How school counselors can help teachers integrate the basic competencies of social and emotional learning

Abstract

How school counselors can help teachers integrate the basic competencies of social and emotional learning The purpose of this commentary is to examine how school counselors can assist classroom teachers with the basic competencies of social and emotional learning (SEL), in order to enhance student learning. A brief review of the literature over the past decade reveals that there has been an increase in the number of teachers and schools in general who are utilizing SEL. However, before examining why that has been the case, it is important to discuss what exactly are SEL and the competencies that define it. There are many similar type definitions for explaining SEL but most educators agree that it is basically the process through which students acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions. Furthermore, it helps students set and achieve goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships and finally to make responsible decisions according to http://casel.org/what-is-sel/ (2019). The core competencies for SEL are: self-awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and responsible decision making. Once there is a basic understanding of SEL, one can see why many educators have decided to implement it at their school sites and how that has increased over the past few years. However, the question of who is involved in implementing SEL and how it is done needs to be more fully explored. Is it simply up to the classroom teacher to implement it or should there be a more collaborative approach? As a former school counselor, I believe it is important for counselors to work closely with teachers on implementing SEL, but this can often be a tricky proposition. Teachers often feel programs like SEL are mandated by site leaders or district administrators and they as teachers have no say so in whether to implement the programs or not. By using a more collaborative approach that involves administrators, school counselors and classroom teachers can help everyone have more buyin into new programs. SEL is no different and should involve all the key stakeholders of a school site, including the school counselors, as by collaborating with teachers provides a learning climate for all students. Many experts (Hensley and Burmeister, 2008) agree that there are multiple approaches to helping students develop SEL competencies but the three most common are: utilizing an evidenced-based SEL curriculum; integrating actual SEL instruction directly into the academic curriculum; and the school or district creating actual SEL-centered policies. This requires educators at a school site to be willing to be change agents, in order to implement programs such as SEL effectively. Fullan (2001) believed that an effective change agent possesses skills in three main capacities: developing relationships of trust; communicating the change vision effectively; and empowering others to take action toward change. School counselors working direct...

Addressing the Social/Emotional Needs of Students During the Pandemic

“…As the SEL experts in their schools, school counselors are likely to be first to recognize the social/emotional needs of their students and provide appropriate support (ASCA, 2017). Working in collaboration with teachers and other staff allows school counselors to promote SEL and integrate it into the general academic curriculum (Morgan, 2019). When determining appropriate social/emotional curricula to use, school counselors consider various factors that affect child and adolescent development.…”