Social and Emotional Learning Foundations I: Programs and Approaches

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the concept and field of social and emotional learning (SEL) in general and also specializes in the early childhood periods of PreK-3. The course has three parts. First, we define SEL and introduce the field at large. How and why did it get started? How is SEL different from various similar concepts and efforts that have come before it? What societal imperatives and challenges are SEL programs and research responding to? Next, an introduction to flagship SEL competencies at the various levels of “audience” or targets for SEL efforts is provided: children, teachers, schools/settings, and systems. The last third of the course dives more deeply into specific initiatives and programs that have been employed in at least part of the PreK-3 range (e.g., emotion training, teacher responsiveness, mindfulness and yoga, character development, civic engagement, etc.), including their aims and what the existing research says about their success and promise.