Social-emotional learning (SEL) has taken a larger role in the classroom recently, partly due to the growing needs of students during the pandemic.
There are many different SEL curriculum resources out there, but there are also things that teachers can do daily to help students to feel more in control of their emotions and their ability to solve problems.
This week's featured educator, Nora Brown, is a TeacherVision Advisory Board member with more than 12 years of teaching 3rd grade. Read more about Nora and see her TeacherVision resources here.
Social-emotional learning is the process through which students understand and self-regulate emotions, set and achieve positive goals, develop compassion for themselves and others, and develop self-awareness and responsible decision making.
Here are some tips for integrating SEL into an elementary classroom:
Tip #1: Morning Meeting
Morning meetings are a time for students to greet one another, share and possibly play a game, starting the day on a positive note. Greeting one another can help each student feel like a valued member of the classroom community and sharing can help learners connect to one another. During this time you may also want to go over the schedule for the day to help students know what to expect throughout the day, and this can greatly reduce anxiety in many learners.
Related article: How to Effectively Design and Facilitate a Morning Meeting
"Research has shown that short brain breaks throughout the day can help reduce stress and anxiety in students."
Tip #2: Scheduled breaks
Research has shown that short brain breaks throughout the day can help reduce stress and anxiety in students. This can be a short walk outside, a video brain break that gets kids up and moving or a mindful moment where students are asked to sit quietly and breathe. There are many resources available for brain breaks in the classroom.
Tip #3: Explicitly Teach Problem Solving Strategies
It is imperative that teachers explicitly teach ways to identify and solve problems. Modeling and role playing different scenarios with students is a very effective way to help them work through situations that may arise and give them the strategies to deal with them. Using “I statements” can be helpful (“I felt mad when you…”), particularly in younger grades.
Related article: How to Incorporate Social-Emotional Learning Into Your Curriculum
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