Understanding Socio-Emotional Learning:
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL, 2020) defines Social Emotional Learning as a process through which individuals acquire and apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, regulate emotions, accomplish personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy, establish and maintain healthy relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. The five core SEL competencies namely, Self-awareness, Self-management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible decision-making.
Simply put, SEL will help children gain understanding about themselves- who they are and what they are feeling, and the world around them- to use this understanding to build healthy relationships, regulate emotions, and make responsible and caring decisions. SEL will help children to develop the ability to empathize and consider multiple perspectives. However, it is also important to note that the development of these skills takes time, and the idea is certainly not to rush the child. We want to raise a happy child and not a hurried child.
Social-Emotional Learning in classroom @ Ekya and CMR National Public School
Our classroom culture is built around kindness and respect. When students see respect, empathy and kindness modelled, they are more likely to respond in similar ways. Social-Emotional Learning is well integrated into the Early Years Curriculum, and ‘Empathy’ is regarded as an important aspect. There are multiple opportunities in the curriculum to ensure that students develop the ability to see the world from different viewpoints, and understand the diversity of thoughts and feelings in the world. Students are encouraged to express their feeling creatively through a variety of artworks.
Using circle time to support social and emotional learning. We have focussed circle time sessions built around social and emotional skills. Circle time makes for an important daily routine in an Early Years classroom, and we consider this time significant to ‘connect’ with students where they feel safe and valued. Circle time sessions are designed to stimulate curiosity and creative imagination, promote self-expression and develop social-emotional learning. The idea is to create a child-friendly space where students feel free to talk to their teachers and peers, and where they feel that they are being seen, heard and met, thus fostering a sense of belongingness.
Opportunities to express through various curricular programs: Self-expression is the key to social-emotional learning. Our young ones are provided opportunities to express their thoughts, feelings, opinions and perspectives. Various self-expression strategies are being integrated into the classroom culture and the curriculum. Students are given statements like, ‘I am happy when…’ to complete it with what seems true to their experiences. They are given imaginary situations to explore, ‘If I were a butterfly..’ which encourages them to verbalize their imagination. Creative expression is also nurtured through ‘drawing’ and ‘writing’ where students are encouraged to draw out their experiences, feelings and opinions. They are also further encouraged to show and describe their drawings.
Also, for students to develop the ability to sit, listen, and take turns in a group calls for several social and emotional skills, we had the Show and Tell time. During the show and tell hour, students are encouraged to play the role of an audience, patiently waiting for their turn, listening to their peers, asking questions, and sharing thoughts and ideas. The sessions are designed such that students get opportunities to talk about themselves. For example, asking them to show and talk about their self-portraits, artworks, artefacts; their favourite books, snacks, and help create awareness about themselves.
Through the Quest Program, we aim to develop inquiry, and awareness of the physical, social, the natural world and a sense of self and respect for social diversity. They are encouraged to reflect and ask themselves questions like ‘Who am I?’, ‘How am I special?’, ‘What sets me apart from another and makes me unique?’ This enables them to define their strengths, discover likes and dislikes, and what makes them unique and special. They are encouraged to express their thoughts orally and through drawing, writing and role play. Here are some snapshots from the Quest classroom!
Using SEL in storytelling sessions:
‘The hare and the tortoise’- an infamous old fable that says, ‘slow and steady wins the race’ celebrates the winner and frowns upon the defeated one. The hare’s perspective is rarely considered. Questions such as, ‘How do you think the tortoise felt after winning the race?’’, ‘How do you think the hare felt after losing the race?’ encourages students to ‘empathize’ with the characters, look at the story from different perspectives, and build their own opinions. To this, a 4-year old child shared, “maybe, the hare is not like that in real life, maybe it was just a bad day” and that he would win the race if given another chance. This is how students are encouraged to build better perspectives and points of view versus focussing only on the ‘moral’ aspects of a story.
A student constructed a story of his own and titled it, ‘A Boy Who Loves Papad’. The ‘boy’ in the story is aware of his food preferences and is involved in its making with her mother. He is also pictured sitting with the entire family for dinner.
Using instructional tools and strategies that encourage cooperation and teamwork:
Being able to get along with friends is seen as an important developmental task for young students, and the use of instructional tools and strategies, across different learning areas, helps them to get along with each other, cooperate and work together on the same task, share and take turns, and develop healthy peer relationships at school.
