Why building SEL skills is more important than ever (and what you can do to help)
This post is sponsored by the Allstate Foundation. All opinions are my own.
I’ll never forget sitting in one of my English teacher prep courses (oh, the memories) when the instructor, a jovial man in his 70s, posed a seemingly-simple question: what skills and characteristics do we want our students to develop by the end of their schooling? We were to write down each characteristic in our notebooks and then rank them in order of importance.
At first, my mind raced towards a variety of domain-specific skills and standards. As I continued jotting though, I also added in several “soft skills” — a combination of personal attributes, interpersonal skills, and metacognitive abilities.
Before I knew it, most of those last-minute additions had made their way to the top of my list. A quick share around the room revealed that each of us had placed emphasis on these so-called “soft skills” as well. Rather than anything technical or academic, it was the social and emotional qualities that seemed to matter most.
Sure, we all wanted our students to learn how to identify symbolism in a novel or write a perfectly-crafted thesis, but we also wanted them to become empathetic, self-aware, and socially-responsible humans.
This begged the question: how could we accomplish both?
That’s where SEL comes in.
What is SEL, anyway?
SEL refers to social and emotional learning, which provides a foundation of skills to help students understand themselves and others. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), there are five key SEL competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.
While SEL certainly isn’t a new concept, it has been gaining momentum in recent years as research continues to highlight its lasting benefits.
Why teach SEL?
Even though skills like empathy, teamwork and resilience aren’t likely to appear on a test anytime soon, their value to the overall well-being of students is evident.
Research shows that engaging in SEL can have positive, long-lasting impacts on students’ social skills and mental health. Social emotional competence has also been linked to an increase in academic performance and graduation rates.
Additionally, SEL competency can positively impact future success in the workplace. A 2016 study found that 91% of surveyed business executives believed that SEL skills are “equal to or more important than technical skills.” According to Forbes, teamwork, problem solving, and decision making are among the top skills sought by potential employers — even more so than job-specific knowledge.
So, how can we help our students build SEL skills?
According to a 2018 report, 74% of surveyed teachers reported that they are dedicating more time to teaching SEL in their classrooms than they were five years ago.
In the same report, 81% of surveyed parents stated they believed SEL is just as important as academic learning.
So if we’re all in agreement that developing SEL skills is vitally important, how can we work together to help foster this growth in our students?
Enter: The Happy, Successful Teens Guide.
The Allstate Foundation’s ‘Happy, Successful Teens’ SEL Parent Guide is a free, comprehensive resource with guidance for teachers and parents looking to build these critical skills in their students at school and at home.
Each SEL competency is explored in depth, with easy-to-follow tips and actionable advice for helping students understand and manage their emotions, establish and maintain positive relationships, feel and show empathy for others, and so much more.
“When it comes to developing self-awareness, our teens are listening to what we say, and watching what we do.”
Among the many helpful resources in the guide, the section on developing self-awareness caught my attention the most. While self-awareness can help equip students to make smart decisions and better respond to challenges, it’s also important to make sure that we are modeling this awareness in ourselves.
This section was a great reminder that consciously or not, our students are watching. They are internalizing our behaviors and learning from our language. Simple shifts in how we communicate our own challenges can make a big difference in how our students perceive and respond to theirs.
Particularly now, the need for social and emotional awareness is even more urgent. As uncertainty looms in the midst of a global pandemic, it’s important to make sure both we and our students are equipped with the right tools to better navigate whatever comes our way.
Being able to identify symbolism and write a thesis statement is cool and all, but if I had to choose between that and empathy or social responsibility, the latter wins every time.
This post was written as part of The Allstate Foundation and We Are Teachers SEL Parent Guide campaign, and sponsored by The Allstate Foundation. All opinions are mine. The Allstate Foundation empowers young people—and those that guide and teach them—with social and emotional skills to build character and transform lives. Learn more at www.allstatefoundation.org