Students draw life lessons from the rough and tumble laboratory of recess breaks.

They reach conclusions in the moments of boredom between moments of structure. The chaos of school regularly generates teachable moments, and we all should thank the teachers, principals and other school staff who keep their cool and help students draw the right conclusions.

The chaos of school regularly generates teachable moments

Many schools lend structure to building emotional intelligence (EQ) as part of the curriculum, especially in early grades. Educators describe this aspect of education as social-emotional learning (SEL). The term has survived long enough to have become both officially adopted and politically rejected. In a 2021 report, How to Sell SEL: Parents and the Politics of Social-Emotional Learning, the Fordham Foundation found that most of the basic ideas of SEL are broadly accepted, but attitudes about the term itself are sharply divided by party affiliation. Republicans tend to regard the term with suspicion.

SEL takes a "systemic approach to wellness" by integrating communities, families, and schools into its framework. The primary means of instruction is via classroom programs and practices, but when done well, SEL permeates the school’s curriculum and culture.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has identified five interrelated sets of competencies.

• Self-awareness. The ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior.
• Self-management. The ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations, and to set and work toward personal and academic goals.
• Social awareness. The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports.
• Relationship skills. The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups, including the skills to communicate clearly, listen well, cooperate, negotiate conflict constructively, and seek and offer help when needed.
• Responsible decision making. The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others.

"Soft" Skills

Crucially, social-emotional learning strategies equip students to keep their cool, and help others do the same. Full Circle Fund has worked with the Niroga Institute, a Bay Area organization that helps students learn yoga techniques to build awareness of their own state of mind. Other programs that focus on social/emotional learning include Engaging Schools and Responsive Classroom.

Social-emotional skills are sometimes labelled "soft" skills, but most can agree that soft skills are hard to learn. Schools that put a focus on building social-emotional skills share a premise: these skills can be taught and learned intentionally.

Got Grit?

MacArthur fellow Angela Duckworth, a leading expert on social-emotional learning, has famously characterized qualities of determination and resilience as grit." She argues that social-emotional capacities such as grit are vital life skills, and that schools must teach them intentionally.

Her message has found a responsive audience. Individuals respond to influence, but systems respond to measurement. If social emotional skills are important, shouldn't those skills be measured, too? The Every Child Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to include nonacademic measurements of success, so it seems likely that some will try to incorporate social-emotional measures. Duckworth urges caution. Mindsets are tricky to measure in an authentic way.

Buzzword alert: agency

Not everyone agrees that focusing on grit is such a good thing. Taken too far, grit has an isolating, go-it-alone implication. Pedro Noguera, another influential commentator, prefers for schools to focus on developing agency, the capacity of individuals to act independently, especially in a social setting.

SEL, grit, agency and a strong support network have all been necessary in post-pandemic schools. The pandemic has had isolating effects on student mental health - the CA Department of Education offers resources.

There is a fuzzy boundary between social-emotional learning (which, arguably, emphasizes skills and approaches) and character education (which arguably, aims to help students at a deeper, more permanent level). The next lesson turns to character education.

Updated October 2017, August 2021