EPSE 585 Social and Emotional Development in Education

Jessica Trach

Weekly Reflection: Week 4—SEL 2.0

Where do you think is the best place to start (what do you need to do first)?

I think the best place to start is with a discussion and collaboration with colleagues
around the concepts of social justice and inclusion. Elias et al. (2003) states that many
students have hurdles to overcome and that they, “grow weary of leaping” and “drop out
before the end.” Staff are acutely aware that students are having difficulties dealing with
issues such as poverty, bullying, sexual abuse, and discrimination. It is up to the
teaching staff to address these issues and to provide a safe place. SEL helps to provide
that stable environment that many students need and by teachers working together in a
cooperative manner they can create that safe place. As Mahoney et al. (in press) writes,
“The classroom is a critical setting and SEL is carried out most effectively in a nurturing
and safe environment characterized by positive, caring relationships between students
and teachers and among classmates.”

What piece is the most important for successful implementation (i.e., without this
it would fall apart)?

I think one of the most important aspects of SEL is engaging with the administration in
order to get this off the ground. As Mahoney et al. (in press) writes, one of the most
important elements of successfully implementing SEL is working with the school
leadership team. With them on board and committed to the program SEL has a much
better chance of success than without. They bring with them tools and resources that
can be used to start the process of change towards SEL. As we saw in the video chat
with Jeremy Church (2020) and the tremendous influence that school leadership can
have on ensuring that SEL is successfully implemented. Research shows us that
schools that make the needed changes and provide the SEL environments have a
positive effect on students social emotional and academic learning.

What concepts would you include in your ideal SEL framework?

The SEL framework that I would like to build would include things like, Frist Nations,
Mental Health, Anxiety, Abuse, Disabilities, Poverty, Homelessness, Acceptance, and
Addiction. These are just some of the issues that kids are dealing with today and I think
we need to be addressing them in some manner. As Blyth et al. (2018) writes, “. . . a
framework is a tool that helps to organize ideas in order to provide a foundation for
thinking, communicating, and acting.” These competencies are just a few of what is
needed for kids today, as they must deal with issues that really shouldn’t happen to
children. Mahoney et al. (in press) states the, “These standards or learning
competencies articulate what students should know and be able to do with respect to
SEL.”

What does SEL actually look like?

The concern that I have now is what does SEL look like in action. We have read several
papers on the structure and frameworks for SEL, but I am still not sure what it looks like
in the classroom. So, after a bit of looking around the internet I think I might have a
better understanding.

According to various web pages some activity or lesson occurs. The lesson might be
about some sort of conflict and how to resolve that conflict in a positive manner. The
child observes or engages in the resolution and is then able to internalize the results.
That positive resolution should make the child think about the conflict and how it was
resolved. The child should at this point become self aware and begin to see how that
resolution might be used in other similar conflicts. All of which reminds me of the First
People Principles of Learning (www.Fnesc.ca) in which they promote, “Learning is
holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on
reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).”

Scaling Up?

Over the years I have seen several programs come and go, but the ones that are
successful are usually implemented by individuals with dynamic personalities. I think
that the success of SEL in a classroom would heavily depend on the teacher presenting
it and their personality. I think what they bring to the program is distinctive and unique to
them and not reproductible. As Elias et al. (2003) writes, “Teachers skilled in SEL have
classroom responsibilities that limit their ability to train and support others in their
buildings.”

At the same time, we must remember that the social emotional needs of our students
are so unique and diverse to those individuals needing our support. Mahoney et al. (in
press) states that, “The school setting permits teachers to know their students well
allowing SEL instruction to be personalized and culturally responsive . . .” The idea of
turning SEL into a commercial product that could be sold in the market place is
completely unrealistic and impractical.