According to a 2018 survey, many high school students don’t believe their schools have done enough to help them deal with stress (51 percent), understand their emotions (49 percent), and solve disagreements (46 percent), and fewer than half of graduates surveyed feel prepared for life after high school.
We’re learning that some social and emotional learning approaches simply aren’t as effective with teens as they are with children. When teaching relationship skills, teens cansometimes finddirect teaching (in the form of lectures, videos, and homework) to be patronizing and heavy-handed.
Why? Teens need more opportunities to dig deeper—to actively explore who they are, what drives them, and who they want to be in the world. So how can we better address teens’ developmental needs?
Researcher David Yeager and his colleagues argue that it’s important to address teens’ needs for status (“How do others treat me?”) and respect (“Am I granted the rights I expect to be granted as a student?”). If teens feel competent, autonomous, and valued in their community—if they have a sense of high status and respect, in other words—they’re likely to be more motivated and engaged.
Here are four ways you can help teens to develop greater self-awareness—and ultimately enhance their sense of status and respect among peers and adults.
1. Invite students to use their character strengths
If teens crave respect, it’s important to create a school climate where their strengths are recognized and valued.
Take time in class to have your students identify their personal strengths, such as hope, humility, honesty, kindness, and perseverance. You can begin by asking them to take a 10-minute online survey designed by positive psychology researchers.
After they learn about some of their key strengths, ask them to choose one strength to focus on every day for a week. Have them describe the strength in writing and propose several different ways they might use it each day, and challenge them to act on that strength throughout the week.
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For example, if a student wants to capitalize on kindness as a strength, he might perform a random act of kindness for a peer, write a thank-you note to a teacher, or volunteer to care for abandoned animals at a local shelter over the weekend.
As an alternative to focusing on one strength all week, they might choose to focus on a different strength each day. Whichever option they choose, have them write about what they did, how it made them feel, and what they learned from the experience.
Research tells us that this activity can increase well-being and reduce symptoms of depression. It’s easy for us to focus on our weaknesses and personal challenges, but when we spend time making the most of our positive qualities, we can build greater self-esteem and confidence.
2. Encourage students to imagine their best selves
Another way to help students clarify who they are and how they want to be in the world is to invite them to envision their ideal future.
Ask your students to respond to the following questions in a 15-minute free-write: What is the best possible life you can imagine? Consider all the areas in your life that are important to you—relationships, school, career, hobbies and interests, etc. Be as creative and imaginative as you want, and don’t worry about spelling and grammar.
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Ask them to be as specific as possible, and tell them that it’s easy to focus on current obstacles to reaching goals, so they should let go and simply dream about the future and exactly what it could look like.
Researchers suggest that it’s important to create mindsets that blunt the power of perceived threats to teens’ status and respect, and this exercise can help students feel a greater sense of control as they clarify a vision of their future self.
3. Challenge students to explore their purpose
Once students have practiced using their character strengths and imagined their future selves, create opportunities for them to think about how they might contribute to something larger than themselves.
The Purpose Challenge Toolkit features research-based online activities that prompt students to imagine how they might leave their mark on the world—and make it a better place.
Here are some examples:
- Respond to these questions: “Imagine you’ve been given a magic wand, and you can change anything you want in the world. What would you want to be different and why? Is there anything you can do to help move the world closer to this ideal? If so, how?”
- Discuss what this Viktor Frankl quote means: “Those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear with almost any ‘how.’”
- Create a tattoo design that symbolizes the things that matter most to you.
Apart from these prompts, it’s crucial to connect students’ sense of purpose to what they’re learning. Are they studying social issues that matter to them? Are they learning as a means to an end—or to make a difference in the world?
4. Value student leadership in your school community
We can’t challenge adolescents to make a difference in the world without offering them opportunities to lead and be heard. High schools aren’t simply holding spaces for teens. They can be places where students test their wings, raise their voices, and learn how to effect change. In fact, students in schools with strong SEL programs and positive learning environments are more likely to report that their “voice” matters.
What does this look like beyond classroom-based suggestions (student-led conferences and class meetings, student-led instruction, and student choices in curriculum)? You can extend student influence at your school through peer mediation, mentoring, and buddy programs, as well as student-led community engagement and service learning opportunities.
