Socio-Emotional Learning...

…is part of everyday academics.

Hello all. Welcome to the 108th edition of TEPS Weekly! 

Socio-emotional learning (SEL) has been one of the most talked about interventions in education. SEL goes beyond just knowing how to manage emotions and builds important behavioural, social and emotional skills. 

As educators, we spend time instilling SEL skills in our students. But consider this:

A teacher teaches ‘Ways to Manage Anger.’ After the lesson is over, a student sprints out of the classroom. The teacher calls the student back to the classroom and shouts about how it was extremely disrespectful. 

In cases like this, what are the students going to take away from the class? 

Teachers act as role models, and students learn a lot from observing them. So, it is essential that a teacher also has socio-emotional skills. This is important for two reasons:

1. To be able to recognise a gap in a student’s socio-emotional skills

2. To be able to help students, or at least get them help

The Indian Social and Emotional Learning Framework (ISELF) provides us with a framework that is consistent with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)’s Framework:

1. Self Awareness

2. Self Management

3. Relationship Management

4. Social Awareness

5. Decision Making

But what do these skills look like in a classroom? Let’s read about the experience of a teacher.

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My students have finished reading ‘The Last Leaf’ by O. Henry. In this story, a sick girl, Johnsy starts to feel better when she sees the last leaf still on a creeper, not knowing an old artist, Behrman painted it to give her hope and help her live. Her roommate, Sue, is her constant support. Now, I want to know if they have clearly understood the story – if they can make text-to-world and text-to-self connections. I divide students into three groups.

Now, it is time for me to go to each group to see how the discussion is going.

Group 1: This group is discussing the significance of willpower.

Ivy says, “Willpower alone can overcome any obstacle.” Everyone in the group seems to agree. However, Abbas looks slightly uncomfortable.

He pauses and adds calmly, “I’m sorry, I don’t agree. Johnsy needed support from her friend to even realise her willpower. Without her roommate Sue’s support, I don’t think it was possible for her to have willpower.”

Ivy does not seem okay with Abbas just negating her point. So, she says rudely, “Whatever.” Then, Ivy lays back on her chair with her arms crossed.

Self Management is the ability to manage one’s emotions in a way that does not harm oneself or others. Abbas here showed his ability to express disagreement without aggression. While Abbas tried to be polite and respectful in his disagreement, Ivy did not. Instead, she withdrew herself from the discussion. This is an example of good self-management on Abbas’s part and a poor one on Ivy’s part.

Gurleen says, “I want to add to Abbas’s point. Money plays a big part in life. For example, even Sue asked Johnsy to let the curtains be open so she could finish the painting and earn more to take care of her. Adding to this, how many people would be able to survive if they have willpower but not enough money to buy medicines?”

While Gurleen tries to explain, Aditya interrupts, "Everyone faces challenges. Johnsy just needed to try harder. Money is a different subject altogether."

Social Awareness is the ability to understand a point of view that is different from one’s own socio-economic context. Aditya demonstrated a lack of empathy by dismissing Gurleen’s perspective on financial hardship. He failed to recognise how money influences willpower. He was unable to acknowledge a perspective that might be different from his. This is an example of being socially unaware. 

Before I move ahead, I take Ivy and Aditya aside to talk to them.

I say to Ivy, “Ivy, I noticed when Abbas shared a different perspective, you seemed quite upset and then stopped participating. When someone disagrees with an idea we feel strongly about, it can be challenging. What are some ways you could respond that allows you to share your feelings while still keeping the conversation going respectfully?” 

I say to Aditya, “It is important to include people who are different from us. For example, you may go to a place for college where you don't know the language. If your friends only spoke in a language you didn't know, how would you feel?”

I ask them to go back to the group.

Group 2: This group is discussing if it is valid to call Behrman’s last work a masterpiece.

Jiyanyu says, “I think it was a masterpiece because it included sacrifice from Behrman. His art essentially saved someone’s life.”

Vivek says, “A masterpiece is someone’s most popular work. So, this technically wasn't a masterpiece.”

Jiyanyu replies irritably, “Yeah, but don’t you get it? The significance of this painting will be more than popularity.”

Then, Jiyanyu pauses and thinks for a moment, and then says, “I am sorry, I have been a bit upset so I got rude. I understand your perspective. However, I think it is a masterpiece in terms of its impact. Masterpieces are not just popular, they are impactful too.”

