Season 7 Episode #1 How SEL is Shaping the Future of Education

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Step into the transformative world of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in our latest episode! We dive into the integral role SEL plays in reshaping classrooms by highlighting its potential to enhance emotional regulation, foster empathy, and improve interaction among students and teachers. As our educational landscape continues to evolve, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, we spotlight how SEL equips students with essential life skills, turning them into better citizens and community members.

Discover the compelling statistics linking SEL programs to significant improvements in school behavior and decreased dropout rates. We share real-life insights from educators with years of experience, stressing the urgent need for tools that help students navigate their emotions, make responsible decisions, and develop lasting friendships. Their stories bring to life how innovative practices, like mindful morning meetings and engaging classroom discussions, create supportive environments where children feel valued and heard.

In addition, we address the rising stress levels among teachers and how SEL practices can empower educators, enhancing their ability to create positive classroom climates. As we embark on this essential conversation about the future of education, we encourage you to reflect on your experiences with SEL and join us in cultivating a community that supports learning and growth. Don’t miss out on enriching discussions—subscribe now and tune in every Friday for new episodes!

Resources:

https://casel.org/sel-in-schools-nationally-and-in-the-cdi/?view=true

https://casel.org/professional-services/school/

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Cultural Curriculum
Chat.
Wow, today is season seven.
Oh, my goodness, I gotta sitback and, just you know, give
myself a pat on the back and apat on your backs as well.
Thank you for rocking with me,listening with me and watching

(00:21):
me as well on YouTube for thesepast seven seasons.
I could not do it without y'all, and this episode is really a
really good one to kind of kickoff our new series about social
emotional learning and somereally good tools for you,

(00:42):
educator in mind, especially inthe era that we are in, and this
topic we're talking about iscreating big waves in the
educational world.
It is social and emotionallearning, or SEL.
Now I know what you're thinking.
Oh, here we go, jeb, Anothereducational keyword buzzword.

(01:05):
Whatever you want to tell me,but trust me, this is something
you'll want to pay attention to.
Imagine a classroom wherestudents aren't just learning
math and history and health andsciences, but they're also
learning how to manage theiremotions, building those lasting
friendships and makingresponsible decisions.

(01:29):
Sounds too good to be true,right Wrong?
Well, that's exactly what SELis bringing to schools across
the globe.
Now here's the kicker SEL isn'tjust about feeling good, it's
about real, measurable resultsthat are changing the game in

(01:49):
education.
So buckle up, because we'reabout to unpack the hidden power
of SEL and how it'srevolutionizing our schools.
Sel is about teaching studentsthe skills they need to
understand and manage theiremotions, set and achieve
positive goals and feel and showempathy for others.

(02:12):
They also learn how toestablish and maintain positive
relationships and makeresponsible decisions.
Now, being a classroom teacher,I was in the classroom for over
10 years.
I taught first and fifth gradeand we really worked hard on
talking about problem solving asa class.

(02:34):
Every morning we would do theresponsive classroom practices
of morning meetings and kind ofgetting ourselves ready to learn
and having those opendiscussions and talking about
scenarios of what would you doif this were to happen.
Or you know, I used to havethis bedazzled spatula I got and
I would put little rhinestonesand sequins on it and we would

(02:57):
pass the spatula we called itthe sharing spatula around and
that really helped us open thatdiscussion.
There's so much greatcurriculum out there that
specializes in SEL.
They started infusing a lotmore of those SEL practices
right after COVID because wenoticed a huge shift in

(03:19):
isolationism with our students.
We noticed a huge shift in kidsjust not knowing how to use
their words, not knowing how toself-regulate, because we were
in such a fog the last threeyears going through the pandemic
, and so I'm really glad to seethat this SEL practices is not

(03:41):
going away, but it's somethingthat parents and educators
really need to understand andget on board with, because there
is so much data out there and Icannot wait to share this data
with you right now.
Sel programs have been linked toa 23% improvement in school
behaviors, especially withsocial emotional learning, a 10%

(04:05):
decrease in classroommisbehavior and get this, a 9%
decrease in school dropout rates.
One of the biggest benefits ofSEL is improved emotional
regulation.
We've all been there thatmoment when emotions take over,

(04:26):
rational thinking goes out thewindow and for students, this
can lead to conflicts, poordecision-making and they
struggle.
Sel gives students those toolsto recognize and manage their
emotions effectively.
Think about this, for example astudent who's used to lashing
out in anger when they'refrustrated now has the skills to

(04:47):
take deep breaths, identifiestheir feelings and finds
constructive ways to address thesituation.
That's how SEL works in action.
Now let's share about somesocial skills.
Okay, in today's digital age,we are face-to-face with
interaction skills, and that ismore crucial than ever.

