The Importance of Social-Emotional Learning

 

How do students manage stress in their lives? How do they make responsible decisions? How do they navigate new and complex social situations? How do they navigate relationships? These are important questions for them, but also for us as parents and as educators. As a college preparatory school, Dawson focuses on academic excellence and character development in our students.  The success of our alumni indicates that we have been effective in preparing our graduates for success in higher education and in life. Research suggests, though, that we can better equip our students for the inevitable challenges they will face through an intentional emphasis on social-emotional learning (SEL).

 

What is SEL and how are we incorporating it into our educational program? According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), there are five competencies in the SEL realm (http://goo.gl/LyQEEY). They are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. It is difficult to argue with the importance of these, yet it is easy for schools to push these priorities to the side in the interest of more immediate and measurable outcomes. Dawson has long held character development at the core of its mission, yet SEL is much more than character development; it is the application of good character. Not only that, SEL is important in ensuring that our graduates have the capacity and awareness to savor life, an important component of our vision statement. Dawson’s Strategic Plan summarizes well how our efforts as educators are integrated on behalf of students: “through relevant curriculum, social-emotional [learning], and varied experiential opportunities, students will develop the confidence, mastery, independence, and resilience necessary for success on their terms.”

 

How do we create an environment for the successful implementation of SEL? At the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference last month, Denise Pope, Senior Lecturer at Stanford and co-founder of Challenge Success (http://www.challengesuccess.org), uses the acronym SPACE to describe the characteristics of a school committed to best practice in SEL:

 

I was encouraged to see the importance of relationships, mindfulness, collaboration, empathy, and alternative assessments as important parts of any SEL initiative because we are already working on many of these things at Dawson. Pope also mentioned longer class periods and advisory time specifically as creating opportunities for meaningful SEL.

 

There is much to consider as we work together to create the best possible learning environment for our children. Social-emotional learning is already part of what we do in and out of the classroom at Dawson, yet a clearer understanding of SEL and how to cultivate it will only enhance our children’s development and their opportunities for success on their terms.