Social-emotional strategies backed in research provide some of the best opportunities to integrate SEL skills in the classroom. Since time for SEL is already limited, it’s important to make that time count. Using research-based approaches can help every teacher and administrator ensure social-emotional skills are being taught, modeled, and practiced in the best ways possible.
Keep in mind that social-emotional learning is about the process in teaching and learning the skills kids need for success. Again, it’s a process, not a particular program. That means there are many ways to integrate social and emotional strategies into your classroom. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. What’s most important is that educators find the strategies, interventions, and supports that best fit the needs of their classroom and learners.
When looking for new ways to integrate SEL, consider choosing one and sticking with it. It’s better to implement one strategy with fidelity and assessing progress after a short period to see how it’s working for you and your students.
The research-based approaches below can be used as strategies and tools to teach social-emotional skills and lay the groundwork for a positive classroom climate necessary for learning.
Here are 9 research-based approaches and strategies teachers can use to integrate and support SEL in the classroom:
1. Integrating Literature and SEL
Literature from short passages and picture books to full novels can be used to integrate social-emotional skills in a simple and meaningful way. The idea is to use the lessons and concepts from the texts to discuss skills like empathy, friendships, emotions, and more.
What the research says: Researchers indicate that many pieces of literature can relate to a variety of social-emotional skills such as making decisions, coping with emotions, working through conflicts, and building relationships (Zins et al., 2004). Educators can use age-appropriate texts within their curriculum to address these skills for an efficient and effective use of academic time.
How to start: Start by choosing any text you would read with your learners. This can vary based on age and curriculum content area. As you read, pause to discuss social-emotional topics and ideas. Another option is to use short read alouds texts to target specific SEL skills. Some questions you may use include:
- What are the characters feeling? Why?
- What might the characters be thinking in this situation?
- What do you notice about the relationships between characters?
- What important decisions has the main character made so far? What might be the consequences of those decisions?
- What is the problem or challenge the main character is dealing with?
- What strategies does the character use to persevere and overcome those challenges?
2. Journal Writing
Journal writing can be a tool to integrate social-emotional skills. As students discuss and practice important SEL skills, they can then reflect and respond through writing. Given that SEL time in the classroom is often limited, it can make sense to integrate writing and social-emotional skills at the same time.
What the research says: According to research, writing is an effective strategy in building content knowledge across many different disciplines (Chmarkh, 2021). Besides being a strategy to teach new skills, writing can also help students make connections between concepts and synthesize ideas in new ways (Graham et al, 2020). Additionally, discussions that arise from integrating literature and social-emotional learning topics can naturally morph into longer writing assignments (Zins et al., 2004).
How to start: Choose a social-emotional question to focus on. Discuss as a group to provide background knowledge and interest. Then, give time for independent journal writing. Continue writing and SEL practice with a daily social-emotional learning journal.
3. Welcome Greetings
A welcome greeting is a daily practice that involves an educator positively welcoming students into the learning environment each day. It’s one of the simplest and most meaningful strategies to strengthen the classroom community.
What the research says: Welcoming greetings are a proactive strategy with low effort but big impacts. According to the research, simple daily greetings from a teacher at the door help to improve academic engagement time and reduce behavioral challenges (Allday & Pakurar, 2007).
How to start: As students walk in, stand in the doorway and greet students. Try to give a positive statement for every student who walks in. For example, you might say, “Good morning, Kesha, I’m excited to see you today,” or “Hi, Michael. I saw your baseball team won yesterday, nice job!” Positive statements should be caring, authentic, and individualized when possible. This is an important step in creating a meaningful connection with every learner. Use a daily greetings poster to remind you and your students as they walk into the room.
4. Class Meetings
Class meetings, morning meeting, and morning circle all provide a semi-structured time to encourage a positive classroom climate, build connections, and practice valuable social skills. During each daily meeting time, students can perform greetings and share ideas before moving on with the rest of the day.
What the research says: Morning meeting or circle time is a tool educators and students can use together to build a more positive learning community (Elias et. al, 1997). A variety of different social-emotional skills are naturally integrated during morning meeting time (Bruce et al, 2006). Students build communication skills through listening, sharing ideas, and asking questions. Learners also improve abilities for self-regulation by taking turns, staying focused, and following instructions. In addition to building meaningful SEL skills, morning meeting can serve as a dedicated time to strengthen teacher to student and student to student relationships (Sprenger, 2020).
How to start: Plan just 10-20 minutes each day to your class meeting sessions. When you get started, sit in a circle as a group. During this time, start with greetings. Next, you can focus time on a particular SEL topic to highlight such as kindness, integrity, empathy, or confidence. You can start a conversation about that topic, act out examples, or make a plan to use that skill today throughout the day. Give students a chance to share and discuss together. You can also choose an engaging morning meeting activity to try together, such as a ball toss, SEL read aloud, or time practicing coping strategies.
5. Sequenced and Explicit Instruction
Sequenced and explicit SEL instruction is teaching skills in an organized, strategic, and intentional way. This is an important strategy to mention, as it focuses on modeling, teaching, and practicing individual SEL skills students need, such as how to cope with emotions, developing goals, working through challenges.
