Social-Emotional Learning, scientifically referred to as
SEL, is an educational process used for both children and adults to learn and apply the knowledge, attitude, and the skills needed to understand and be able to manage their emotions, goals, feeling empathy for others and building relationships with one another. This is a method used throughout
our schools to help support self-control and responsible decision making through fun and non-stressful activities that individuals can connect to through social interaction. Jennifer Buffet and Timothy Shriver of Civic Enterprises stated in their
report for CASEL—
“The research overwhelmingly shows the linkages among SEL, student outcomes, and school performance. Now, for the first time, we have strong evidence that those on the front lines of American education — our nation’s teachers — embrace SEL in their classrooms, for all students, as well as endorse a more systemic approach to the use of SEL.” Why it’s Essential for Child Development Child development is an important part of growing and being successful. One of the essentials to their development is being able to communicate and build relationships with others and having friends they can relate with and be a part of. SEL allows them to do that more easily with fun building activities such as
Brackitz because it creates a fun environment to use their imagination rather than sophisticated worksheets they cannot understand. Being able to dream big and put that into a fun activity helps them:
- Communicate better
- Learn how things work
- Grow in their own way
- Connect to others
- Feel like they belong
Issues Children Face Children are very emotional and can feel what we feel which is why it is important to keep a calm environment and self-control when around them. One little slip of irritation and you start back at the beginning with earning their trust. It literally takes only one second to make them worry or even afraid and the process is not short when having to gain it back. So what issues cause them to step away from us and not communicate?
- Not being able to fit in
- Their life turning upside-down suddenly
- Emotional and physical disorders
- Bullying
In this time where we sometimes feel helpless, children often feel:
- Sadness
- Frustration
- Confusion
- Anger
They face things day and night that we don’t understand or can relate to and as we get older, we forget what it was like for us at their age and yes, it get’s frustrating, but that’s an issue they face, being misunderstood. SEL allows us to understand them through ways that make it fun for both us and the child. It allows for growth in both and having that kind of relationship with them is important.
How it helps Educational Development The Social Emotional Learning process, as stated above, helps them focus on their work and talk to us about their problems they are facing, have faced and builds their confidence in themselves. It encourages them to want to keep learning because SEL allows:
- Fun Failure rather than a frustrated child over frustration they feel from a teacher
- Storytelling
- Cooperation
- Motivation
On-top of that, it also helps children build in several ways that make them who they are and make growing up easier on them through:
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
Studies by CASEL, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, prove that Social Emotion Learning help both teachers and students but also that to teach the students, one must teach the teachers of the SEL process.
Learning Processes Used The learning processes used in a majority of our school and other
educational places generally create an atmosphere that makes a lot of individuals feel:
- Low self-esteem
- Lack of motivation
- Self-loathing
- Suicidal
- And even hate towards adults and others
Old methods have created cyber-bullying, in-person bullying, hate, sadness and so many other emotions that many don’t understand what’s going on and that is what Social and Emotional Learning is here to help with. Opposed to the pushing learning processes most places use today, SEL is one for those who are K-8 and before they reach kindergarten to prepare them for the things they will experience and hold an easy going atmosphere for them. It is fun and easy to adjust to and use in
classrooms as well as in different therapies that most processes don’t help with. Development in the human brain is the most important part of life, so children having that knowledge, able to manage and understand everything including themselves is very important for us to help motivate them to build but at the same time, have fun doing it by allowing them to:
- Learn their own way
- Bring their imaginations to life through creative activities
- Build Self-esteem
- Build self-motivation
-
Build relationships and bonds with family and friends
- Understand their surroundings
This method gives them everything they need, in the time they need, to build themselves and explore who they are without being pushed to things they steer away from at their own pace.
