What is SEL and Why Does it Matter?
Social-emotional learning, commonly referred to as SEL, is one of those educational phrases that can be interpreted – or misinterpreted – to mean almost anything. In the field of education, SEL is defined as “the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions” (CASEL, 2022). That’s a mouthful. At The Zones of Regulation, we specialize in feelings. The Zones of Regulation Curriculum builds foundational self-awareness and regulation skills by teaching learners easy ways to think about, communicate about, and care for their feelings.
Research into the impact of SEL instruction clearly shows that investing time and resources into SEL pays off both in short-term wellness, behavioral, and academic outcomes as well as long-term benefits into adulthood. While the benefits of SEL are well established, the term itself can mean different things to different people. For educators and school leaders, communicating clearly about what SEL looks like in practice is an important step toward building understanding, trust, and support among school staff, families, and communities.
How to Build Support for SEL in Schools and Communities
School Staff:
Start with the WHY – have an open conversation with staff about both their hopes and dreams for their students and the social, emotional, and behavioral challenges they are seeing in their classrooms. Start with questions like, “What big picture goals do you have for our students? What skills do we want to foster to help them reach those goals?”
- Ground your conversation in data by looking at schoolwide data points including academic outcomes, behavioral data, and SEL data (screeners, surveys, etc). Use a critical equity lens to think about why and how to move forward with teaching SEL.
- Address the most common barrier: time. Set aside dedicated time for SEL instruction and climate-building for all teachers. Revisit what the research tells us: Time spent on proactive SEL instruction is time saved on addressing behavioral challenges during academics.
Families and Caregivers:
​Ask and listen to how families are building social and emotional skills with their children at home. Draw parallels to how these skills transfer to the school setting. Start with questions like, “How does your family talk about big feelings like being mad, sad, frustrated at home?”
- Be specific as to what you’re teaching, share learning targets and show examples of the concepts you’ll cover in your SEL instruction to develop trust, comfort, and address misconceptions.
- Find common ground on your hopes and goals for student learning and discuss how teaching SEL skills can help kids thrive at school. Ask questions like, “What dreams do you have for your child? How can we work together to support your child?”
Community Members:
Lean in with curiosity about community members’ hopes and dreams for the young people in your area. You can ask questions like, “What would it look like for kids to be thriving in our community?”
- Provide details as to what your instructional goals are within SEL, and what your materials look like to address questions and misconceptions.
- Connect the dots between SEL instruction and job readiness and citizenship in your community. You can set the stage by asking questions like, “What skills do our kids need to be good employees in our local businesses?”
Support SEL Implementation With The Zones of Regulation
Building support for social-emotional learning starts with a shared understanding of the life and future-ready skills we want kids to develop. The Zones of Regulation Curriculum provides practical, ready-to-use lessons and activities to help learners build emotional awareness, communication, and regulation skills across school and everyday life.
Explore The Zones Curriculum →
