Sharing Good Practice
Conclusions included :
5 A 10-20 % boost in results in standardised achievement tests is attributable to improving pupils ’ social-emotional learning
5 Whole-school approaches to social-emotional learning strongly correlate with higher attainment
5 School-based social-emotional learning programmes benefit pupils ’ wellbeing , offering a significant return for the resource and time investment
The UK public school inspectorate , Ofsted , has identified a strong correlation between schools that achieved a high grade for personal , social , health and economic education ( PSHE ) and those that were graded outstanding for overall effectiveness .
Meanwhile in the United States , Daniel Goleman – one of the founders of the Collaborative for Academic , Social , and Emotional Learning ( CASEL ) reported in April 2021 on an analysis of more than 270,000 students . Half took SEL courses alongside their standard academics , and the other half took only the academic courses . The research found that those taking the SEL courses ended up with 10 % higher learning positivity ( liking school , feeling someone at school cares about them , good class attendance ) and their academic achievement test scores were 11 % higher on average .
Even the students themselves agree : In a recent survey of young people in the UK by Skills Builder , 77 % said they believe social-emotional skills are important for academic performance in areas such as essays , coursework and exams .
Pick a framework
Social emotional learning can take many forms , ranging from learning about what is acceptable language to use when navigating the ups and downs of your first romantic relationship , through to building resilience through sport .
Similarly , there are many SEL frameworks available and there is a lot of consistency between them , with a focus on life skills ( also known
as “ soft skills ” especially in relation to preparing for the workplace ) built around how we think , communicate and behave in different situations , and the potential to improve outcomes both for ourselves and others involved in a given situation .
Embedding SEL into whole school culture
The COVID-19 pandemic – with all the social and emotional trials it has forced up on our young people – has shifted the focus of many educators , schools and education ministries towards student wellbeing . But even before the outbreak , some of the most successful international school groups had already built their ethos and culture around student ( and teacher ) social-emotional wellbeing .
Here are two examples of how a welldeveloped , integrated SEL programme can help to deliver excellent academic results .
Arguably one of the most notable examples is Cognita , an international education group with over 80 schools across 12 countries . Cognita aims to go beyond grades and develop allround academic excellence . It does this by centering its whole culture and all its schools upon wellbeing , which it defines as being “ socially , emotionally and physically flourishing .”
Cognita says that their schools focus on wellbeing throughout the year , but together on a dedicated ‘ Be Well Day ’ – usually in September – they all collapse the curriculum in order to focus on wellbeing as a global family . The day acts as an annual reminder of the priority Cognita places upon equipping young people with socialemotional skills that prepare them to grow , thrive and succeed in a fastchanging world .
Another example : Wellington College , based in the UK , with six international schools in Thailand and China , lays claim to pioneering teaching of wellbeing in mainstream education , as the first school in the UK to introduce a course in happiness and wellbeing in 2006 , under the direction of the now well-known social-emotional teaching and learning pioneer Sir Anthony Seldon , headteacher at the time .
One of the key social-emotional learning approaches pioneered at Wellington college is the Harkness Table . Students are asked to look into solving certain problems before class , and when they then come to class , these problems are discussed and resolved by the students together , usually sitting in an oval formation , for example around a table .
Harkness develops problem-solving skills , encourages teamwork , helps build strong relationships between peers , and improves listening and speaking . It has found its way into many top tier international schools , including in the Middle East , for example Cranleigh Abu Dhabi , where it was introduced by a deputy headteacher who was previously part of the inaugural Harkness team at Wellington College .
SEL – an investment in outcomes
Regardless of the framework or the exact approach adopted , the weight of evidence is in favour of prioritising social-emotional learning to support better academic performance . And we haven ’ t even touched on the social and employability benefits that go along with it .
So , whether your school is aiming to achieve great things academically or turn out well-balanced students with great wellbeing or both , an investment of focus , time and budget in a solid social-emotional programme , will serve you and your students well .
Pete Read is CEO of the Innovate UK funded social-emotional online learning company Persona Education . Pete founded Persona in 2019 to bring the benefits of personality insights to developing life skills in young people , and to make this as accessible as possible for millions of students globally . www . personalife . com info @ persona-life . com
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