SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

The classic "3 R's" of learning are, of course, Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic. For the 21st century, we need to add a fourth R--and it will help inspire the other three along with 6C’s of education for the future . The graceful “R” is self (emotional) Regulation. Emotional Regulation is Psychology’s new pet field. 6C’s of education for the future are shown in the below figure.

    0-7 are the make it or break it years, it lays the foundation of a child's socio-emotional development and personality; parents have a 100% role to play in it. The brain connections are made only up to 6 years of age that means the food, diet, sleep habits will affect child’s memory and intelligence. Frontal Cortex controls self regulation thickens during childhood.

     Two sets of value rubrics for social and emotional skills, derived from a longer CCE list, which indicate the skills that we want students to develop. Developing social–emotional competence is a key to success in school and in life.

(A)Social Skills

1. Helps classmates in case of difficulties in academic and personal issues

2. Actively listens and pays attention to others

3. Explains and articulates a concept differently so that others can understand in simple language

4. Demonstrates leadership skills, like responsibility, initiative etc.

5. Helps others develop independence and avoid dependency.

(B)Emotional Skills

1. Is optimistic

2. Believes in self and shows self confidence

3. If unsuccessful, gracefully tries the task again

4. Maintains decency under stressful interpersonal situations

5. Does the student recognize her strengths and weaknesses?

The following  skills listed can be involved and promoted in SEL:

1."Recognizing emotions in self and others"

2."Regulating and managing strong emotions (positive and negative)"

3."Recognizing strengths and areas of need"

4."Listening and communicating accurately and clearly"

5."Taking others' perspectives and sensing their emotions"

6."Respecting others and self and appreciating differences"

7."Setting positive and realistic goals"

8."Problem solving, decision making, and planning"

9."Approaching others and building positive relationships"

10."Resisting negative peer pressure"

11."Cooperating, negotiating, and managing conflict and nonviolently"

12."Working effectively in groups"

13"Help-seeking and help-giving"

14."Showing ethical and social responsibility.”

Social emotional learning (SEL) is a process for learning life skills, including how to deal with oneself and establish positive relationships with others, the capacity to recognize and manage emotions, solve problems effectively and  competencies that clearly are essential for all students as shown in the below figure. SEL also focuses on dealing with a variety of situations in a constructive and ethical manner. SEL targets a combination of behaviors, cognitions and emotions.

With regard to self-awareness, children in the elementary grades should be able to recognize and accurately label simple emotions such as sadness, anger, and happiness. In middle school, students should be able to analyze factors that trigger their stress reactions. Students in high school are expected to analyze how various expressions of emotion affect other people.

With regard to self-management, elementary school children are expected to describe the steps of setting and working toward goals. In middle school they should be able to set and make a plan to achieve a short-term personal or academic goal. High school students should be able to identify strategies to make use of available school and community resources and overcome obstacles in achieving a long-term goal.

In the area of social awareness, elementary school students should be able to identify verbal, physical, and situational cues indicating how others feel. Those in middle school should be able to predict others’ feelings and perspectives in various situations. High school students should be able to evaluate their ability to empathize with others.

In the area of relationship skills, in elementary school, students should have an ability to describe approaches to making and keeping friends. Middle school students are expected to demonstrate cooperation and teamwork to promote group goals. In high school students are expected to evaluate uses of communication skills with peers, teachers, and family members.

Finally, with regard to responsible decision-making, elementary school students should be able to identify a range of decisions they make at school. Middle school students should be able to evaluate strategies for resisting peer pressure to engage in unsafe or unethical activities. High-school students should be able to analyze how their current decision-making affects their college and career prospects.

2003 research from  CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning )found that 71% of students in 6th through 12th grade thought their school did not provide them with a caring, encouraging environment. Another statistic from the same study revealed that "at least 1 child in 10 suffers from a mental illness that severely disrupts daily functioning at home, in school, or in the community" and that 70-80% of struggling children don’t receive appropriate mental health services. Teaching social and emotional learning in schools aims to enhance children's understanding of themselves and those experiencing mental hardship and to encourage comfort in a school setting that values the development of knowledge, interpersonal skills and well-being in students.

The benefits of SEL can be found both in a school and home setting. For instance, SEL improves positive behaviors while reducing negative behaviors. Furthermore, SEL skills are maintained throughout life; even into adulthood, they can help to foster success. Moreover, SEL can help to improve several skills including nonverbal communication skills, socially competent behaviour, and social meaning and reasoning. 

Researches have shown that SEL has impact on 2 main areas – character and citizenship and also suggest a positive correlation among SEL and academic success. Character is values manifested in life with Social & Emotional competencies as its vehicle for manifestation. SEL changes attitudes, values, behavior and performance. Thus SEL enables students to develop the skills to succeed in life

Teachers, counselors and parents can play an important role in facilitating SEL. To begin, learning social and emotional skills is similar to learning other academic skills. Implementing a prevention program in schools can help to increase competence and learning in students which may be applied to more complex situations in the future. Teachers can accomplish this in the classroom through effective and direct classroom instructions, student engagement in positive activities. Teachers and parents can improve nonverbal communication skills through the technique of emotional coaching. Emotional coaching is a technique developed by John Gottman and can provide guidance about emotions for children through a step process. 1: One needs to be aware of the learner's emotions, 

2: Recognition of uncomfortable feelings can be a gateway for teaching and guidance opportunities, 3: Emotions exhibited need to be validated rather than evaluated, 4: Learners need help in labeling these emotions,5: Finally, the problem that led to the emotions needs to be solved. Furthermore, at home SEL can be fostered through the emphasis of sharing, listening, confidence etc.