5 Components of Social Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an educational concept that helps kids gain skills in important areas beyond math, reading, and other core school subjects. Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps improve kids’ academic performance, curtail bullying, reduce dropout rates, and build character.

Social and emotional learning is the process through which children understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.   Creating learning environments that foster positive relationships between students and teachers also promotes strong communication skills and improved motivation and test scores.  

Social and emotional learning involves the processes through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. These intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies can be taught and measured, and research shows that students with these skills do better in school and in life (National Research Council, 2009, 2012; Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011; Goleman, 2005; Greenberg et al., 2003).

Social and emotional learning (SEL), according to the CASEL, is the process through which children understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. 

Baca Juga: Creating a Positive Learning Environment  

The 5 pillars of social and emotional learning are as follows:

1. Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to consider and understand your own emotions, thoughts, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your actions. Improving your self-awareness can allow you to more effectively identify your individual strengths and weaknesses in a range of areas, and therefore potentially improve your decision-making and self-management (two other core competencies). Recognizing how your thoughts and feelings impact your behavior can encourage you to make positive changes in your life, and take the perspective that will provide new insight into your own decisions, interests, and actions. Within the five core competencies, self-awareness is essential as it not only fosters optimism and responsible decision-making but also provides a foundation to establish and maintain healthy relationships with others.  

2. Self-management

Students learn to regulate their own emotions and behaviors, which includes processes like stress and time management, motivation, and academic/personal goal setting, all extremely important for when children grow and need to manage their own schedules and business. Students can learn about these types of behaviors from older, more experienced students. By pairing students together in a mentor-mentee relationship, the mentee will learn about essential academic skills and build self-esteem and confidence. At the same time, the mentor will share skills they’ve learned from experience and guide the mentee through common issues like imposter syndrome and insecurity.  

3. Social awareness

The social awareness competency is about improving skills your ability to empathize with others, your ability to take the perspective of those in different situations to you, your awareness of other diverse individuals and groups, and your ability to make sure you are treating others fairly. This can help you establish and maintain healthy relationships and social interactions, and therefore positively impact your family, school, and community, especially when undertaking social-emotional learning within these groups.  

4. Relationship skills

Students learn to foster healthy relationships and clear communication with other individuals and groups. This can be practiced by participating in various activities, such as team sports, games, and group projects. Essential skills like active listening, team building, and conflict resolution are used here, which are essential inside and outside the classroom.  

5. Responsible decision making

Students learn how to make their own independent choices, whether it be personal or academic when it comes to behavior and speech. By considering social norms and differences, potential consequences, and safety concerns, students will be able to make respectful and well-thought-out decisions. A way to actively practice responsible decision-making is to solve qualitative problems in a variety of ways to understand different methods and ways of thinking.