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.
- We have a course for 7th graders called Why Try. This helps them navigate middle school and overcome challenges.
- We implemented a Wellness Wednesday during HOSA week in which students participated in yoga and meditation.
- We are a small school, so we have built close relationships with students and their families, in and out of school.
We employ strategies to reinforce SEL during building wide SEL homerooms, during all counseling presentations, and school messaging for unity.
- We implement SEL lessons on "Wellness Wednesday" through the ReThinkEd Program
- We receive SEL training from our Affirmative Action team and are provided with additional optional SEL/mindfulness training opportunities
- We incorporate Botvin LifeSkills Training to our College & Career Readiness Academy (Freshman Seminar class)
- Fostering an environment where students feel safe.
- Celebrating diversity throughout our school.
- Modeling appropriate emotional response.
- 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.
