Are you socially and emotionally balanced?

Active social participation, compassion, empathy and sound judgement are some of the essential qualities of a successful human being, these qualities can only be taught through Social Emotional Learning programmes in schools

Social Emotional Learning helps students develop balanced and nurturing personalities

As human beings, we are more than our physical presence. Our existence comprises more than our body and mind.

Mind, heart, body and soul together make a complete human being and any education that doesn’t cater to all these aspects of the human personality, cannot provide complete development of the child.

A human being is as much spirit as the body and hence needs an education that facilitates his/her urges for the knowledge of both the realms.

Cultivating one at the expense of the other leads to acute imbalance, that is the reason why we see spiritual, moral, social, economic and ecological imbalance in the world today.

The real education is only that which equips the learners with the tools to deal with the demands of the social challenges, spiritual urges as well as emotional impulses.

As conscious beings with the ability to contemplate about the realities of the universe as well as equipped with the ability to influence the society, humans need the right set of skills and learnings to play the positive role in the society that they are designed for by the Creator.

It is natural for humans to seek peace and balance in life. it is natural for us to develop bonds with other humans and establish relationship with all forms of creation and environment.

All relationships and engagements call for social and emotional maturity, which only comes with sustained nurturing and conscious upbringing.

In order to help children grow with the right sense of their multiple faculties and help them harness their various potentialities, it is essential to develop self and social awareness among them.

This is where Social Emotional Learning (SEL) comes into picture.

SEL is the process of developing the self-awareness, social awareness, self-control, relationship skills and sound judgement that help children give their best not just in school, but also equip them to successfully handle the challenges of the world and life.

People with balanced social-emotional skills cope well with the everyday challenges, while reaping optimum benefit academically, professionally, and socially.

From problem-solving and self-discipline to impulse control and emotion management, SEL provides a solid base for positive, long-term impact on children, adults, and communities.

With effective SEL programmes, children thrive as empathetic human beings, helping schools, workplaces and communities bring out their best.

With schools being increasingly multicultural and multilingual these days, with students from diverse social and economic backgrounds coming together, educators look to serve students through various methods of engagement in learning, positive behaviour, and academic performance.

SEL provides the foundation for safe and positive learning, enhancing the students’ ability to succeed in school, careers, and life.

Research shows that SEL not only improves achievement by an average of 11 percentage points, but it also increases behavioural attributes such as kindness, sharing, and empathy.

Studies have shown that SEL improves student attitudes toward learning, as well as reducing depression and stress among students.

Well-designed social and emotional learning programmes include the development of the following of five key skills among students:

Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is key to understanding oneself in terms of one’s strengths and weaknesses, qualities and characteristics as well as emotions and aptitudes.

This includes learning to accurately assess one’s strengths and limitations, having a positive frame of mind, and possessing a balanced sense of one’s competence and confidence.

Greater levels of self-awareness require the ability to understand how thoughts, feelings, and actions are interconnected, and how they could be harnessed to work together for a positive impact.

Self Control

We have all been equipped with a wide range of emotions and emotional responses. Some of us are naturally better equipped to restrain our emotions and channelise them positively, while others struggle to do the same.

The ability to manage our emotions and impulses well is key to developing a balanced and sound personality.

Training and nurturing in this regard help students regulate behaviours, which include the ability to delay gratification, manage stress, control impulses, and face challenges affectively in order to achieve personal and educational goals.

Social Awareness

Social awareness involves the ability to be aware of the realities around you. It is the ability to be observant, considerate and empathetic. It is the ability to feel compassionate for others and accommodate people from different backgrounds and cultures without any inherent prejudice.

Relationship Skills

Relationship skills help students develop, maintain and establish healthy, respectful and rewarding relationships, and to display acceptable behaviour in accordance with the established social norms.

Lucidity in expression, cooperation in positive initiatives, listening attentively, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking help when needed are among the coveted skills in this regard.

Sound judgement

Sound judgement and responsible decision making are among the key traits of a successful personality. Taking appropriate decisions at the right time and judging while considering all aspects of a situation is highly important.

It involves learning how to make constructive choices about personal behaviour and social interactions across diverse settings.

Every sound decision calls for the accurate evaluation of various options and considering consequences of each option. It requires consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, accurate behavioural norms, the risks involved, wellbeing of self and others involved.

Children spend most important part of their time in the school, hence it is the primary place where they learn social and emotional skills.

What the children learn:

• Students know and learn to manage themselves well.
• Learn to consider, understand and accommodate the perspectives of others.
• Take sound and balanced decisions about personal and social life.

Some short-term benefits of SEL pro­grammes:

• Enhanced competence, confidence, tenacity, empathy, connection and commitment to school, family and society, and a sense of purpose.
• Positive relationship with peers and adults.
• Reduced conflict and rash behaviour.
• Diminished anguish and distress.
• Improved academic results and cultural competence.

Long-term benefits:

• Greater likelihood of high school graduation.
• Better preparedness for higher education.
• Well-considered career choices and success.
• Active and positive family and work leadership.
• Better mental health and well-being.
• Engaged and active citizenship.