Implementing SEL Techniques in the Classroom to Support All Students

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Childhood development in schools goes beyond academics. Children pick up developmental and social skills and learn about interpersonal relationships wherever they are, including within the classroom. Many teachers and therapists use social-emotional learning (SEL) techniques to help improve students’ developmental health and academic performance.

Therapists who work alongside Pediatric Therapeutic Services (PTS) can help teachers integrate SEL techniques into classrooms to support all students and make the most of their time at school.

What Is Social-Emotional Learning?

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is an educational approach that uses emotional and social wellness techniques in academic settings. SEL helps students build relationships, navigate classrooms more easily, and improve emotional self-management.

Some common SEL techniques teachers and therapists use in classrooms include:

?Reflective Thinking

?Questioning Techniques

?Summarizing and Paraphrasing

Reflective thinking and questioning techniques allow students to examine their own emotions and behaviors and link those feelings to the subject being taught. Students can follow up with open-ended questions to further their understanding, prompting group discussion about different perspectives other students in the class may have.

Summarizing and paraphrasing helps students conceptualize information and relay it back in their own words. It allows students to determine what they understand and what they still may need additional help absorbing. Paraphrasing information back to a teacher or other students is also a method of engagement with the material that may help with processing and retaining information.

Benefits of Social-Emotional Learning

SEL techniques can be implemented in all classrooms, for entire classes of students and smaller groups who may need more support. As these techniques are implemented, they provide several benefits for all students.

SEL Leads to More Academic Success for All Students

SEL has a positive impact on many students’ academic success. Using SEL techniques, students can self-soothe and healthily communicate their feelings. They will also be able to discharge stress or frustration productively. Students who can use SEL techniques are more likely to do better on tests, learn how to switch tasks and divide their attention to complete daily lessons, and find school less stressful.

If a child requires more support to enhance their academic or emotional experience at school, PTS’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) helps provide children with the support they need when they need it:

Tier 1: Classroom-Level Support

Tier 2: Short-Term, Small Group Support

Tier 3: Individual Therapeutic Support

At Tier 1, all students within the classroom can benefit from daily lessons that integrate SEL practices. If a student requires extra support in small groups or individual settings, they can transfer between tiers as their needs change, reducing overall caseloads.?

SEL Techniques Can Help Create a Least Restrictive Environment

A least restrictive environment (LRE) is determined with the goal of keeping students who receive special education in the classroom with their peers as much as possible. An LRE doesn’t have to be static. The student will likely perform best on a continuum, such as the MTSS that PTS uses to help students get the support and attention they need. As the student’s support needs change, so may their LRE.

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, SEL techniques can be helpful in ensuring that all students remain in the general education classroom. These techniques are beneficial to all students and allow them to gain coping and self-regulation techniques alongside their peers.

SEL Improves Mental Health for All Children in Classrooms

A child’s mental health can affect their grades, school experience, and even how they interact with their peers. SEL gives students resources to regulate their emotions and handle tasks independently. Better self-regulation and independent task competition can increase confidence and optimism in the student.

Through SEL techniques and lessons, children in the classroom and the teacher can also learn to identify symptoms of struggling mental health. SEL could also help students feel more connected to their classmates, reducing isolation and depression during classroom time and activities.

SEL Can Help Close Equity Gaps Among Classmates

It is essential for teachers, therapists, and administrators in schools to understand that not every child comes from the same background. Their home life, socioeconomic background, and ability level can all affect how they perform in school.

Using SEL techniques in school can help narrow socioeconomic gaps across the classroom. Teaching emotional coping techniques that a student in an advantaged position may learn at home and students with disadvantages may not. Children with disabilities or other marginalizations may have more ambient stress in their lives, which they can learn to manage at school. The use of SEL techniques may help students relate to each other and understand each other’s differences with compassion and empathy.

Learn More About Implementing SEL Techniques for All Students in Your Classrooms

Contact PTS if you’re interested in integrating SEL techniques into your therapeutic toolbelt, working alongside PTS, and ensuring your students are learning in the least restrictive environment. The therapists working alongside PTS can help all students achieve more. Reach out to us today.??