Social and Emotional Learning

 Social and emotional learning has become a huge part of the education world. It is a process of teaching children the different emotions and feelings they can have and learning appropriate ways to manage their emotions. Social and emotional learning focuses on developing the whole child to ensure they will maintain positive relationships, make good decisions, set reachable goals, and show empathy to others. It is important for students to learn about feelings, so they can express those feelings to their peers. Social and emotional learning teaches a child to interact and respond in a proper manner with their peers. For example, if a Suzie keeps making fun of Bob, then Bob should know how to respond appropriately by voicing his feelings. Bob can say, “Suzie, you are hurting my feelings. Will you please stop saying that?” Bob is able to recognize how Suzie is making him feel and address it in a way that doesn’t involve violence or lashing out. This is vital in a child’s development because they need to learn how to understand what they are feeling and thinking and determine the best way to make their feelings known. Conscious discipline is a major factor in social and emotional learning. It empowers students and teachers to be proactive instead of reactive during conflict with others. Conscious discipline isn’t about punishment, but it helps teachers and students to become disciplined in how they speak and interact with others. It teaches safe behaviors and social skills that are needed for building positive and healthy relationships. One awesome thing I learned about social and emotional learning was all the awesome apps that can be used in the classroom. One of the apps that piqued my interest was Superbetter. It is a video game-like app that uses student made goals and encourages and rewards healthy behaviors. Another interesting strategy that I will definitely use in my classroom is having a calming corner, in which students can isolate themselves when they feel like their emotions are taking over. The students can self-regulate their emotions and evaluate their feelings and how to react appropriately.

How AWESOME does this calm down corner look?