Social Emotional Learning is becoming a growing need in classrooms. The need for SEL learning seems to be increasing, as students continue to struggle with cooperation, communication, collaboration, and empathy. The struggle is finding ways to integrate it without adding extra work in the day. I am always trying to find new ways to integrate in group projects and independent work without feeling overwhelmed with lesson planning. Here are three things that work for me to naturally integrate SEL into my day.
Be intentional with your groups. Put students together that have different personalities and have them work together. This will foster social learning skills organically. I have noticed that there are really 5 different main personalities when it comes to group work and being intentional about their placement will help them cooperate, communicate, create and listen to each other more effectively. You can read more about the main 5 personalities here.
Talk about what went wrong. Often times we will have group work projects, grade the assignment, and move on. Often , we feel to overwhelmed with all of the content we have to cover throughout the week to have conversations about the social dynamics that went well/ didn’t go well within the group. Sitting in a circle and having students reflect on how the group work went helps them express their feeling, evaluate group dynamics, and reflect on their own behavior.
Share how you are feeling. Showing student our own vulnerability is a way to encourage students to feel comfortable to share their own feelings. While students should not know every detail of our lives, it is appropriate to say “I am feeling sad today” or ” I am feeling a little angry today. I am sorry if I get a little grumpy with you.” You are a person too! You have feelings too! It is possible to be able to express professional vulnerability with your students. This will show them that they can be vulnerable with you and their peers.
With the ever evolving needs of education, social and emotional learning are a critical part of whole child learning. Teaching these skills in the most authentic way builds life long skills that children can use as adults. Being intentional with the social and emotional dynamics of your classroom also helps foster trust in relationships and helps manage possible behavior concerns. Have fun SELing!