Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning: teaching and learning or playing and becoming?

Abstract

This article advocates the use of free play in the provision of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme in schools. It uses case studies to illustrate how children develop and use the five strands of SEAL while playing. The author draws on recent research and literature to support the idea that SEAL skills are caught rather than taught; and that play is the medium most able to provide opportunities for becoming more self-aware, empathic and motivated as well as becoming more able to manage feelings and develop and deploy social skills. The need for school staff to be supported in providing free play and in facilitating social and emotional development in new ways is also considered. The essential role of the adult in developing relationships that support the development of SEAL skills is acknowledged.

Strength- based approach for building resilience in school children: The case of Gaza

“…These results correspond to Payton et al (2008) who suggest that effective school programmes include a combination of knowledge, social and life skills, normative approaches, critical thinking and negotiation skills; and should be delivered as a part of a broader health and personal development curriculum that incorporates a focus on a range of social, physical and mental health issues. They also link to Woolf (2013) who asserts that the use of stories and game plays as the most effective instruction medium to advance social and emotional learning in school children, providing them a space to be more self-aware, motivated, and able to manage feelings and develop social skills.…”

Play and flow: Children’s culture and adults’ role

“…On examination, theories and research about play in childhood present converging conclusions regarding the developmental benefits of children's play (Bredekamp & Copple, 2000;Johnson, Christie, & Wardle, 2005;NAEYC, 1991). The positive effects of play on the development of basic skills, whether integrated into daily activities or as part of a teacher-guided educational program, may be summarized as follows: enhancements in collaboration, reconciliation, conflict resolution, problem-solving, establishing empathy among individuals, imagination, self-control, manifestation of higher-order thinking skills, perseverance, monitoring own and other's ideas, understanding other's ideas, less aggression, independent thinking, self-expression, decision-making, creativity, understanding and expressing feelings (Ashiabi, 2007;Broadhead, 1997;Durualp & Aral, 2010;Miller & Almon, 2009;Woolf, 2012). To what extent and under which conditions play helps children develop those skills is still the focus of literature on children's play.…”

Reinforcing the ‘diminished’ subject? The implications of the ‘vulnerability zeitgeist’ for well-being in educational settings

“…It is important to acknowledge that, depending on what version or meaning one accepts, the option exists either to do something different or do nothing explicit at all. In relation to the second position, for example, research on primary school children has concluded that non-directive or free play may provide a better alternative medium for the development of SEAL-related skills than the more typical timetabled SEAL lessons (Woolf, 2013). More widely, the message of some recent educational research that usually lies outside policy, research and professional debates about how to foster wellbeing may be read as suggesting that wellbeing is 'caught rather than taught'.…”