Social Emotional Learning for Teachers to Support Classroom Success

It’s a tough time to be an educator. That much is clear. With the abrupt shift to virtual learning, a bumpy transition into the following school year, and student learning loss compounding, many find the profession falling short of what they signed up for, and they’re burnt out. Meanwhile, student success still depends on teacher effectiveness, and K-12 leaders are scrambling for ways to keep educators in classrooms. Fortunately, social and emotional learning (SEL) for teachers does offer a powerful set of tools to support teachers’ ability to cope with and adapt to the drastic changes and uncertainties in play right now. Retaining teachers in this rapidly changing K-12 world means showing them they’re valued, supported, and—most of all—heard. Offering SEL training and resources to teachers can help them handle elevated stress while guiding students through blended or remote learning or whatever challenges lie ahead.

What is SEL for teachers?

As we know in the case of students, SEL helps learners develop skills, attitudes, and knowledge to identify and regulate emotions, cultivate positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. SEL professional learning courses for teachers may focus on one or more of the five social and emotional competencies described by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL):

• Self-awareness
• Self-management
• Social awareness
• Relationship skills
• Responsible decision-making

Source: CASEL.org/core-competencies

Why is SEL important for teachers right now?

A Yale/CASEL survey of 5,000 U.S. teachers in March 2020 revealed the five most-mentioned descriptions of their feelings were: anxious, fearful, worried, overwhelmed, and sad. They connected these feelings with medical concerns due to the pandemic, managing family needs, and adapting to new teaching technology.  

Teachers’ emotions are being profoundly impacted as their entire career field transforms. On top of learning entirely new skills for teaching students in a virtual environment, they’re also experiencing stress at home and throughout their extended family. To support them as they’re contending with all of this and help them enable student learning, K-12 leaders can offer supplemental resources and training that helps them channel their energy into productive outcomes.

The Role of SEL in Teacher Growth 

Modeling SEL throughout your organization supports teacher growth. Just as students pick up the five social and emotional competencies when they’re modeled by teachers, teachers also develop these skills faster when they’re modeled by administrators and district leadership. Making SEL a priority for your leadership and curriculum staff puts the structure in place to create a more resilient organization that can quickly adjust and adapt to changes. 

Districts already focusing professional development on SEL see the effects throughout their schools. Kristin Hendricks, Learning and Organizational Development Specialist at Wake County Public School System, says, “As we strengthen our personal SEL competencies, we become better teachers and models for those around us.” She points out that this leads to more trusting relationships, reduced instances of burnout, and more productive collaboration. Essentially, SEL helps teachers and staff support each other outside the classroom, so teachers can be at their best in front of their students.  

Checking in with educators about their concerns, needs, and stressors is a great place to start. SEL helps teachers develop a general resilience in difficult times, but routine check-ins may reveal opportunities to quickly address specific issues. For example, stress resulting from difficulty navigating the multiple systems required to work remotely may be alleviated by providing additional training on these tools or offering regularly scheduled tech support office hours.

How to Offer Professional Development That Supports Teachers’ SEL Needs 

SEL promotes a growth mindset. It’s a classic adage that “teachers must be learners first,” and while hybrid learning understandably takes center stage, professional learning focused on SEL lays the foundation for applying these newly acquired skills. Keeping it on your list of essential teacher professional learning content requirements sets teachers up to succeed as they work to rapidly learn new skills for virtual and blended learning. 

Additionally, through platforms like PowerSchool Professional Learning, district administrators can provide regular SEL surveys to gauge where teachers are emotionally to better meet their needs. Surveys and teacher evaluations create opportunities to reinforce SEL goals. Observers can add emotional and behavioral criteria to their evaluations that align with a teacher’s focus and progress. And by using Professional Learning, PowerSchool Perform, and PowerSchool Schoology Learning together, administrators can work collaboratively with teachers to identify their individual learning and growth goals and then plan, track, and provide the right PD courses. 

Supporting Teacher Well-Being Ultimately Supports Student Learning 

When it comes to handling today’s continuing challenges in education and those still ahead, it’s up to teachers to keep students learning through the ups and downs. Supporting their well-being is a critical component of keeping the learning going. That’s why more and more districts are focusing on SEL training for teachers and supporting the application of those skills in the classroom. 

Bill Bass, Innovation Coordinator at Missouri’s Parkway C-2 School District, says his district shifted to virtual learning over the course of about eight days in the spring of 2020. Beyond the rapid technical implementation and training required, Bass says supporting teacher, student, and family well-being was crucial to their success. “We hired some additional people just to support teachers in their virtual environments. We also tried to support our parents and our students,” Bass recalls. For them, moving education forward is about adopting the right new technology and taking care of their people. 

How Teachers Can Apply SEL in the Classroom 

SEL skills help teachers channel potential frustrations into productive attitudes and behaviors, benefitting students by providing a nurturing learning environment in the face of challenges and distractions. Day to day, this supports accelerating student learning gains.  

PowerSchool Behavior Support (formally Kickboard™) is our official technology partner for providing a school and district-wide behavior management solution. Together, we help schools and districts support SEL and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiatives. This includes providing tools to help teachers apply their own SEL skills in the classroom.

Going back to school this year, learning loss is on everyone’s mind. Teachers need every tool available to help students close the gap after a long time away from their typical learning environment. Helping teachers build SEL skills gives them a powerful set of tools they can use in either a virtual or blended learning environment.

Include Staff Development in Your Toolbox to Make Up COVID-19 Learning Loss 

The five core competencies of SEL form an emotional foundation to help teachers cope and adapt as we head into another school year full of uncertainty and new challenges. By providing teachers with the support they need, students get a better chance to succeed. The success of our students depends on the health of our teachers and their ability to lead and inspire despite the lingering uncertainties still on the horizon.