Supporting Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Through Connected Practices
It seems that everyone is talking about Social Emotional Learning (SEL). The social emotional impact on students as a result of recent national events and the COVID-19 pandemic has been vast. This spotlight on the need for social emotional support has brought on a wave of SEL resources. With so many resources available to educators it can be difficult to discern where to start. Often new initiatives and resources can feel overwhelming and like one more thing on an educator’s already full plate.
In response to the need for educators to have accessible and connected resources to support SEL in one streamlined location, we have developed a helpful and easy to use resource aimed at connecting educators with aligned practices to support their students' social emotional learning. These include:
- High Leverage Practices (HLPs),
- California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP),
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Checkpoints,
- The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Framework Core Competencies.
You may be asking yourself with so many SEL resources out there why focus on these practices? The goal of this resource is to create a visual that allows educators to see the bigger picture of the initiatives, resources, and criteria that are part of the demands of everyday teaching. We have organized these practices in a way that allows educators to put HLPs, UDL, CSTP, CASEL, and SEL into action (instead of just adding these acronyms to the bank of educational jargon). The content is shared in a way for educators to make connections between not only educational philosophies but requirements that aim to design a more inclusive learning environment to meet the diverse needs of ALL students in their classrooms. Check out Supporting SEL Through Connected Practices (PDF Resource) (Word Doc) and let this resource be your guide to supporting the social emotional needs of your students!
Ashley MacGavin and Shannon Goodbeau-Gorlicki are Improvement Facilitators with the SELPA System Improvement Leads Project. The SELPA System Improvement Leads (SIL) Project works collaboratively within the California Statewide System of Support to build the capacity of Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. To learn more about the SIL Project visit: https://systemimprovement.org/.
