Connecting Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) to Career Success
As you reflect on your school, university, or work setting, where are social-emotional learning principles present? List 1-3 examples.
- Creating SEL lessons based on students needs.
- Fostering relationships with students, and families.
- Being an example of someone who is able to express emotions in a productive manner.
- Group Projects in Class – Working in teams helps students learn to cooperate, manage conflict, and show empathy toward others’ ideas and perspectives.
- Career and Technical Education (CTE) Classes – Many CTE classes include teamwork, communication, and professional behavior, which are key SEL skills.
- Extracurricular Activities and Sports – Teams and clubs teach students how to work together, manage emotions under pressure, and develop leadership and cooperation.
- Self-awareness to allow students to recognize what they need to do in the learning environment.
- Self-management to understand when they become overwhelmed and need a break.
- Relationship skills allowing them to be built with forcing the issue.
These are present in structured class bear times, integrated in the daily class management and specialized clubs and organizations.
In the courses that I teach part of the content includes a Wellness and Mental Health units that include activities that help the students with exercises in stress reduction and mindfulness, etc.
At my school, we currently have SEL Fridays. We have a curriculum that we use and teach a small group of students an SEL Lesson every Friday.
Some social-emotional techniques we use in the classroom are building positive relationships with students to where they feel comfortable being themselves around us, having meeting to obtain more knowledge about how we can implement more social-emotional learning objectives to meet students need to collaborate with other students during classwork, and also making sure to build relationships with parents and making sure they feel included in discussions.
They are present in our hallways, in our classrooms, and in our lessons. Since we teach these in our SEL time, we discuss these things with our student and get them to connect on a different level. SEL is everywhere.
Social Emotional Learning Skills are present in the hallways, with our decorative banners, in our classes, while we teach growth mindset alongside our lessons, and in our current SEL time, where we spend 15 minutes discussing with students a variety of things that relate to SEL and how they can build in their learning.
- Every week students participate in SEL assignments that are graded
- Students are encouraged to utilize the QR codes for counselors and social workers
- Empathizing in classroom settings and as an expectation allows students to understand emotional growth.
Our school encourages student-driven activities and engagement where students get to share their thoughts and feelings about the school. We also have clubs and groups designed to address student mental health and stress levels. The school also has weekly opportunities for the teachers to meet, discuss, and collaborate with each other responding to the school, students, the district, etc.
Building student-faculty relationships
Teaching students to advocate for themselves
Students showing each other empathy and understanding
Building relationships with students
Listening and respecting colleagues
integrating real world situations in the classroom and how to handle others reactions in a professional manner
social-emotional learning principles are present when students can anticipate consequences and/or when students are able to evaluate outcomes.
SEL examples at our school are:
1. Taught and demonstrated through SkillsUSA "Career Essentials" training.
2. Soft skills explained and practiced within the classroom setting (shaking hands, getting ready for job shadows, etc.)
3. SEL is demonstrated and students are exposed to advisory meetings, making connections through job interview and other soft skill explanations.
SEL principals present are
One on one coaching sessions
Identifying barriers to what is preventing students from attending school and supporting them through it.
Holding events that celebrate diversity and kindness
1. The relationships we build with out students shows them that we can be the teacher or boss and hold them accountable to a certain standard while caring about them.
2. We model social and emotional learning by showing respect and dignity for our students, fellow teachers and administrators.
3. We engage our students in conversations about the standards we are expected to meet in our programs. Do they think they are important and why are they important.
Everywhere on all levels of learning.
Building relationships with students and parents.
Integrated lessons into classroom expectations.
1. Collaborating with faculty members to include social and emotional learning objectives.
2. Building positive relationships with students.
3. Inclusive practices for all students, staff and faculty.
