Abstract:

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been isolated to programs, distinct from academics. However research supports that SEL occurs anytime and anywhere; it is a part of our everyday interactions and transactions with students, between students and amongst adults. The tension that arises then is: Why are we not readily integrating social and emotional learning into our school day and why do we continue to compartmentalize SEL through the use of programs and isolated lessons?

As one international school in Mongolia rethinks what social and emotional learning is in the early years for their context, a shift in mindset and practice has occurred. SEL should not come from a program that identifies topics as well as scripted lessons and pre-made resources. Rather SEL intertwines emotion as well as behaviour and cognition in order to create emotionally healthy environments where learning takes place.

At the international school, this occurred through the development of healthy relationships between students and adults. Defined as reciprocal and positive relationships, such ways of being served to facilitate the design of learning environments, engagements and practices which respond to, support and develop the social and emotional needs of students.

Following the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning’s (CASEL) core competencies and through the power of collaborative observation, documentation and processing, the early years team at the international school redefined what SEL is and how to support the development of their youngest learners in this area. This presentation details the collaboration between homeroom teachers, educational assistants, specialist teachers as well as primary leadership in bringing SEL from isolated learning and teaching to an integration into the curriculum and everyday exchanges between individuals who work with the youngest learners at the school.

Keywords:

Social and emotional learning, observation, documentation, collaboration, early years.