According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning Organization, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

Karl Mercuri is a consultant in Social and Emotional Learning. He successfully opened the door to this practice in seven schools across Quebec. “SEL can be integrated as part of Ethics and Religion,” explains Mercuri.

Why Should Schools Teach SEL to their Students?
“Nowadays, we have a decrease in face-to-face and one-on-one interactions. We need to teach social skills explicitly”, adds Mercuri. According to Mercuri, 15–20 per cent of students in a classroom suffer from mental illness. “SEL allows kids to become comfortable speaking about and understanding their emotions and gives them a platform to know what to do if they feel a certain way,” he says. “We now have a problem with teacher retention. With SEL, teachers feel safer. It creates an accepting climate,” he adds.

Mercuri says that SEL has benefits on an emotional as well as academic level. “Teaching SEL changes the climate of the school pretty quickly. We can see a positive impact within three months,” he says. “When we teach empathy, not only are kids less likely to bully but also to be bullied.”

For students on the autism spectrum, SEL can be especially helpful in better understanding emotions. “With SEL, they [students with autism] learn why they are feeling a certain way because of a certain situation,” says Mercuri.

Luc*, a teacher who uses SEL with special needs students, believes that teaching isn’t only about imparting knowledge. “An important part of Social and Emotional Learning is understanding that as an adult, you are a model for the kids,” he says. “It’s an injustice that there’s not more in place for this.” Even while teaching a math lesson, he helps his students learn how to participate in a way that they get something out of it and respect the group at the same time.

There are many websites, online resources as well as books available to learn more about using SEL at home and in the classroom.

*name changed to preserve anonymity