HomeEducation3 Ways to Integrate...

3 Ways to Integrate SEL Into Classroom Practices

Today’s classrooms are often characterized by behaviors that disrupt learning. Traditional disciplinary measures offer quick fixes but often fail to address the root causes. Social and emotional learning (SEL) emphasizes students’ social and emotional needs holistically. Integrating SEL into classroom practices encourages students to develop self-awareness, empathy, and practical communication skills, leading to a more positive and conducive learning environment. Restorative practices, which emphasize repairing harm and rebuilding relationships, offer an alternative to traditional disciplinary measures that can deepen resentment.

Additionally, promoting a growth mindset helps students view challenges as opportunities, encouraging resilience and reducing negative behaviors by shifting their perception of failure. Teachers must cultivate emotional intelligence to effectively teach and model CASEL’s SEL competencies: responsible decision-making, self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and social awareness. By developing these skills, teachers can better model, discuss, and instruct students on navigating their emotions and interactions.  

Throughout my career, I have learned the benefits of implementing SEL to rectify negative behavior in pre-kindergarten, elementary, and middle school classrooms.

  1. Cultivate a Safe and Inclusive Classroom Environment

The foundation of SEL is creating a space where students feel safe, respected, and valued. Negative behavior often stems from feelings of insecurity or exclusion. You can start by establishing clear classroom expectations for respect and kindness. Encourage students to share their feelings and thoughts without fear of judgment. Regularly engage the class in activities that promote teamwork and understanding, such as group projects or classroom meetings. When students feel they belong and are heard, they are less likely to act out negatively.

I begin the school year by establishing clear expectations for respect and kindness. I meet with each student randomly during the week to encourage them to share their thoughts, feelings, and concerns. During these “meetings,” I model active listening and ensure that every student can speak without fear of judgment. I also incorporate group tasks that promote teamwork and collaboration, allowing the students to work together and understand each other’s perspectives.

During these meetings, I have learned, for example, of the anger that a student felt about feeling abandoned by their biological parent and of students stating that they did not feel competent to be in the grade they were in at the time. Just like all humans, students have feelings and thoughts that can overwhelm them mentally and emotionally. Building trust with your students is crucial so they feel safe telling you anything. You never know what the outcome may be.

I have also implemented ClassDojo to reinforce these values, awarding points for positive behaviors such as collaboration, empathy, and respectful communication. I can track improvements through ClassDojo by awarding points when the class works together to ensure that all members are involved in group tasks, helping others, or working hard. I have noticed my students being more thoughtful in their communication with one another, holding one another accountable, and working together to make sure that our classroom is clean and we are taking care of one another, even if it is something as simple as cheering up a classmate when they are showing signs of sadness. 

2. Teach and Model Emotional Literacy for sel

Many negative behaviors arise from students’ inability to recognize and manage their emotions. Teaching emotional literacy empowers students to understand and articulate their feelings. You can incorporate lessons that help students identify emotions in themselves and others. Once students can identify their emotions, you can teach them strategies for managing those emotions, such as deep breathing, counting to 10, or using “I feel” statements. These practices help prevent emotional outbursts and encourage more constructive ways of dealing with frustration or anger.

I always find a way to integrate lessons on recognizing and managing emotions. Early in the year, I introduce emotionally intelligent vocabulary, such as angry, upset, or unhappy, teaching students how to identify their emotions and recognize those of others. I also showcase the emotion wheel and feelings chart on the projector. We discuss using “I feel” statements to articulate emotions, like “I feel frustrated when I can’t finish my work.” I also teach and model coping strategies for managing difficult emotions, such as deep breathing and counting to 10. It doesn’t hurt to include a hug, which is sometimes all students need when they are having trouble regulating their emotions.

Doing so has decreased emotional outbursts. Students began using their “I feel” statements more regularly, which helped resolve peer conflicts. For example, instead of one of my students known for having random outbursts and tantrums storming out of the classroom, he walked up to me (in tears) and used the sentence stem “I feel” to tell me what had happened between him and another student. His doing so allowed us to have a conversation that resulted in a hug between the two students, an understanding of why the student felt the way he did, and smiles on the way back to their seats.

3. Model and Practice Empathy

Empathy is a critical component of SEL and is crucial in rectifying negative behavior. When students learn how to see things from another’s perspective, they are more likely to act with kindness and understanding. To teach empathy, you can regularly engage students in activities that require them to consider the feelings of others. Additionally, you can model empathetic behavior in your interactions with students.

Emphasizing empathy is so important to me. I incorporate regular activities and discussions to help students understand and consider the feelings of others. Role-playing scenarios where students take on different perspectives, such as resolving a playground disagreement or helping a classmate who feels excluded, are also implemented when time permits. I read stories that explore diverse perspectives and lead discussions on how characters might feel and why they act the way they do. In daily interactions, I make it a point to model empathy by actively listening to students, validating their emotions, and responding with compassion when they express concerns. 

