It is well known that incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) into the classroom benefits students and teachers alike. But Dr. Vicki Zakrzewski goes one step further, describing SEL as transformative– not just for teachers and students, but for education itself.
In a recent Huffington Post blog entry, Zakrzewski speaks to a variety of educators who describe several of the transformations that take place when SEL is integrated into the classroom. These include
- Transforming the inner life of teachers, compelling them to reflect on and hone their own social-emotional competencies both in and out of the classroom.
- Promoting teacher well-being by helping teachers take care of themselves, thus stemming the tide of teacher attrition.
- Changing teachers’ views of the profession; in particular, helping them find meaning in their work.
- Enriching the student-teacher relationship, giving teachers a deeper understanding and awareness of their connections with their students and changing the way they view students as individuals.
- Transforming student relationships, making students feel more accepted in the classroom and more willing to participate.
The personal teacher experiences recounted in the article illustrate the power of SEL in the classroom, and underscore the importance of focusing education on the development of the whole person. To reap the transformative gains of SEL, it is not enough to mandate a SEL curriculum. First, “each person coming into SEL has to own it personally before we can actually systematize it.”
For a wide array of resources on social-emotional learning and emotional intelligence by leading experts in the field, including Marc Brackett and Peter Salovey, visit our online store at www.NPRinc.com.
