District 57 Social-Emotional Learning
What is Social Emotional Learning?
Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps people:
- Understand and manage their emotions
- Set and achieve positive goals
- Have and show empathy for others
- Establish and maintain positive relationships
- Make responsible decisions
The Goal of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in Schools
- SEL in schools supports whole-child development. When implemented schoolwide, SEL can help create a positive school climate where students and adults can thrive together, improving social-emotional competence and academic achievement.
Research Links Evidence-Based SEL to Positive Outcomes1
Student Gains in…
- Social-emotional skills
- Improved attitudes about self, others, and school
- Prosocial classroom behavior
- 11 percentile-point gain in overall academic achievement
Reduced Risk of…
- Conduct issues
- Emotional distress
Additionally, a separate study2 found that SEL interventions are associated with lasting positive effects. Months or years after SEL exposure, students experienced increased levels of academic success and lower risks of adverse outcomes.
Social-Emotional Skills in Adulthood: Career & Community
Social-emotional skills can help adults be successful contributors to the communities in which they belong.
The top 10 skills identified by the World Economic Forum all involve social and emotional competence3
- Complex problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- People management
- Coordinating with others
- Emotional intelligence
- Judgment and decision-making
- Service orientation
- Negotiation
- Cognitive flexibility
Mount Prospect School District 57: Social Emotional Learning Curriculum Standards and Descriptors can be found
by clicking here.
Early Childhood-8th Grade Teachers will use Second Step’s instructional materials to support the instruction of the social-emotional standards. More information regarding Second Step can be found below.
Early Childhood
Unit 1: Skills for Learning |
Students learn how to: - Listen
- Focus attention
- Use self-talk
- Be Assertive
|
Unit 2: Empathy |
Students learn how to: - Identify one’s own and others’ feelings
- Take others’ perspectives
- Show care and concern for others
|
Unit 3: Emotion Management |
Students learn how to: - Understand strong feelings
- Identify one’s own strong feelings
- Calm down strong feelings
|
Unit 4: Friendship Skills & Problem-Solving |
Students learn how to: - Make and keep friends
- Calm down and use problem-solving steps
|
Kindergarten-5th Grade
Unit 1: Growth Mindset & Goal-Setting |
Students learn how to: - Pay attention and manage distractions
- Develop a growth mindset
- Apply goal-setting strategies to their social and academic lives
|
Unit 2: Emotion Management |
Students learn how to: - Identify and label their own and others’ emotions
- Use emotion-management strategies to calm strong feelings, including stress management for older students
|
Unit 3: Empathy & Kindness |
Students learn how to: - Recognize kindness and do kind acts for others
- Have empathy for others and take others’ perspectives
- Recognize kind acts and empathy as important elements in building and maintaining relationships
|
Unit 4: Problem-Solving |
Students learn how to: - Identify and state a problem
- Recognize if a problem is an accident
- Use the STEP problem-solving process:
S: Say the problem T: Think of solutions E: Explore the outcomes P: Pick a solution |
Middle School (6th-8th Grades)
Unit 1: Mindset & Goals |
Students learn: - How to grow their brains and get smarter
- Research-based strategies for setting and achieving goals and handling difficult situations
|
Unit 2: Recognizing Bullying & Harassment |
Students learn: - How to stand up safely to bullying
- How to respond appropriately to harassment
|
Unit 3: Thoughts, Emotions, & Decisions |
Students learn: - The positive role emotions play in their lives
- How to handle unhelpful thoughts and strong emotions
- How to apply strategies to manage their emotions and reduce stress
|
Unit 4: Managing Relationships & Social Conflicts |
Students learn: - Strategies for developing and maintaining healthy relationships
- Perspective-taking skills
- Strategies for dealing with conflict
|
References
- Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger,
K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students' social and emotional learning:
A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development,
82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x - Taylor, R. D., Oberle, E., Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2017). Promoting positive youth development through school-based social and emotional learning interventions: A meta-analysis of follow-up effects. Child Development, 88(4), 1156–1171. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12864
- World Economic Forum. (2020). The Future of Jobs Report. Geneva: World Economic Forum. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2020.pdf