Over time, my classroom environment has become more supportive and inclusive. Conflicts are resolved more peacefully, and students have become more considerate of each other’s feelings, leading to a reduction in negative behaviors and an overall increase in positive peer interactions.

SEL provides an effective strategy for addressing negative behavior in the classroom by focusing on students’ emotional and social development. Educators can transform negative behaviors and foster a respectful, supportive classroom community by cultivating a safe, inclusive environment, teaching emotional literacy, modeling empathy, using restorative practices, and fostering a growth mindset.

Cre: Edutopia

- A word from our sponsors -

spot_img

Most Popular

More from Author

Chanel Ties Paris Fashion Week Up With a Bow

Long before the “bow girl,” in all her coquettecore glory, became a fashion...

Miu Miu Was Cool-Girl Catnip

Miu Miu has a knack for bringing It girls not just...

Saint Laurent Solidifies the Season of the Big Shoulder

There was one big thing that united Saint Laurent’s winter 2025...

Reading Festival organisers quizzed over waste

The organisers of one of the UK's largest music festivals have...

- A word from our sponsors -

spot_img

Read Now

Chanel Ties Paris Fashion Week Up With a Bow

Long before the “bow girl,” in all her coquettecore glory, became a fashion archetype, there was Chanel. This morning at Paris Fashion Week, the French house wrapped the Grand Palais in a massive black ribbon to celebrate one of its most beloved motifs. (One which dates back to the...

Miu Miu Was Cool-Girl Catnip

Miu Miu has a knack for bringing It girls not just to the front row, but onto the runway. Today at Paris Fashion Week, the former group included Sydney Sweeney, Nara Smith, Alix Earle, and Renée Rapp. (And at least one It guy: A$AP Rocky.) At the Palais D’Iéna, the walls had...

Saint Laurent Solidifies the Season of the Big Shoulder

There was one big thing that united Saint Laurent’s winter 2025 collection: huge, powerful shoulders. Models paraded around the perimeter of a large oval onyx floor wearing every single version of the massive shoulder. They appeared on ’80s power-suit-style dresses in vibrant colors, oversized outerwear, and even...

Reading Festival organisers quizzed over waste

The organisers of one of the UK's largest music festivals have been grilled over the tonnes of waste and tents that are left behind each year. Reading Festival attracts tens of thousands of people to Little John's Farm in the Berkshire town on the August bank holiday weekend...

Ray Meade: ‘When they told me I had MS, I thought I was done’

Like most of us, guitarist Raymond Meade had a slow and quiet summer in 2021. The pandemic had put a stop to live touring with Ocean Colour Scene, with whom he had played since 2016. And without recording studios, he was unable to continue with his successful solo career. But...

Oasis sale ‘may have misled fans’ says watchdog

Ticketmaster "may have misled Oasis fans" with unclear pricing when it put their reunion tour on sale last year, the UK's competition watchdog has said. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the company may have breached consumer protection law by selling "platinum" tickets for almost 2.5 times...

Window cleaner in quest to confirm priceless Shakespeare portrait

Window cleaner Steven Wadlow has spent more than a decade trying to prove he is in possession of a priceless, authentic Shakespeare portrait. His quest is now being told in a Netflix documentary. What is the story behind the find? Steven, who lives in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, said his...

What is the Signal messaging app and how secure is it?

The free messaging app Signal has made headlines after the White House confirmed it was used for a secret group chat between senior US officials. The editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently added to the group where plans for a strike against the Houthi group in...

Papua New Guinea blocks Facebook to ‘limit’ fake news and porn

Papua New Guinea has blocked access to Facebook in what authorities call a "test" to limit hate speech, misinformation and pornography. The sudden ban, which started on Monday, has drawn criticism from opposition MPs and political critics, who called it a violation of human rights. Defending the move, Police...

Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend’s death after media hounding

Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty was called "a gold digger" and "a murderer". She was slut-shamed and spent 27 days in prison after a hate-filled vicious media campaign in 2020 alleged she had been involved in the death of her actor boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput. Now, India's federal investigators...

UK Detects First Case of Bird Flu in a Sheep, Stoking Fears of Spread

LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - Bird flu has been detected in a sheep in northern England, the first known case of its kind in the world, Britain’s government said, adding to the growing list of mammals infected by the disease and fueling fears of a pandemic. Many different...

Half of family-run businesses cancel investments as tax grab looms

More than half of family-run businesses and farms have paused or ditched investments as they scramble to cut costs ahead of Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax (IHT) raid, data shows. More than 55pc of businesses surveyed by Family Business UK and CBI Economics said they had cancelled investments or...