However, you might also offer more students advisory roles on boards or in district-level committees. Invite their feedback and input on school policies, programs, assemblies, and even hiring decisions.
Finally, to inspire more widespread student investment in your school, consider a “Strength in Voices” conference “for students, by students, to inspire students.” Michelle Hammond, student voice coordinator in the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada, supports an annual student-led event that features students’ strategies for improving their schools.
“One of the most important features of this event is that 80 percent of the students who are invited each year are randomly selected to assure a diverse representation of our 64,000 students,” explains Hammond. “And then we tap into that group to present at the event the following year, and/or to serve on our Student Advisory Councils.”
Student facilitators (grades 4-12) lead “breakout sessions” (with adult support) around topics like “Equity: Making It Fair for Everyone,” “Why is This ‘Teenager Thing’ so Hard? Getting SMART About Stress,” and bullying (“Why EVERYONE Must Become Part of the Solution”).
After participating in the “Strength in Voices” event, one student commented, “I have a stronger voice and can stand up for students who need it, while another encouraged peers, “Stay in school and speak up!”
Many of our students face significant obstacles in their lives due to factors beyond their control, like health challenges, poverty, and institutionalized racism. Prompting students to connect with their strengths, identify what matters most to them, and envision ways they might contribute to the world may ultimately help them to feel more respected and empowered.
Part of this piece was originally published on April 5, 2019, on Edutopia.org ©2019 George Lucas Educational Foundation.
FAQs
How to Incorporate Social-Emotional Learning in Your Classroom
- Be Present and Observant. In order to figure out what my students are struggling with, I have to be present and observant. ...
- Create a Supportive Atmosphere. ...
- Share Life Experiences. ...
- Stimulate Discussion. ...
- Give Your Students the Opportunity to Practice.
Tips for Improving the Social-Emotional Well-Being of Students
- Instill Coping Skills. ...
- Start a gratitude practice. ...
- Practice the “circle of control” exercise. ...
- Initiate self-care practices. ...
- Take mindfulness breaks. ...
- Facilitate safe socialization.
Promoting Social-Emotional Development in Your Child
- Love your child and show your affection for them. ...
- Encourage your child to try new things. ...
- Give your child opportunities to play with other children their age. ...
- Show your feelings. ...
- Establish daily routines. ...
- Acknowledge your child's feelings.
6 Strategies to Incorporate Social and Emotional Learning in the...
- Start with yourself. ...
- Prioritize communication. ...
- Divide and conquer. ...
- Practice mindfulness. ...
- Weave SEL into your lessons. ...
- Remember that all feelings are valid.
Five ways to implement social-emotional learning in the classroom
- 1: Start the day with a morning meeting or check-in.
- 2: Teach students to solve problems with peer mediation.
- 3: Use role playing activities.
- 4: Use anchor charts to teach social-emotional skills.
- 5: Check out just as much as you check in.
12 top social and emotional learning activities for your high school students
- Review current events. ...
- Greet your students. ...
- Journal writing. ...
- Setting goals on paper. ...
- Share success stories. ...
- Write a short biography about another student. ...
- Give each student a mentor. ...
- Use literature.
SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring ...
What is an example of social emotional development? ›
Some examples of social-emotional skills in use are: Recognizing if someone is sad, and asking if they're ok. Expressing yourself with your friends in a different way than with your parents. Understanding your thoughts and feelings, and being able to relate to others.
Why is it important to promote social and emotional wellbeing in schools? ›
Supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of students at school provides a strong foundation for academic achievement as well as positive intrapersonal and interpersonal long-term outcomes. Social and emotional wellbeing encompasses a wide range of factors that should be considered including students': autonomy.
What are social emotional activities? ›
Social-emotional development activities offer a safe and supportive environment for students to learn prosocial behavior. The games encourage healthy relationships that reinforce empathy, sharing, and compassion.
Teachers and caregivers promote children's social and emotional health by establishing trusting relationships, created when teachers express warmth, affection, and respect. Teachers can intentionally teach and enhance these skills using evidence-based strategies to teach, model, and reinforce positive behaviors.
How can a teacher help a student develop social cognition? ›
Children are more likely to develop positive relationships when teachers:
- Model appropriate social behaviors.
