Teacher Preparation for Social and Emotional Issues in the Classroom
Effective teacher preparation for social and emotional (SEL) issues in the classroom, based on the research that only continues to gain steam in this country, is extremely important. The article “Teacher Prep Slow to Embrace Social-Emotional Learning,” however, that recently came out in Education Week, states that many educators feel unprepared in developing children’s abilities in the areas of relationships and self-awareness.
Many prep programs simply aren’t providing adequate training on identifying the skills that kids need or how to teach them, the article said. Some states have been sluggish in adapting licensing requirements in correlation to the ever increasing numbers of districts and schools implementing SEL as well, it added.
Developing children’s abilities in understanding their emotions and making responsible decisions is achieved by implementing skills that include effective family engagement programs and discipline policies, Education Week said. As such, it’s imperative that educators learn how to identify the various social and emotional competencies involved, said one expert in the article.
The Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Roison Corcoran, who wrote an article called “Teacher Emotions” also concurred that teacher preparation is sorely lacking in the field. She said as it stands now, prep programs aren’t doing much to prepare teachers for the emotions they’ll experience in the classroom. As a result, this is a strong factor in teacher burnout or leaving the profession entirely, Corcoran added. Educators with a strong background in social and emotional learning create classrooms that are inviting and safe, which can’t help but promote greater student learning, she said.
There are some schools, though, that are fully embracing and implementing effective SEL instruction. For instance, an article about Chicago Public Schools by Education Dive states that while the school district has laid off counselors, librarians and music and art teachers, it has maintained a strong commitment to social and emotional learning over the last seven years and currently provides excellent training to teachers.
Finding educational programs that support ELL students’ first language, such as The Latino Family Literacy Project, can make an enormous difference on their overall academic and language acquisition success, and will help parents stay connected with their children while being involved in the academic process.