Social and emotional learning. Some think this sounds touchy feely, soft, lovey-dovey, full of hugs and smiles; not academic, not rigorous, not something that belongs in school. This couldn’t be more inaccurate. Social and emotional learning is for all learners in the classroom, including students requiring Tier 2 and 3 supports and the teachers who educate them. However, the focus on all learners has been remiss in the current design of most social and emotional learning efforts. A gap Rethink Ed is working hard to fill.
Social and emotional learning, or SEL, refers to evidence-based practices informed by rigorous, systematic social science that underscore the way we understand, use, and manage emotions to learn. Emotions drive how we think, pay attention, make decisions, manage our time, and countless other processes that impact how students and teachers show up in the classroom. SEL programs cultivate the development of five interrelated sets of cognitive, affective, and behavioral competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These competencies underscore the capacity to learn, develop and maintain mutually supportive relationships, and be healthy, physically and psychology. (Visit www.casel.org for more information on the evidence supporting each competencies).
Scientific studies evaluating the impact of SEL programs show that these practices improve students’ academic performance, behavior, and attendance. These practices help students and their teachers form and sustain better quality relationships, and improve both students’ and teachers’ psychological health and well-being.
Rethink Ed values learning for every student and is excited to expand the reach of quality SEL practice to meet the needs of the diverse learners and our schools. EVERY child deserves quality SEL learning experiences.
To learn more about the positive impact SEL can have on ALL learners email info@rethinked.com.
About the Author
Christina Cipriano, Ph.D. Ed.M.
Director of Research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Director of Research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Dr. Cipriano is an Applied Developmental and Educational Psychologist, and Jack Kent Cooke Scholar, and her research focuses on serving vulnerable youth through systematic examination of the interactions within their homes, schools, and communities to promote pathways to optimal developmental outcomes.
She is currently an Assistant Professor, Service Learning Fellow, and Community Engaged Research Scholar at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. You can learn more about her science at drchriscip.com and her practice at therelateproject.com.