What the research says: Direct instruction is an evidence-based teaching and learning strategy. With guided lessons, practice, and supports, students are given the tools they need to learn new skills (Hornby & Greaves, 2022). SEL Curricula can be used to teach skills explicitly. Once students acquire these skills, students can then practice them throughout their normal academic curriculum and content (Zins et al., 2004).
How to start: Plan and teach structured SEL lessons focused on a social-emotional skill that your students need the most. Introduce the topic, practice it together, and then allow students to show that they’ve learned. SEL lessons and activities for middle school students are going to look different from lessons for your elementary students, so it’s important to find the activities that work best for your learners.
6. Strong Teacher-Student Relationship
Strong teacher-student relationships are the connections that help students learn and grow over time.
What the research says: Relationships are a critical foundational element to the learning process as a whole. Strong teacher-student relationships have been shown to increase student engagement, reduce behavioral challenges, and promote positive social skills (Hornby & Greaves, 2022). The perception of a positive school environment are also correlated with lower rates of dropping out and absenteeism (Zins et al., 2004).
How to start: There are countless ways to strengthen relationships with students. Here are a few of the simplest and most meaningful ways to get started:
- Use relationship-building conversation starters to get to know students and so they can get to know you.
- Call students by their names often. When students hear their own name being said, it’s a reminder that they are known and valued as a unique individual in the classroom.
- Try the 2×10 strategy for those you are struggling to connect with. For this strategy, talk with your learner for two full minutes about any topic they want for at least 10 days.
7. Home-School Connection
A home-school connection is an important part of the learning process for kids and teens. This strategy lays the groundwork for building meaningful skills in a generalized way.
What the research says: Involving family members is an essential component to effective social-emotional programs in schools. Simply put, when school and home collaborate on social-emotional learning needs, students end up with stronger outcomes (Zins et al. 2004).
How to start: Consider one of the strategies to involve families with SEL:
- Send letters home detailing which SEL skills or topics students are learning about in the classroom. Options can be given for extension activities at home.
- Invite families to be part of classroom events and activities (such as a classroom reader or helper for craft activities).
- Host a parent night to build relationships and encourage family participation at school.
- Invite families to join classroom discussions and conversations.
- Host a SEL night with focus on different social-emotional skills students are building throughout the year.
- Invite parents as guest speakers for specific topics (such as talking about a particular career).
8. Class Discussions
Classroom discussions are times dedication to talking through questions. They can be guided in a way to specifically target important social-emotional skills. As students answer, share, and discuss the questions, they end up providing a wealth of information to each other as a classroom community.
What the research says: Classroom discussions are an evidence-based learning strategy that can help students clarify meaning of concepts, analyze information, encourage listening, share strategies, and adopt new mindsets (Hattie, 2008). Additionally, peer conversations assist students in building problem-solving skills. When scenarios are discussed among students, they are better able to problem-solve through the situation when first given the chance to talk to others (Cifone, 2013).
How to start: Choose a social-emotional topic to use as a discussion starter. Use the question to guide meaningful peer conversations. You can start with SEL question cards to use throughout the year. Some questions to try include:
- What are three words to describe you? (self-awareness)
- What is a good choice you’ve made recently? (decision-making)
- You can’t figure out how to solve a problem on a test. What choices do you have? (problem-solving)
- How can listening help resolve conflicts? (friendships)
9. Cooperative Learning
Cooperative learning is a strategy that involves students working together in small groups as they learn. What makes cooperative learning such a strong technique is that students work together to achieve a shared goal and each individual learner plays an important role in that process.
What the research says: Cooperative learning is cited as one of the essential evidence-based teaching strategies according to Hornby and Greaves (2022). More research shows that cooperative learning is one of the most effective learning interventions for the class. When done well, cooperative learning boosts social development and improves academic achievement (Hattie, 2009).
How to start: Cooperative learning can take many forms. One strategy to use cooperative learning for SEL skills is using role-playing. Provide a social scenario and have students act it out in a positive way.
Research Cited
Below are several articles and books referenced. I highly suggest reading them for more detailed information, as many include a wealth of strategies, supports, and ideas for the classroom.
- Allday, R. A., & Pakurar, K. (2007). Effects of teacher greetings on student on‐task behavior. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 40(2), 317-320.
- Bruce, S., Fasy, C., Gulick, J., Jones, J., & Pike, E. (2006). Making Morning Circle Meaningful. TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 2(4), n4.
- Chmarkh, M. (2021). ‘Writing to Learn’Research: A Synthesis of Empirical Studies (2004-2019). European Journal of Educational Research, 10(1), 85-96.
- Cifone, M. V. (2013). Questioning and learning. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 15(1), 41-55.
- Elias, M. J., Zins, J. E., Weissberg, T. P., Frey, K. S., Greenberg, M. T., Haynes, N. M., & Shriver, T. P. (1997). Promoting Social and Emotional Learning: Guidelines for Educators. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
- Hattie, J. (2008). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. routledge.
- Hornby, G., & Greaves, D. (2022). Essential evidence-based teaching strategies. Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany.
- Sprenger, M. (2020). Social-emotional learning and the brain: Strategies to help your students thrive. Ascd.
- Zins, J. E. (Ed.). (2004). Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say?. Teachers College Press.
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