Using additional programs to talk about SEL: A program was designed to help students explore and think about different emotions and feelings. The aim was to help students become more aware of their own emotions and feelings, explore how likely they are to feel in different scenarios, explore how to help others deal with an uncomfortable emotion, and talk about their feelings and others. Students were encouraged to maintain a ‘feelings journal’, use a range of facial expressions and body language to act out different emotions and feelings, while also developing empathy and a language of prosocial behaviour
Here are some ways our parent partners can help develop Social Emotional Learning Skills at home:
While the Early Years curriculum is expanded such that the social-emotional skills are well woven into the curriculum, it is equally important to extend it into the home. Partnering with parents will help us to be more effective in nurturing the whole child. Below are some of the ways you can help develop social and emotional skills in children. You may already be practising these at home, however, the idea is to be more mindful of the aspects of social-emotional learning which may otherwise go unnoticed. Use familial moments to help grow your child’s SEL skills organically. For example, while playing a board game, visiting the grocery store, responding to a family experience.
Read all kinds of stories, and not only the happy ones. Using storybooks as a medium to talk about different emotions, and would help develop empathy- the ability to imagine how others are feeling.
Dr Pooja Maggu
Instructional Designer, Early Years Program
Ekya Schools
Where did you go during the holidays? 8-year-old Aaryan Vittal from Bangalore went to his native place called Gobichettipalayam.
This time we went to my Achi’s (grandmother’s) native place (Gobichettipalayam) which is the hottest place I have visited. It is located in Erode district, filled with gorgeous greenery, farms, paddy fields, and running water creeks. Gobichettipalayam is also filled with villages, towns and streets, and buildings. My thaatha (grandfather) has named our building after me here!
The journey from Bangalore to Gobichettipalayam is a feast to the eyes with so many mountains, trees, water creeks, and green farms all along. We even crossed the world-famous Mettur dam every time, and the thermal plant at Mettur has two long chimneys coughing up smoke into the sky always!
Many people are sitting on highway sides selling their farm-grown fruits and vegetables. My Amma (mother) and Achi always love this fresh produce.
Not sure how many of you have noticed near the Karnataka- Tamil Nadu border, there’s a helicopter and jet on a building (do notice it next time when you are nearing Hosur from Bangalore or the other side).
When we arrived home, my Achi made some yummy lunch. Then I went outside and played basketball with my cousin. The best part was we went to the movies!
We spent time watching a movie called KRK in a theatre nearby –it's more fun to watch a movie in a place with people screaming and whistling throughout. It is generally silent when we go to watch movies in Bangalore. We had a big bowl of caramel popcorn and our family favorite – rose milk.
Then we returned to the complex and all of us played badminton. Unluckily, the shuttle cock fell out of the building, and we were unable to get it since it went through the thorny bush.
Next, we played football and I kicked the ball in the shed. My grandma went to the shed and pushed the ball down for me like Spiderman, then after a while, my amma and I went to a park called ‘Indira Park’.
It is a newly launched park. It has a fountain with music and lights, and a huge lovely lake where amma and I sat and watched all the birds flying back to their nests. It was such a peaceful sunset though we missed going boating as we were late.
It also has a children’s play area amidst a green garden. I loved this so much though we live in a garden city!
Then we went to a general store, which is named Jagan metal. There were many aluminum steel products, and many gold and copper products too. I got a steel mug for myself- and hey we can get our names engraved on all products here for free!
We returned home to a power cut. There was heavy rain and noisy thunderstorms. Achi lit a lamp and we talked to each other in the lamp light. I feel we connect to people better when we sit down and talk right.
Lovely rain, nice day and soon we had to sleep. Unwillingly we had to pack up and head back to Bangalore. Then we had a quick plan to visit the famous Periyar temple. We prayed to god and took some pics with my Achi’s new phone we bought at the store in my complex. Shortly after, we spotted a creek and saw geese, then we went back to the complex, took all of the luggage, and headed into the car.
We said our goodbyes to our relatives, and on our way back we watched the green paddy fields. It was a feast for our eyes. We spotted people selling ice apples (tongue), and we pulled over and had some yummiest ice apples.
I realize why villages are called the backbone of India, it is so full of life. I love the slow life here. It was getting very late, so we zoomed back to Bangalore.
Hey, did you guys also enjoy your holidays? Also, have you visited your native place? There must be something special and emotional about every native place. Also, are you guys excited for school reopening finally after two years? Let me know!
Aaryan Vittal
Grade 4A, Ekya School, JP Nagar
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