Leveraging social-emotional skills to boost literacy development
Educators know literacy development is a complex process that goes beyond decoding words on a page. While assessments are essential to ensure students get the interventions they need, educators might find additional holistic support in a surprising element — through helping develop social-emotional skills.
Let's take a closer look at how social-emotional learning (SEL) can support literacy development and improve student outcomes.
What is SEL and why is it appropriate for the classroom?
By now, most educators are familiar with the basics of SEL. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines SEL as “the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”’
SEL focuses on developing five core competencies, which have been shown to enhance students' ability to succeed in school and beyond:
- Self-awareness
- Self-management
- Social awareness
- Relationship skills
- Responsible decision-making
There’s no doubt SEL can be misunderstood. And yet, its efficacy is clear, with ample research backing its benefits. Nearly all respondents (+90%) in one recent study of Canadian educators agreed with statements such as “SEL is important for success in life and school;” “SEL should be integrated into daily instruction;” and “All teachers should receive training/support on how to teach SEL skills.”
Practical strategies for integrating SEL into literacy instruction
Canadian schools are at the forefront of prioritizing reading as a critical foundation for academic success and lifelong learning. Fortunately, the principles of SEL are an ideal complement in providing a holistic learning environment that supports students' academic, social and emotional growth. In addition to direct instruction through CASEL aligned SEL curriculum such as the SSIS SEL Classwide Intervention program, here are some ways to start embedding SEL into robust literacy activities:
1. Use literature to teach empathy by exploring the world from different perspectives.
Stories are a magical way for students to absorb life lessons, consider fresh viewpoints and discover themselves without even feeling like they’re “learning.” The great news is that this is a strategy you can employ at any level — from your youngest learners using picture books to develop empathy and understanding to high school students digging into more complex characters and situations. These literacy activities also help students build their own emotional vocabulary, which will allow them to better understand and label their emotions and, as a result, enable them to articulate and express their feelings in a healthy, constructive manner.
2. Use the text to help incorporate self-awareness and reflection.
Class discussions or reading response journals can help students think deeper and align with SEL skills such as:
- Empathy: What are characters feeling and how would you feel in this situation?
- Self-awareness: How do you connect with these experiences, and/or what would you have done differently?
- Social skills: How do the characters interact, and how might you react?
- Self-regulation: How well did they manage their emotions and reactions to challenging situations? Have you been in a similar situation?
- Critical thinking: What do you think about the characters' choices and the consequences?
3. Use the reading process and accompanying activities to explicitly teach self-regulation skills.
Educators can underscore vital qualities such as self-monitoring, self-control and self-motivation by encouraging students to set reading goals, track their progress and celebrate successes. They can remind students how each day they are developing a “growth mindset” as they take ownership of their learning. Teachers can model and teach strategies like visualization, self-talk and deep breathing to help students manage frustration and stay focused, building resilience and perseverance.
Who has time for SEL?
The best part about these activities is that they reinforce that SEL isn’t a “stand-alone” concept, but rather something that can be easily incorporated into everyday learning.
This reality can help address several of the key issues raised by educators in the Canadian study mentioned above, where 62% reported they lack the time to teach SEL in their school, while also indicating a lack of funds and/or materials. Fortunately, opportunities to include SEL are literally all around us — and are likely already a component of your day-to-day classroom management.
Incorporating mindful SEL strategies into your literacy instruction creates a learning environment that promotes academic achievement and enhances social-emotional growth. Of course, SEL is just one resource in your toolbox. For more information on helping students with reading challenges, check out Pearson’s Reading Toolkit.