- Provide opportunities for them to develop new social-emotional skills.
- Give explicit guidance.
- Offer a curriculum that is engaging and relevant to children's lives and cultures.
To achieve healthy social development, children and young people need to form social bonds with others who can model and encourage positive social values and behaviours.
- opportunities for social interaction.
- active participation and meaningful engagement with others including family members, educators and peers.
In a traditional classroom environment, the development of social skills relies on physical interaction. From in-class time to recess to the cafeteria, students interact with their peers and teachers, receiving immediate feedback from their actions and words.
What is socio emotional development of high school learners? ›
Social-emotional development includes the child's experience, expression, and management of emotions and the ability to establish positive and rewarding relationships with others (Cohen and others 2005). It encompasses both intra- and interpersonal processes.
What is an emotional support classroom? ›
A Therapeutic Emotional Support (TES) classroom provides students with a classroom that focuses on academics and social skills to be successful in a regular education setting. TES classrooms operate on a truncated day (late start, early dismissal) and provide 4 core subject areas as well as 2 social skill groups a day.
What are the 5 social emotional learning skills? ›
The CASEL 5 addresses five broad and interrelated areas of competence and highlights examples for each: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
What are the 5 components of social emotional learning? ›
II. The 5 Core SEL Competencies
- Self-Awareness.
- Self-Management.
- Social Awareness.
- Relationship Skills.
- Responsible Decision-Making.
26 Simple Ways To Integrate Social-Emotional Learning Throughout the Day
- Use story time for teachable moments. ...
- Look for a trusted SEL curriculum. ...
- Practice lots of role-playing. ...
- Make space for reflective writing. ...
- Allow for talk time. ...
- Teach students to monitor their own progress. ...
- Build community with teams.
Teacher plays an important role in the field of Education. Today's Education is child- centered, but the child education cannot be successful without the teacher. Emotional intelligence adapts a wider perspective and helps us extend our understanding of our interactions with other and social world around us.
Build Awareness
Increasing social and emotional awareness in your daily life is the first step in developing social and emotional skills. This means noticing when your child is doing something right and letting them know that you noticed.
Why is social and emotional development important? ›
In their first few years of life, young children acquire social and emotional skills, such as regulating emotions, sharing with others and following instructions. These skills lay the foundation for developing literacy, numeracy and other cognitive abilities that are critical for success in school and life.
Why is social development important in education? ›
Studies show that social competence helps a child gain more than academic competence. Children who are socially competent are better adjusted and able to accept diversity, change and new forms of learning.
How can schools promote wellbeing? ›
How can schools promote health and wellbeing
- Mental health and wellness training. ...
- Implement mental health, wellbeing and resilience into the curriculum. ...
- Promote healthy eating. ...
- Encourage students and staff to stay hydrated. ...
- Advocate for physical activity. ...
- Opportunities for student and staff feedback.
SEL programs are built upon a research-based SEL curriculum that teaches individuals social and emotional skills that are necessary for life and academic success. These are otherwise known as social competencies.
What are social activities for students? ›
Examples include clubs, school newspapers, music groups, student councils, debate teams, theater, volunteering programs, sports, and youth groups; programs sometimes include academic components.
How can you promote positive social interaction in the classroom? ›
Easy tips for encouraging positive peer relationships
- Getting a friend's attention.
- Sharing objects.
- Asking peers to share objects.
- Providing a play idea to a peer.
- Saying something nice to a friend.
This will help grow and maintain a feeling of emotional safety in your classroom.
...
Your Weekly Eureka Moment
- Post Student Work. ...
- Have Non-Negotiables. ...
- Admit When You Don't Know. ...
- Read with Your Students. ...
- Remain Calm at All Times. ...
- Take Every Opportunity to Model Kindness. ...
- Circulate. ...
- Address Grudges Early On.
5 Ways to Support Social–Emotional Development in Early Childhood
- Use power words.
- Help children understand the consequences of behavior.
- Show while telling.
- Establish “l*ttle rules.”
- Listen actively and empathetically.
Studies show that social-emotional skills—such as problem-solving, self-regulation, impulse control, and empathy—help improve academics, reduce negative social behaviors like bullying, and create positive classroom climates. Social-emotional skills also help kids successfully manage everyday life.
