2021-Leaders-United-Quarterly-Q3-ReaderSpreads-v5 - Flipbook - Page 7
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING:
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
By Elandriel Lewis
Senior Manager, Early Learning and Training
United Way of Greater Nashville
While fads do come and go in education, there
is strong evidence that SEL is here to stay. And
this is great news! Based on a growing body
of brain research, we know that SEL belongs in
education just as much as academics do. You
may ask, “How can social and emotional learning
be as important as literacy, science or math?” The
answer lies in what SEL is and what it does for
children’s ability to learn.
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• Relationship Skills: Establish and maintain
supportive relationships
• Responsible Decision Making: Make responsible
and caring decisions
CASEL breaks SEL into 5 core competencies.
Each competency plays a direct role in how
children grow and mature.
In recent years, school districts across Middle
Tennessee have made a concerted effort to
integrate social and emotional learning standards
into school curriculum and teaching practices.
For example, Metro Nashville Public School’s
social and emotional learning journey began
with the creation of an SEL Department in 2011.
School districts are using SEL to create stronger
frameworks and effective lesson plans that
cultivate student learning and achievement.
• Self-Awareness: Develop healthy identities
• Self-Management: Manage emotions and
achieve personal and collective goals
• Social Awareness: Feel and show empathy
for others
As a whole, our education system is doing a better
job of recognizing that learning is cognitive, social
and emotional. Educators are enhancing learning
environments to support the holistic wellbeing and
development of young learners.
Unite d Way o f Greater Nash vi l l e
Your support helps to give kids in our community an equal chance
to learn and succeed.
Because of you...
Social and Emotional Learning, or SEL, is an
education buzzword. You may have heard SEL
mentioned in the news or from your child’s
school. But what is SEL? Does it belong in our
schools or is it just another fad?
According to the Collaborative for Academic,
Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), “Social
and Emotional Learning is an integral part of
education and human development.” SEL is the
process of how we each acquire and apply our
knowledge, skills and attitudes.
BUT WE COULDN’T DO IT ALONE
91% 513,737 828
of four-year-olds at our
Read to Succeed sites
met their literacy
benchmark for
kindergarten readiness
kids received books
in their homes through
Imagination Library of
Middle Tennessee
children received highquality early childhood
education through
Read to Succeed
2,271
training hours were
provided to early
childhood educators
U nited Way of Greater Nas h ville
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