“The whole is better than the sum of its parts” — why systemic SEL is not the same as an SEL curriculum

Here are the 2 notes sent to parents by teachers at two different schools:

Scenario 1 : Dear parent, Akash has failed the test this month. He is very mischievous in the class, does not concentrate on studies and disturbs his classmates as well during the class. This is getting unmanageable and I would like you to warn him about this. Meet me tomorrow to further discuss this.

Scenario 2 : Dear parent, This is in regard to your daughter, Ameena. I have a concern to share with you. Lately, I notice Ameena is not paying attention to classes and has failed in the test this month. She stays aloof and does not interact with anybody in the class. She does not take active part in games and sports like before. I am concerned if she is facing any problems . I would need your help in understanding her better and help her deal with the situation. Could we meet sometime this week to talk this out & figure some ways to help her out? Your help would be greatly appreciated in this regard. Let us meet sometime this week to discuss this.

So, what approach of the teacher do you think is better in addressing the situation? Is it as in scenario 1 or scenario 2?

Whether you choose scenario 1 or scenario 2, what did you notice ?

Isn’t there a stark difference in the approaches of teachers to similar situations? Do you think it is just the difference in the teachers’ approach? Or do you think the school environment does influence the way teachers think through and approach situations? Does the teacher-parent relationship also influence student development ?

In both these situations, a critical difference is the teacher’s emotional connect with the student and the way the situation is dealt with.

Now, this could happen due to the lack of inputs for teachers to deal with such situations in a gentle way, or the teacher being unaware of the implications that her/his behaviour might have on students.While there are multiple approaches and interventions for students to develop necessary skills to deal with different situations, the challenge is that these life skills programs are very specifically focused around areas such as health awareness, physical education, soft skills training and career readiness.

Social-emotional learning(SEL) is widely recognized as a foundational component of K-12 education. In India, the vocabulary and programming for SEL is still nascent, and thus, it does not (yet) have a place in mainstream education. This does not mean we do not need it. We undeniably need it not only for students but is required for the whole school — teachers, parents and school administrators Only when all these work in unanimity will SEL help children in their development and translation into better adulthood and life outcomes.

So, how is this different from a conventional life skills approach/program?

The field of SEL has been influxed with approaches, resources, research and assessment tools for understanding, developing and measuring students’ social, emotional and interpersonal skills but does not include stakeholders involved in students’ learning. In general, SEL programs focus on providing inputs and interventions for students alone. Not that this does not help students, it does. Nevertheless, it is also necessary that teachers, parents and the school administrators be also given inputs and training on SEL for their well-being and and thereby they can play a better role in helping students develop SEL skills.

And what is systemic SEL?

According to Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional learning(CASEL), systemic SEL is an approach that creates equitable learning conditions that involve all Pre-K to grade 12 students in learning and practicing social, emotional and academic competencies. Does this mean it can just be taught in the classroom like any other other academic subject with the formal syllabus and tests? Partly , yes!! But children can also be taught SEL outside the classroom, — at home, in the playground etc. This calls for building the personal and professional capacities of adults — parents and teachers ; and creating a climate at school and home that enhance the development of children.

Numerous research studies also confirm that promoting social and emotional competencies(SECs) including abilities to understand and manage emotions, achieve positive goals, show caring and concern for others, establish and maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions — are very crucial for success at school and life. This also requires developing or creating conditions that support teachers’ development and implementation of SEL. Teachers do need SEL for their own well-being and they are the ones who literally drive SEL programs and practices in schools and classrooms. Also, their own SECs and well-being strongly influence their students. Classrooms having warm teacher-child relationships support deep learning and positive social and emotional development among students but when teachers cannot manage the social and emotional demands of teaching, students’ academic performance and behaviour both suffer.

Not just teachers, parents do play a major role in developing children’s SECs. It is found that children with highly involved parents have better social functioning and fewer behavioural problems.This does not demand much effort from parents as children develop SEL through everyday family interactions.Families provide an environment that promotes early SEL and opportunities for children to see a connection between their emotions and behaviours .

As Kurt Koffka, the German Gestalt Psychologist says “ the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, instead of individual efforts by a teacher, parent, family , school, or community to develop child’s SEL, school-family partnerships can bring in a cumulative effort and collaborate to create important opportunities to support students’ social, emotional and academic development. School- community partnership can focus on aligning common language, strategies, and communication around SEL related efforts & initiatives.

Now getting back to the 2 scenarios with which we began , in which scenario do you see aspects of the systemic SEL approach?. How do you think a teacher’s approach and teacher-parent partnership can play a role in benefitting the student?

Now, whether you are a parent, a teacher, a school administrator or a student looking forward to understanding and developing your own SEL competencies or want to support your students or children, we have resources to support you in your journey.

Read a 3 year meta-analysis of our systemic SEL program ‘acSELerate’ here

Do visit us here: http://www.learning-curve-foundation.org/

References:

1. Mahoney, Joseph & Weissberg, Roger & Greenberg, Mark & Dusenbury, Linda & Jagers, Robert & Niemi, Karen & Schlinger, Melissa & Schlund, Justina & Shriver, Timothy & VanAusdal, Karen & Yoder, Nicholas. (2020). Systemic social and emotional learning: Promoting educational success for all preschool to high school students. American Psychologist. 10.1037/amp0000701.
2. Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2017). Social and emotional learning and teachers. Future of Children, 27(1), 137–156
3. Dahl, A. (2015). The developing social context of infants helping in two US samples. Child Development , 86, 1080–1093.
4. Rheingold, H. (1982). Little children’s participation in the work of adults, a nascent prosocial behavior. Child Development, 53, 114–125
5. Drever, A. I., Odders-White, E., Kalish, C. W., Else-Quest, N. M., Hoagland, E. M., & Nelms, E. N. (2015). Foundations of financial well-being: Insights into the role of executive function, financial socialization, and experience-based learning in childhood and youth. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 49(1), 13–38.