HOW SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO BETTER ACADEMIC OUTCOMES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
BY : PETE READ
Barriers to social-emotional learning
For |
many |
secondary |
schools |
in |
the |
Middle |
East |
and |
elsewhere , |
social-emotional learning ( SEL ) has |
traditionally been seen as something |
of an add-on . Not examined , not |
mandated nor compulsory , prioritising |
SEL is often difficult for secondary |
schools |
faced |
with |
three |
major |
barriers : |
|
|
|
|
1 . Curriculum planning prioritises exam subjects because these produce measurable results that are easily understood by educators , parents , students , inspectors and policymakers alike .
2 . In many schools teachers are already stretched , and teacher workload needs to be reduced , not increased . Asking teachers who are not SEL or PSHE specialists , but might teach anything from chemistry to modern foreign languages , to deliver SEL puts an extra unwelcome burden of work on them .
3 . Schools know at heart that SEL is important , and therefore do deliver it , but most teachers asked to make that happen are non-specialists with no training in teaching PSHE or delivering social-emotional skills development . Not ideal for the student recipients , as quality of SEL teaching can end up being very mixed .
But wait ! What if barrier # 1 – measurable academic outcomes – could be eliminated ? That would mean more time could be allocated for teachers to teach SEL . Goodbye barrier # 2 . It would also create a rationale for providing more SEL teacher training for non-specialists , and investing in developing or hiring more SEL specialists . Barrier # 3 up in smoke !
Now consider this : Prioritising resources and curriculum time for examined subjects over socialemotional learning is a false logic . Academic results are not actually higher in schools where SEL is put on the back burner and academic subjects prioritised . In fact the reverse is true .
In the words of one UK headteacher , “ Schools that drill children for results or support children ’ s well being and rounded development as an afterthought to data are in trouble .” ( EduCare )
In the Middle East , a report published in 2019 by Towards Global Learning Goals , an Abu Dhabi education network , criticised an over-reliance on exams , saying that many schools were failing to equip children with the relevant skills they need for success and happiness in the real world .
Evidence in support of SEL
There is robust evidence both from independent research , and from forward-thinking schools , pointing to a positive correlation between investing time and resources in a well-developed SEL programme , and improved , measurable academic outcomes .
In March 2021 The Guardian newspaper in the UK reported that " emotional wellbeing is fundamental and foundational for academic attainment . A stressed , anxious child will have difficulty learning anything . On the flip side , promoting wellbeing can boost academic outcomes . A meta-analysis of 213 school-based , social and emotional learning programmes demonstrated an 11 % boost in results in standardised achievement tests ."
This may seem to be common sense , but historically many schools have put direct effort on academic attainment first , and treated wellbeing and socialemotional learning as something to be dealt with only when issues arise . There is in fact reliable empirical evidence supporting the case for treating wellbeing as a ' vitamin ' rather than a ' sticking plaster '.
Emotions can support or impede pupils ’ learning , their academic engagement , work ethic , commitment , and ultimate school success , according to the research referred to by the Guardian , above . This was a meta-analysis of a wide body of existing research , conducted by Public Health England in 2014 .
16 Term 1 Sep - Dec 2021
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