My students are teachers and instructors earning their M.Ed. degrees. I discuss adult SEL every day in my calls with my students to support their learner agency, and also share SEL images in my emails to students. I do this to ensure we are creating a safe learning environment – because we all need that safety to practice responsible decision-making. And truly effective teaching that supports students’ deep learning (not just shallow memorization of facts until passing the test) requires using all three main learning theories – cognitive, constructive and cooperative.
Adult SEL is an integral part of human development – and the day when we stop learning is also the day when we need to stop teaching. Simply because education is an ever-evolving profession, and we need to adjust to the change. I am not talking about “learning a new curriculum”, but how support students’ individual learning. The first part is checking our own assumptions so that we can respond to students’ needs instead of just reacting to their behaviors. This is not always easy to learn! Yet, today when we know so much more about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) [1] we also understand that students need help in managing their need and emotions. This is also why I believe that learning about Trauma-Informed Practices (TIP) [2] is extremely helpful for teachers, instructors, and educators in all capacities.
Learning to use Positive Regard is easier when our Adult SEL competencies increase. While Relationship skills are essential for being a teacher, the two other important competencies for responding to the needs are self-awareness and self-management – because misbehavior can seriously push our buttons, and we all know that sometimes students are (malevolently) smart to do exactly that! It can become almost like a game – we could call it the “who can derail the teacher from teaching the intended lesson” – game.
When teachers’ adult SEL needs are supported, the whole school community gets enhanced. Simply because we cannot support students if we as professionals are not learning about the toolkit we can use – and I am talking about the the “toolkit” in a broad sense, because different environments, different populations and even different curricula may require different tools. This is the situational aspect of teacher PD (and the reason why “canned” solutions seldom work). Teaching is always, ALWAYS situational and contextual.
If your district is not providing Adult SEL as a PD option, please consider focusing on Adult SEL in your PLN (Professional Learning Network) or PLC (Professional Learning Community)! There is a great Linked In group “Teachers who Coach” with a wealth of information about helpful teaching strategies to build connections with students!
[1] ACEs – Adverse Childhood Experiences https://www.cdc.gov/aces/about/index.html
[2] TIP – Carello, J. (2019). Examples of Trauma-Informed Teaching and Learning in College Classrooms;
SEL image: https://choosinghowtoteach.blogspot.com/2023/12/social-emotional-learning-responsible.html
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