Expanding SEL

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/expanding-sel

Introduction

**Course Review: Expanding SEL on Coursera** In today’s educational landscape, the significance of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) cannot be emphasized enough. The course "Expanding SEL," offered on Coursera and taught by esteemed instructors Emily Price and Ben Kirshner, dives deep into community-based and youth-empowerment approaches to SEL. This comprehensive course examines the multifaceted impact of social and political systems—such as immigration and structural racism—on children’s social and emotional experiences. ### Course Overview As part of a five-course specialization, "Expanding SEL" aims to bridge theoretical frameworks with practical implications. The course sets the stage for understanding how SEL can be misappropriated for behavior management while advocating for more humanizing and empowering approaches. The curriculum is meticulously designed to encourage not only reflection but also critical discourse around the application and implications of SEL in diverse contexts. ### Syllabus Breakdown **1. Behavior Management and SEL** The first module critically examines the tension between behavior management and SEL. Price and Kirshner highlight how certain behavior management strategies may manipulate emotions and disproportionately affect students of color. This module calls for a reevaluation of behavioral strategies in schools, advocating for practices that prioritize student agency and foster a supportive learning environment. **2. Culture, Context, and SEL** In the second module, the discussion shifts to the crucial aspects of culture and context in SEL programming. Here, the course emphasizes that SEL cannot exist in a vacuum. By scrutinizing the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality, this module encourages participants to develop culturally-responsive SEL approaches that resonate with students' lived experiences. **3. Examining "Success": Goals, Measurement, and Outcomes in SEL** Building on previous modules, the third segment delves into what constitutes success in SEL. Participants learn to navigate the complexities of measuring student outcomes, particularly when assessing soft skills inherent to emotional and social development. This critical examination serves to challenge conventional methods of assessment, advocating instead for a more nuanced understanding of student growth. **4. Moving Forward: A Critical Examination of the Self Competencies** The fourth module emphasizes self-awareness and self-management through an equity-oriented lens. By introducing methods such as mindfulness and personal testimonials, the course encourages participants to think beyond traditional approaches, promoting practices that empower students to reflect on their emotions and behaviors. **5. Moving Forward: A Critical Examination of the Social Competencies** The final module shifts focus to social competencies, specifically social awareness and relationship building. Price and Kirshner explore innovative strategies like critical witnessing and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) to enrich the dialogue around SEL. These approaches not only enhance traditional SEL methods but also engage students as active participants in their learning journey. ### Recommendations "Expanding SEL" is a pivotal course for educators, school administrators, and anyone invested in the holistic development of children. The course addresses significant issues within the current SEL frameworks and presents alternative approaches that prioritize equity and inclusion. Participants will leave with a comprehensive understanding of how SEL can be effectively integrated into educational settings, equipping them with tools to foster healthier, more resilient learning environments. Whether you are looking to deepen your knowledge of SEL or seeking actionable strategies to implement in your educational practice, this course comes highly recommended. The insights and perspectives offered by Emily Price and Ben Kirshner are both enlightening and essential for anyone wishing to make a meaningful impact in the realm of social and emotional learning. Enroll today and take the first step towards transforming how you approach and understand SEL!

Syllabus

Behavior Management and SEL

In this module we introduce three tensions within SEL, the first of which is the potential use of SEL as a means of managing student behavior. We investigate how behavior management strategies can lead to emotional manipulation, as well as how students of color are disproportionately impacted by these policies. Knowing that SEL programs are often adopted with the aim of improving classroom management and reducing problem behaviors, we explore how this can instead be approached through humanizing structures of management that promote student agency.

In this module we take up a second tension within SEL programming, the relative inattention to issues of culture and context in determining what SEL skills to promote. In situating SEL within larger cultural and structural contexts, we examine the need to consider issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, and culture in developing approaches to SEL.

In this module, we consider a third tension in SEL programming - what success looks like, and how we measure it. We examine the different ways student outcomes have been measured, as well as the issues surrounding the assessment of soft skills such as social and emotional development.

In this module we move from articulating tensions within SEL to exploring ways forward. In this module, we focus on the two self-oriented competencies, self-awareness and self-management. In looking at more equity-oriented means of approaching self-awareness and self-management, we look at two examples in particular - mindfulness and testimonials.

In this module we continue our focus on equity-oriented ways of approaching SEL with a focus on the socially oriented competencies, social awareness and relationship building. In particular, we examine how critical witnessing and youth participatory action research (YPAR) can enhance traditional approaches to SEL.