Targeting and meeting learners' social and emotional needs lays the foundation for healthy growth and development—no matter their age. Read on to learn how you can support social and emotional learning at any level in your organization. 👍

Embedding SEL Into Online Instruction

Lindsey Frank shares strategies for incorporating social and emotional learning into your coaching partnerships, especially within remote learning spaces.

"SEL addresses five main areas—along with learning standards—called the CASEL Core Competencies. . . . More specifically, SEL is a set of explicitly taught skills that are designed to meet the needs of students based on observable data, just like in content areas. They create a lasting impact on a learner's life. It's not 'fluff,' it's not 'extra,' and it's not 'filler."

10 Social-Emotional Learning Strategies

Francie Alexander and Dr. Amy Endo overview the "Connected Learning Model" and three researched-based principles for addressing the well-being of everyone within an organization.

"The pandemic has caused stress, grief, and anxiety about the future for many students and their families. The lack of social interaction and feelings of isolation have increased mental health issues. . . . Schools can begin with intentionally cultivating a caring and equitable learning environment and implementing evidence-based SEL practices that actively involve all students in their social, emotional, and academic growth."

The Impact of Feedback on Whole Child Perspective

Students take ownership of their learning when they're given a voice and choice. Lauren Smith highlights why it's crucial to tailor feedback to meet each student's social and emotional needs.

"Learning is a fluid process that's ever-evolving. If our colleagues are designers of their learning, then as coaches, we need to ensure learning experiences are equitable and designed to meet the needs of the whole child. . . . Feedback offered to our colleagues that is centered on the whole child perspective drives collective actions with multiple pathways to make an impact on student learning with a heart for the learner at our core."

How One Iowa District Put SEL on Center Stage

Tina Halverson spotlights a few of her district's practiced techniques for connecting and meeting the needs of all of their students while keeping their emotions front and center.

"The 3-tiered Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) methodology has been an integral instrument for promoting positive student behavior and feedback in our school for the last ten years. At the beginning of each year, we use PBIS strategies to remind students of the school's expectations. Then, at the year midpoint, it's used to provide reteaching of specific areas where necessary and students are rewarded for their performance."

Social-Emotional Coaching

Lindsey Frank is back with a handful of strategies to help you understand and aid adults' social and emotional needs—both in partnerships and coaching cycles.

"Understanding the progression of change and the emotional impact it has on partnerships helps coaches approach relationships with compassion. We can uncover the hidden roots to why certain emotions and behaviors are occurring, we can anticipate possible future thoughts and actions of staff, and we can know how to begin supporting teachers."

Parallel Practice for Social-Emotional Learning

For teachers to take care of students, they must first be at one with their own emotions. Morgan Davis promotes four of her go-to practices that prioritize her teachers social-emotional and physical well-being.

"Teachers should anticipate a question about their self-care during our professional development sessions, our PLCs, and our coaching conversations. . . . With any change—no matter how small—we should take time to name our emotions, which both normalizes and validates them."