(05:08):
Sel programs teach students howto communicate effectively,
resolving conflicts and buildingrelationships positively.
And these aren't justnice-to-have skills.
They're essential for successwhen they become adults.
But here's how it gets evenmore interesting.
Sel doesn't just benefitindividual students.

(05:31):
It transforms classroomcommunities, Schools that
implement SEL programs.
They have seen reduced bullying.
They've seen an improvement inschool climate and increased
student engagement.
This is really how studentsfeel that they can belong.
Students feel that they can beempathic with their peers and

(05:55):
they learn effective conflictresolution strategies.
It is a positive domino effectthat ripples throughout the
entire school system and studentbody.
Now I found this article titledTeacher Stress and Health
Effects on Teachers and Students, and it was written by the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundationand Penn State.

(06:16):
This was a study taken in 2017,and it talks about how teacher
stress is at an all-time high.
It affects their physicalhealth.
It talks about the highpercentage rate of daily stress
amongst all occupational group,tied with nurses, and that is

(06:38):
alarming.
46% of teachers report a highdaily stress during the school
year.
Right that leads to higherturnover rates and lower
effectiveness of teachers beingable to function and teach in
school.
I mean from 1988 to 2008,.

(06:58):
They said 41% of teachers leftthe profession due to high
stress and, of course, we allknow student behavior can be a
part of that Hard, poor workingconditions, job dissatisfaction
and, we all know, low salary.
That is one part of theevidence, but, again, student

(07:20):
achievement and being penalized,low academic performance, and
that also is tied to test scoresand the pressure to test to
teach.
On the flip side of that, we arelearning more about what does
the research say on the benefitsof helping our students

(07:41):
regulate themselves and have amore manageable climate and this
one I want to share with youwith academic performance.
It says that SEL interventionsthat address those core five
competencies collaborative foracademic, social and emotional

(08:01):
learning, casel.
This is a wonderful resource.
I'll have this in the shownotes about how you can
implement SEL in your everydaylife as an educator, and one of
their studies I wanted to sharewith you talks about the
effectiveness of SEL in theclassroom and how those systems

(08:26):
have implemented for the better.
In 2021, they did a study titledRising Up Together Spotlighting
Transformative SEL in Practicewith Latinx Youth, and in this
they talk about initial effortsto illustrate how it works in
the classroom, based onsurveying the youth and

(08:48):
interviewing those teachers inthat area and observations
during their SEL instructionaltime in a predominantly Latinx
school community in a largeurban district and just what
they found was amazing Districtand just what they found was
amazing.
They found adapting anevidence-based SEL curriculum

(09:09):
that was selected by thedistrict to ensure that their
students' identities andcommunities and values and
concerns were represented,because that was also showing
that they valued each studentand had that cultural
intelligence about where theycome from and their values that

(09:30):
they bring into their classroomevery day.
They also talked about how theyvalidated each student's
experiences of oppression,including opening a space to
acknowledge that the trauma theymay have experienced.
At the community level theyalso infuse a broader social
justice issues component intotheir SEL topics and they also

(09:54):
recognize the youth as emergingsocial change agents.
So having that social change inthere really is reflective of
listening to the youth,surveying the youth, seeing and
recognizing their youth asfuture community leaders is very

(10:16):
important.
There's lots of evidence ofhelping teachers manage that
stress with having mindfulnessprograms infused, helping
teachers managing their emotions, having mentoring programs
within their emotions, havingmentoring programs within that
has retention rates, wellnessprograms, benefiting them with

(10:42):
their also improves teacherhealth.
Looking at the research,looking at those case studies,
is so powerful, right?
That is something that I wantyou to think about moving
forward.
The benefits of SEL extend farbeyond just the classroom, far
beyond just your grade level.
It is the life skills that ourstudents will carry with them in
.
So we're not just talking aboutbetter students, we're talking

(11:04):
about better citizens, bettercolleagues and better friends.
Now, I know that this shift canbe scary, especially in
education, but the evidence isclear that I have shared.
Sel is not just another trend.
It's a fundamental shift in howwe approach education, focusing
on developing well-roundedindividuals ready to tackle

(11:28):
those challenges for the 21stcentury.
What do you think?
Are you ready to join this SELshift?
Drop your thoughts in thecomments of this episode.
I want you to think about thisand if you're a parent, a
student, an educator who hasexperienced SEL, share your
story with us and let's keepthis conversation going.

(11:50):
Subscribe for more episodesthat drop every single Friday so
you are up to date with ourlatest educational and
professional development content.
And if you want to dive deeperinto learning more about SEL,
check out those resources that Ihave for you in the show notes.

(12:10):
So you are in tune to what Ihave shared.
Until next time, keep learning,keep growing and remember.
Education is about more thanjust what's in our textbooks.
It's about preparing for life.
So see you same time next week.

(12:31):
Bye-bye.