A social-emotional learning (SEL) approach focuses on developing self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. This approach aims to help students build the emotional and interpersonal skills they need to succeed academically, socially, and in life.

Social-emotional learning assists students with tremendous psychological, physiological, and cognitive effects, making it difficult for them to adjust to school’s demands.

Individualized Education

Incorporating SEL teaching, such as fostering safe, caring educational environments, providing choice through personalizing the educational experience, and helping students develop autonomy and feelings of success, instructors can create environments conducive to helping students suffering from trauma and mental health challenges to be successful.

Free-standing lessons are characterized as focused solely on social-emotional learning. General teaching practices refer to instructional approaches that are conducive to SEL, although they do not specifically teach SEL concepts. Integrated lessons teach SEL skills alongside subject matter content within a lesson.

Social-emotional content is explicitly introduced, taught, and reflected upon in a lesson. The concepts have deep roots in the field of holistic education. Montessori and Waldorf homeschooling educational styles are strongly influenced by social-emotional learning.

SEL aims to help students develop the attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions to become healthy and competent overall – socially, emotionally, academically, and physically. (Elias, Zins, & Weissberg, 1997, p. 2)

“SEL Everyday” is a model curriculum offered by Meena Srinivasan (2018). This text provides instructors a detailed, four-part, 8-page model that includes identifying desired results, gathering evidence, a multipart lesson plan body, and a space for instructor reflection and student feedback.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Key Components

Self-Awareness:

• Understanding one’s emotions, strengths, weaknesses, values, and motivations.
• Activities: Journaling, mood meters, mindfulness exercises.

Self-Management:

• Regulating emotions, behaviors, and reactions in different situations.
• Activities: Breathing exercises, goal setting, coping strategies for stress.

Social Awareness:

• Understanding and empathizing with others from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
• Activities: Group discussions, role-playing empathy scenarios, service learning.

Relationship Skills:

• Building and maintaining healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals.
• Activities: Group projects, communication practice, conflict resolution role-play.

Responsible Decision-Making:

• Making ethical, constructive choices about personal and social behavior.
• Activities: Problem-solving exercises, exploring consequences of choices, reflective discussions.

Applying SEL in Homeschooling:

Since you’re homeschooling children with different needs (SPD, ADHD, OCD, APD, etc.), you can tailor SEL to these specific challenges. Here’s how:

• For ADHD: Focus on self-management and emotional regulation through short, engaging activities with movement breaks to support attention.
• For APD/VPD: Use visual aids and clear, direct communication for relationship-building exercises. Visual prompts or storyboards can aid in processing information.
• For SPD: Create sensory-friendly spaces and activities that support emotional regulation, such as mindfulness or sensory breaks.

This approach fosters emotional intelligence and resilience in students, helping them navigate academic and personal challenges.