Creative (and Practical) Ways Educators Are Tackling Social-Emotional Learning

The pandemic has disrupted most, if not all, aspects of our lives. This rings especially true for educators who have continued working to overcome the challenges and disruptions prompted by COVID-19.
The 2020-21 school year has been anything but normal. Students, families, and staff members alike are dealing with new stressors, anxieties, and trauma, and social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies are becoming more relevant than ever.
With the importance of SEL in mind, we reached out to teachers and other education experts to learn how they’re tackling SEL during this unusual school year.
SEL: What Is It, and How Does It Help Students?
SEL is the process through which children and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage their emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
While SEL is always relevant, it’s become increasingly important as the pandemic has progressed. According to the Learning Policy Institute, “The pandemic has further illuminated the need for SEL to care for ourselves, our students, and their families. […] Now more than ever, we must call upon our empathy, resilience, relationship building, and collective resolve as we innovate and rebuild our education systems.”
Educators and stakeholders agree—and share why SEL is such an important piece of the education puzzle. Continue reading the blog, here.