Research School Network: How can weaving Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into daily practice crack even the hardest nut and lift just a little of that teacher guilt? Our Evidence Lead in Education, Martin Hill, uses his own experiences & EEF guidance to give an honest, accessible guide to SEL

‘I feel awful for saying it but…the others behave when they’re not here’.

Teacher guilt is real. It’s part of our passion and it drives us on to do better. But we’ve all had that moment of conflict: initial relief when you realise that most challenging child isn’t in today followed by shame and self-doubt that you should somehow do more or be more.

So, how does taking a longer term approach to some of the children who need us most, manage this guilt and build skills that teachers return to again and again in their careers?

By this time in the year, teachers often feel they’re starting to get a pretty decent grip of behaviour; you’ve established your class culture and the routines seem embedded. But for a small number of pupils (often the most disadvantaged) these structures alone just aren’t enough to allow them to flourish in their learning.

The ​‘Improving Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in Primary Schools’ guidance report from the EEF provides some great insights into building the resilience, independence and capacity of these tough nuts.

At it’s heart, the key take away is ​‘Be Explicit’.

For many of their peers, life experiences and social support may have helped them to develop a deeper understanding of ​‘Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision Making’, tweaked through years of practice and feedback. However, these gaps really hold back our tough nuts. When they ​‘go up like a bottle of pop’ it’s these gaps that matter. You can’t fix that in the moment of crisis and as a teacher, it’s not your fault.

Help is at hand though; the EEF SEL Guidance Report is packed full of real life examples of how to be explicit in filling these gaps. From individual intervention ideas to whole class activities developing SEL skills in your classroom. What’s great is, it doesn’t have to be another thing to fit in! Yes, there are practical tips and ideas for whole class sessions but why not start by weaving SEL into your existing teaching? By adapting that PE lesson, roleplay or the reading text, we can ​‘model the social and emotional behaviours you want the children to adapt’ (EEF). Tweaking the lessons you’re already covering can allow the SEL content to ​‘align with the structures and routines already in place’ in your classroom. (Jones and Bailey 2018).

But will that really be enough to crack the hardest of nuts?

Well, maybe not completely, you might need more tailored individual support that helps your tough nuts develop specific skills, like emotional vocabulary, or self-calming strategies. Maybe you need to work on SEL as a broader, whole school community?

There are practical ideas for school leaders too, Jones and Bailey provide a fantastic framework for implementing SEL across your whole school. Their report, alongside the EEF’s, highlight the importance of a SAFE (Sequenced, Active, Focussed and Explicit) whole school curriculum. Jones and Bailey’s research shows us: in schools that provide children with this type of progressive, engaging and memorable framework for SEL, all children can develop the 5 skills above that allow them to more effectively self-regulate and engage in their learning.

If teaching SEL can take the heat out of the moment and prevent moments of crisis, maybe we can ​‘soften the nut’ over time and possibly even curtail some of the teacher guilt too.

Avail yourself of the below reports to start developing an approach to Social Emotional Learning in your classroom:

References:

Jones and Bailey (2018) Preparing for Effective SEL Implementation (click here)

EEF (2021) Improving Social and Emotional Learning in Primary Schools (click here)