SEL Education: Providing the Best Support to Students at Mallard Creek STEM Academy

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Sept. 8, 2022 - PRLog -- SEL is an acronym for social and emotional learning. It is a method of teaching that helps students to better understand their emotions, to feel those emotions fully, and to demonstrate empathy for others. It can be easily confused with character education, which specializes in developing individuals who are morally responsible. Both are important in a student's development, but it is SEL which builds their social and emotional skills while empowering them to create thriving schools and communities together.

What Does Research Say?

Studies show that SEL leads to many beneficial outcomes when it comes to academic performance, social and emotional skills, conducting problems, school engagement, and attitudes about the self. When students get the opportunity to develop their social, emotional, and cognitive skills in a supportive environment, their academic performance grows.

Students participating in SEL programs showed an overall improvement in their classroom behavior, an increased ability to manage stress, and had better perspectives on themselves and those around them. Additionally, school principals and teachers agree that developing students' emotional and social skills is a critical aspect of their education, making SEL an integral part of schools' curriculums.

What Are the Long-Term Benefits?

With any method of teaching, parents and educators want to make sure that students are receiving the richest education while reaping the benefits that they will carry with them throughout their lives. Making good choices about their personal and social lives is important for students to learn, but there are many long-term benefits that stem from SEL. These include:

• Enhanced confidence, empathy, patience, and connection to their school.
• Increased sense of purpose.
• Positive relationships with their peers and teachers.
• Reduced risk-taking behavior.
• Decreased emotional distress, such as anxiety and depression.
• Improved grades, test scores, and attendance.

How Can More Schools Implement SEL?

When it comes to incorporating a new method of teaching within an established curriculum, it's important for school principals to enact a new policy or practice that will benefit their students and promote a positive school environment. One may establish a team to address strategies on how to move forward or one may develop clear values for their students and staff to follow. Organizing activities that build positive relationships also provides students with opportunities to connect with their peers. Another key element is having these policies reinforced through school counselors for students who need more intensive treatment.

In all, SEL can be fostered through several settings other than through school. At home, it's important for parents to provide their children with a positive and supportive environment, one that nurtures a child's needs and effectively develops their identities. Incorporating such a method in our schools and homes not only builds empowered and confident individuals, but it also forms stronger and flourishing communities.

https://www.mcstemacademy.org