The class-room teacher can play an important role to reduce pressures that interfere with adolescents' emotional development. Proper training: A teacher can use devices and methods to control fears of inadequacy in various situations by developing competencies and skills, thus developing self-confidence.
How does social and emotional development affect learning? ›
How does social and emotional development affect learning? By providing a kind environment, it helps to encourage optimal brain development as well as social connection and collaboration. In other words, SEL affects learning by shaping children's developing neural circuitry, particularly the executive functions.
What are the 4 stages of social learning theory? ›
These four concrete stages of social learning within social learning theory include attention, retention and memory, initiation and motor behavior, and motivation.
What are some of the important aspects of school age children's socio emotional development? ›
Children Ages 5 to 12 Years Old
- Develop greater empathy.
- Establish and maintain positive relationships and friendships.
- Start developing a sense of morality.
- Control impulsive behavior.
- Identify and manage emotions.
- Form a positive self-concept and self-esteem (identity formation has begun)
- Become resilient.
This stage has three essential characteristics: practical, social, and political application of mind.
What is social development in education? ›
Social development involves learning the values, knowledge, and skills of social interaction. For example, learners will learn communication and interaction with teachers, other learners, and friends in a school environment.
What is important of social development? ›
Social development is about improving the well-being of every individual in society so they can reach their full potential. The success of society is linked to the well-being of each and every citizen. Social development means investing in people.
How do you create an emotionally safe classroom? ›
This will help grow and maintain a feeling of emotional safety in your classroom.
...
Your Weekly Eureka Moment
- Post Student Work. ...
- Have Non-Negotiables. ...
- Admit When You Don't Know. ...
- Read with Your Students. ...
- Remain Calm at All Times. ...
- Take Every Opportunity to Model Kindness. ...
- Circulate. ...
- Address Grudges Early On.
SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring ...
What is an emotional support classroom? ›
A Therapeutic Emotional Support (TES) classroom provides students with a classroom that focuses on academics and social skills to be successful in a regular education setting. TES classrooms operate on a truncated day (late start, early dismissal) and provide 4 core subject areas as well as 2 social skill groups a day.
Teachers are the main emotional leaders of their students, and the foundation for promoting emotional balance within their groups is their ability to recognize, understand, and manage their emotions.
What are social activities for students? ›
Examples include clubs, school newspapers, music groups, student councils, debate teams, theater, volunteering programs, sports, and youth groups; programs sometimes include academic components.
How do you structure an emotional environment in the classroom? ›
Create a positive atmosphere: A bright, airy space with lots of natural lighting will lift up moods and create a positive environment. Put up cheerful pictures and inspirational quotes to set the mood. Arrange the classroom to promote interaction and active student participation.
How do you support a child to express their emotions and concerns in a safe environment? ›
Be a role model - Kids learn about feelings and how to express them appropriately by watching others. Show your child how you're feeling about different situations and how you deal with those feelings. Encourage with praise - Praise your child when they talk about their feelings or express them in an appropriate way.
What are the 5 social-emotional learning skills? ›
The CASEL 5 addresses five broad and interrelated areas of competence and highlights examples for each: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
Why is social-emotional learning important in schools? ›
Social-emotional learning is vital for students because it teaches them crucial life skills, including the ability to understand themselves, develop a positive self-image, take responsibility for their actions, and forge relationships with the people around them.
What is an example of social-emotional development? ›
Some examples of social-emotional skills in use are: Recognizing if someone is sad, and asking if they're ok. Expressing yourself with your friends in a different way than with your parents. Understanding your thoughts and feelings, and being able to relate to others.
How can I help my student with emotional problems? ›
5 Tips for Handling EBD Kids (Emotional Behavior Disorder) in an Inclusive Classroom
- Keep class rules/activities simple and clear. ...
- Reward positive behaviors. ...
- Allow for mini-breaks. ...
- Fair treatment for all. ...
- Use motivational strategies.
Effective General Teaching Strategies for Behavior Issues
- Provide a calm environment.
- Minimize distractions.
- Emphasize routine.
- Behavioral expectations should reflect behavioral abilities.
- Focus on assisting student rather than disciplining.
- Provide a time out/study area away from the group.
- Make sure the student feels safe.