Self Awareness is the ability to recognise one’s emotions and abilities. Jiyanyu could describe how his emotional state impacted his behaviour and apologised for it too. His self-realisation helped keep the environment more open for all. This is a good example of self awareness. Furthermore, he stood up for what he believed in after listening to Vivek. This again shows good self management.

Group 2 soon becomes divided over whether Behrman's painting was a masterpiece. Kavita declares, "This is clearly a masterpiece. Anyone who doesn't see that just doesn't understand art."

Rahul looks thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "To decide if Behrman’s last piece was his masterpiece, I think looking at this from multiple perspectives can help us decide better," he suggests. "For Behrman, it was his life's purpose fulfilled after years of waiting. According to Jiyanyu, this is what makes it a masterpiece. According to Vivek, a masterpiece is defined by its popularity."

Kavita frowns and says. "That's unnecessarily complicated. A masterpiece is a masterpiece."

Jiyanyu said, “Let’s see if impact/popularity are good factors to decide if the painting was a masterpiece or not.”

Matthew adds, “The Mona Lisa is a masterpiece. Why? It’s because of the number of people who know about it. However, I don’t think it is a very good painting, yet I will call it a masterpiece because of its popularity. So, Behrman’s last piece was not a masterpiece for me. However, for others the criteria may be different. They can consider their criteria before making a decision.”

Rahul replied to Matthew, “For me, the sacrifice part made the painting a masterpiece. So, the painting was a masterpiece.”

Decision Making is the ability to make a decision that keeps in mind one’s health, relationships, career and personal behaviour while considering rules as well. 

The process of decision making has many steps. Our decision should not harm our relationships, and we should look at the different factors of our problems. Rahul and Matthew were careful while making their decisions. They heard different points of views, respected them and even though their decision differed from each other, it was careful and respectful. However, Kavita’s decision-making process was very rigid and unilateral. There may be some decisions that a group needs to make where opinions have to be united, and in those instances, the process and result might look different. Regardless, it is helpful for students to still make a careful and informed decision.

Before I move ahead, I take Kavita aside and talk to her. 

To Kavita, I ask, “Kavita, how would you feel if your friend decided which movie to see after school without taking your thoughts into consideration? Is it possible that your friends might be feeling this way?”

I ask her to go back to her group.

Group 3: This group is discussing how the statement ‘A diseased mind is more harmful than the disease itself’ applies to Johnsy.

Zahabiya says, “I feel that Johnsy-” 

Dhruv interrupts Zahabiya and says, “Johnsy felt more sick because of her mind! She-” 

Annette then interrupts Dhruv and says, “Dhruv, please let Zahabiya finish her point. This is really unfair.”

Dhruv says, “But what would Zahabiya even add? She is always so quiet!” 

“Regardless, Dhruv,” says Annette.

Zahabiya hesitantly adds, “Even though the doctor thought Johnsy could get well, she did not think so, and that is what delayed her getting well.”

Relationship Management is the ability to sustain relationships with peers, families and other important people. Annette displayed effective relationship management by ensuring everyone had a chance to speak. Rather than focusing on who was speaking, she emphasised the importance of all ideas being heard and valued. Annette provided a good example of relationship management and Dhruv a poor one. Additionally, Zahabiya should realise that she is a unique individual and has her own strengths. She should not have hesitated to make her point. This is not a very good example of self awareness. 

Before I move ahead, I call Zahabiya and Dhruv to talk to them.

I ask Dhruv, “Dhruv, what if you had something valuable to add to a question I asked to the entire classroom? If I didn’t take your input into consideration, how would you feel? Do you think Zahabiya might have felt the same way?”

I ask Zahabiya, “I really liked your point about physical health and the mind. I appreciate that you shared. What helps you know that your unique ideas and thoughts are important for the group to hear?”

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Interrupting peers, being rigid, feeling underconfident, ignoring a peer’s point of view and disrespecting a peer are situations that can be commonly observed in schools. These examples also tell us that SEL has a strong impact on the quality of academics. As educators, we can use these instances as opportunities to enable growth in our students. 

While separate sessions for SEL help, there are plenty of learning opportunities when we can integrate SEL into our curriculum too. SEL isn't separate from academics. By intentionally weaving self awareness, self management, relationship management, social awareness and decision making skills into our daily teaching practices and interactions with students, we can create classroom environments where students grow academically and in emotional intelligence – a combination that is needed for success inside and outside the classroom.

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Edition: 4.15