What is Social Emotional Learning? Social Emotional learning

What is Social Emotional Learning?
Social Emotional learning involves the processes through which children and adults acquire,
practice, and effectively apply social emotional knowledge and skills necessary to better
understand and manage emotions, feel and show empathy, self regulate stress, and develop and
sustain meaningful relationships. SEL learning is best achieved in the context of supportive
relationships that are engaging, meaningful and value the effort in the face of challenges.
Smithtown Summer Growth Experience
This program will assist your child with developing the social emotional skills that are necessary
to empower your child to be a healthy student and citizen. This unique evidence-derived Social
Emotional Learning program is done through effective classroom instruction and student
engagement in positive activities in and out of the classroom. This program will be using Growth
Mindset approaches to challenge student’s attitudes about learning and provide them with the
necessary skills to develop resilience for successful learning. This program also utilizes
Universal Design Learning (UDL) approaches to meet the unique and individual learning
approaches that provide an equal opportunity for students to learn. UDL provides “a blueprint for
creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a
single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and
adjusted for individual needs” (CAST.ORG). This thought fully developed program values
parent and community involvement in program planning, implantation, and evaluation.
What to Expect?
Students who participate in Social Emotional Learning programs:
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Improve academic performance
Improve attitudes about learning
Experience fewer negative behaviors
Reduce emotional stress (Durlak et. al, 2011).
What are the Core Competencies of SEL programs?
SEL programs promote students’ self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, healthy
relationships, develop and strengthen responsible decision-making skills, and improve student
attitudes and beliefs about self, others, and the learning community (CASEL.ORG).
"The surest path to positive self esteem is to succeed at something which one perceived would be
difficult... Each time we steal a student's struggle, we steal the opportunity for them to build selfconfidence”. --Slyvia Rimm
Developed for Smithtown School District Summer 2014, “Growth Experience”
Joshua Hendrickson, LMSW Family Integrated Consulting and Resource, INC
Joshuadhendrickson@gmail.com
References
CASEL (n.d.), Outcomes and Impact. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://www.casel.org/social
and-emotional learning/outcomes
CAST (n.d.), Universal Design for Learning (CAST:About UDL). Retrieved July 2, 2014, from
http://www.cast.org/udl/
Durlak, J, Weissberg, R., Dymnicki, A., Taylor, R., Schellinger, K. (2011). The impact of
enhancing student’s social and emotional learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based
Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 474-501.
Developed for Smithtown School District Summer 2014, “Growth Experience”
Joshua Hendrickson, LMSW Family Integrated Consulting and Resource, INC
Joshuadhendrickson@gmail.com