Month: January 2017

SEL is most effective when all aspects of a student’s life is immersed. How can we incorporate social and emotional learning into the school culture, into classrooms, homes and our community?
Research continued to prove the effectiveness of SEL programs. For example, a meta-analysis of evaluation studies of SEL program showed that the programs improved achievement scores and grade-point average (Durlak et al., 2011). Beyond academic achievement, SEL programs have also improved school safety. Incidents of misbehavior, suspensions and disciplinary actions have all decreased with social and emotional education (Durlak et al., 2011).
In the world, many nations have utilized SEL program to guide their teaching (Goleman, n.d.). Why isn’t this framework being enacted in all schools?

The SEL framework is an integrated approach. It is meant to be enacted by every student, teacher, family and community member (CASEL, 2016). If SEL was not present and prevalent in their past experiences, students may be reluctant to immerse themselves in EQ development. They may view the associated concepts as foreign and seemingly juvenile. Some may question the relevancy of SEL in the context of my Home Economics classroom. Incorporation of SEL must be authentic and relevant to what is being taught. It should not be a disconnected aside to pass time. As my reach during practicum will only influence the students in my class, the effect of SEL and improvement in EQ may be limited.
Along with limited reach of students, I am also restricted by time. The course of long practicum runs for a duration of 10 weeks. Being at a linear school, I teach a particular class once every 2 days, if you factor in holidays, pro-d days and shortened day, I will see the same students for a maximum of 25 hours within the 10 weeks. EQ takes a lifetime to build, although it is a daunting task to attempt in a short period of time, I believe it is important to incorporate into my class. If students are not receiving training and feedback regarding EQ, they may continue to struggle with their emotions and ability to motivate and regulate them. This in turn will negatively affect their social awareness and relationships.

Initially, my inquiry question was focused on the importance of strong teacher student relationships. I wanted to find out if the development of positive relationships in schools would provide students with a greater motivation to learn. However, during my short practicum, I realized the difficulty of establishing meaningful relationship in a short period of time and with so many different students. I knew I wanted my inquiry question and project to be influential. Rather than pursue a question which may or may not be effective for a few students, I decided to change my question and attempt to positively affect all the students in my class during the practicum. After some thought, I decided that simply focusing on cooking skills, nutrition or developing a healthy relationship to food would not be as relevant or important for all of my students. Instead, I wanted my inquiry question to provide my students with something that I believe is lacking in high schools, which are social and emotional skills.

The absence of social and emotional education in secondary school may be due to a multitude of reasons, such as the segregation of subjects, the short interactions with students and a focus on teaching the curriculum. Furthermore, intelligence quotient (IQ) is more prevalent than emotional intelligence (EQ) to gauge student success.
The two forms of intelligence predominant in schools are verbal-linguistic and logical-mathematical (Gardner, 1999). According to Gardner (1999), there are multiple forms of intelligence. Intelligence, aptitude and achievement tests all emphasize linguistic and logical capabilities. This presents a view of human intelligence is that of linguistics and logic. Other forms of intelligence such as interpersonal and intrapersonal are less valued and emphasized by society. This is evident by what and how we teach. Students are guided in writing essays, given opportunities for public speaking and taught to break down problems into manageable steps. How often do we teach lessons on goal setting, personal responsibility and emotion regulation? Perhaps there isn’t enough time to teach everything important or perhaps we need to re-evaluate the hierarchy of intelligence.
Research has shown the beneficial effect of emotional health and intelligence on academic success (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011). As with all forms of intelligence, intrapersonal or emotional intelligence can be increased with guidance (Johnson, 2016). Students who develop high emotional intelligence have “positive attitude, greater adaptability in stressful situations, improved interpersonal relationships and increased orientation towards positive values” (Johnson, 2016). These are all characteristic that will guide students towards self-actualization and if not, allow them to be the best they can be.
Education pedagogy changes often with the emergence of new research. The constant introduction of new ways of teaching and learning can confuse and overwhelm educators. This leads to reluctancy in the adoption. Although social and emotional learning is not a new framework, its implementation and usage is highly dependent on the individual teacher and school. SEL is “an evidence-based framework for preventing problems and promoting students’ well-being and success” (CASEL, 2016). It is aimed to develop interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, such as the recognition and management of emotions. Therefore, education in SEL and emotional intelligence can guide students and teachers towards a socially and emotionally competent self and society.

As a student who has gone through the public education system, the majority of my schooling was focused on achieving societal definitions of success. This meant excelling in core subjects and piling on science and language courses as my electives. Having spent little time learning ways to improve emotional intelligence, I struggled to manage my emotions. At times I found myself at a loss of what to do. I was confused about what I was feeling, lashed out at those around me and froze from the weight of stress. Although, I have found ways to monitor and regulate my emotions, I believe there is still much for me to learn and improve in regards to emotional intelligence.