmas and decision-making trees to foster student motivation, focus on salient
issues, relate content to students' lives, and develop higher-level thinking skills.

Encourage the development of problem-solving skills

Case studies enable students to identify antecedents to problems, examine and evaluate
approaches to social, political, and personal concerns, appreciate different perspectives, weigh
consequences, and understand patterns.

Make learning relevant while fostering a heightened sense of responsibility and

community

Service-learning projects such as adopting parks, cleaning up neighbourhoods, assisting the

elderly, and working with shelters, soup kitchens, and other volunteer organizations can
increase student attendance and academic achievement, improve communication skills, foster
healthy relationships, and encourage character development.

Foster community awareness while tapping local resources

Field trips can help students grasp abstract political, social, and economic concepts while
allowing them to rehearse social skills and safety practices.

Promote cooperation

Cooperative learning activities can help students negotiate misunderstandings, accept

responsibility for their actions, manage time effectively, and respect others' space.
Additionally, cooperative learning promotes higher achievement, self- direction, appreciation
for diversity, and peer support while reducing social and academic anxiety.

Encourage respect for different perspectives

Debates enable students to practice strategies for negotiating disputes while learning to manage
strong feelings.

Establish democratic classrooms

By helping to create and monitor classroom rules and procedures, students learn to articulate
their need for a safe and orderly environment, develop a sense of individual and group
responsibility, appreciate involvement in a democracy, and respect the rights of diverse groups
and individuals. By participating in debates, students can develop respect for others'
perspectives, practice strategies for negotiating disputes, and learn to manage strong feelings.
Additionally, the skills and behaviours learned through debate are central to conducting
democratic classrooms, a trademark of the social studies.

PROPER TRAINING TO ADULTS

No matter when in children's lives an SEL program is implemented, the adults delivering the
program are important to its success.

In early childhood, teachers need professional development to support their implementation of

SEL programs.

In middle childhood, all the adults involved in the program need professional development and
other support, because SEL interventions at this level can be targeted not just at the classroom
but also at the whole school.

For adolescents, SEL programs may be more effective if they're delivered by adults who show
that they understand and respect the adolescent s point of view and need for autonomy, rather
than trying to control them.

In after-school programs, supportive adults who act as mentors are vital. And last, but no less
important, if adults lack SEL skills themselves or suffer from stress or poor physical and mental
health, their ability to support their students' SEL may be severely compromised.

Thus, programs should also be developed to provide proper training, guidance and resources
to adults involved in the SEL process. These adults will include teachers, parents, mentors and
other adults involved. Efforts should be made at local level by the school authorities to involve
parents, guardians, mentors, etc to train and guide them with proper methodology and resources
so that they can add to the SEL programs.

State-level education Department, Education Boards, various ministries at all levels all should
work in tandem to train principals, teachers and other school staff to make them aware of SEL.
Training exercises, workshops, seminars, etc. at regular intervals can help teachers in
inculcating SEL into their curriculum, classroom teaching and discussions.

SCHOOL COUNSELORS13

SEL programming is most effective if it is comprehensive throughout the school program and
continuous throughout the student's school experience. School Counsellors can thus, have a
vital role to play in building such a program.

Appointments of School Counsellors or SEL Head can be a step towards better implementation
and coherence of SEL with academics. Now these Counsellors may have various works under
them including overseeing SEL in school, collaborating with all the stakeholders at school level
including teachers, parents, students, school staff, administration etc. Thus, these counsellors
can be the main touchpoint or centre-point in the Schools for SEL Programmes.

13
Van Velsor, P. (2009). School Counselors as Social-Emotional Learning Consultants: Where
Do We Begin? Professional School Counseling, 13(1), 50-58. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/42732919
CHALLENGES

i. Insufficient dosage, duration, and effectiveness.

SEL programs often take the form of short lessons, implemented during one weekly
half-hour or hour-long section of a language arts, social studies or other class. SEL
lectures at school level are often seen as a burden by the teachers. These lessons are
often abridged or skipped because of tight schedules and the need to spend more class
time on academic content.

ii. Fragmentation and marginalization

SEL skills aren't seen as a core part of the educational mission; they may be viewed as
extracurricular, add-on, or secondary. As a result, there is little effort to apply the skills
learned during SEL programming.

iii. Sole focus on classrooms

Most SEL programs focus solely or primarily on what goes on in the classroom. But
SEL skills are also needed on playgrounds, in lunchrooms, in hallways and bathrooms,
and in out-of-school settings. Students need support to navigate such spaces and to
make the entire school environment safe, positive, and conducive to learning.

iv. Limited staff training

Broadly speaking, teachers, other school staff, and the adults who staff out- of-school
settings typically receive little training in how to promote SEL skills, deal with peer
conflict, or address other SEL-related issues.

To solve these problems, firstly, there is huge need to engage with and prepare teachers
and other school staffs to bring in change regarding SEL and establish it as a part of
core curriculum. Proper training should be provided to them with help of regular
seminars and workshops on SEL.

Secondly, SEL should be treated on par with academic subjects. Proper time, lectures
and sessions should be devoted to SEL just like any other subject. Every State board
and other boards should compulsorily develop SEL curriculum as it is done for other
academic subjects.

And lastly, SEL shouldn’t be limited to just classroom teaching but students should be
made responsible and given leadership roles at various levels in schools. They should
be included in different school activities and the teaching should not be limited to
classrooms. In this way, SEL rather than being a classroom subject can be made part of
the whole school system.