What Is the Greatest Obstacle to Successful SEL?
Teachers have completely embraced the value of social-emotional learning (SEL) for both themselves and their learners over this volatile last year. This change in educational policy has been appreciated by many who have been dedicated to SEL for years. Although SEL integration inside educational organizations is supported by hundreds of programs, initiatives, and frameworks, we are aware that there are still many obstacles to overcome before full, sustainable adoption can be achieved.
The research has stated that teachers around the globe face few challenges to successful SEL and found few challenges that were the same no matter the region or grade level:
Increasing Awareness- The phrase "creating relationships" was frequently used by teachers when being asked to define SEL. While this is true, the scope of social-emotional development is quite limited. Five basic competencies that cover both intrapersonal and interpersonal development make up SEL. A quarter of the educators agreed that dispelling and confronting widespread myths about intelligence and conduct, as well as comprehending how the brain works, is crucial for developing SEL skills.
Finding time- All educators agreed that SEL activities are required to be enjoyable, captivating, and interactive. Students should have the chance to exercise Knowledge and skills in a setting that is both physical and psychosocially so that they can think back on their decisions, discuss them with classmates, reframe their reasoning, and practice again. Pupil plays, single- and inter-games, experiential learning exercises, role-playing scenarios, and stories that allow students to see themselves as a character were some of the techniques offered.
Teachers were reluctant to create or support explicit SEL classes and conversations because they preferred to place more emphasis on educational growth than social-emotional development. The idea that SEL matches academic learning rather than enhancing it can be changed with a better understanding of how to incorporate SEL into the organizational culture. The external layout, engagement, curriculum, instructional techniques, regulations, and processes within an organization are all impacted when social-emotional learning is included in the culture.
Engaging Community Members and families in Collaboration-More than 50% of the educators recognized the significance of interacting with families and the community and working together, understanding that a constant environment promotes social, psychological, and academic development. Cultural differences, time constraints, and transportation issues are three of the biggest obstacles to cooperation between families and communities. The hosting of town halls to gather feedback and disseminate SEL information hosted both in the community and the schools, the creation and sharing of electronic SEL programs for use in the residences, and encouraging a transition away from the educator as "specialist" and emphasizing the parent as the specialist on the child are suggestions for enhancing partnership.
Monitoring student SEL development-The increased emphasis on recording and disseminating the efficacy of an SEL program, effort, and framework raised concerns among the educators who participated in the discussion. We are accustomed to the quantitative evaluation of many educational projects because we want to make sure that our labor, money, and efforts get the desired results. Reliability and validity issues arise when measuring or evaluating SEL progress. However, it became clear that both qualitative and quantitative information ought to be used to track the development of SEL.
Given the medical, political, financial, and social difficulties of the previous 18 months, it is obvious that educators must concentrate on assisting students' emotional and psychological needs for them to develop and flourish after finishing their academic careers. Despite the difficulties mentioned above, we have achieved great strides by cooperating as a community of scholars, decision-makers, and practitioners to advance and reaffirm the importance of social-emotional learning for our children.