With the complete shift of education to the online mode, educators all around the world are attempting to meet the ends of the students while teaching via an education app. To ensure that the students feel connected, understand the importance of emotional and social skills, achieve their goals while being empathetic and supportive to each other, incorporating SEL or Social and Emotional Learning into online education is essential. 

SEL has become all the more important if the present-day context is taken into account. The pandemic has pushed several students into poor mental health or traumatic condition. Under these circumstances, SEL emerges as a life-saver as it motivates and empowers young minds to face any kind of adverse situation and grow resilient. 

Educators, while teaching via a classroom app, can incorporate SEL into online education and feel more connected with their students. In this blog, we will discuss how SEL can be integrated into e-learning seamlessly. So, let’s begin!

What is SEL? 

The acronym for SEL stands for Social and Emotional Learning. Under this umbrella term of learning, students are taught about some important skills and concepts that help them nurture healthy habits that won’t be tormenting for their mental health, aid them in controlling their emotions, meeting all of their goals, and imbibing kindness and empathy into their personalities. By initiating collaborative relationships and following a curriculum that holds meaning for the learning community, SEL aims at eradicating the various kinds of inequities and strengthening the students with the required mental support. 

SEL aids in enhancing the academic performance of the students and promoting healthy relationships with their peers and mentors. This mode of learning constitutes four main elements- self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills. To ensure that the students embark on the learning journey without letting stress and anxiety interrupt them, SEL has become a must component for educational institutions to implement this strategy in online classes. 

Tips To Incorporate SEL While Teaching Via An Education App 

Tip #1: Proper Strategization For Planning & Organization In The Class 

The duties of a teacher are not just limited to completing the curriculum and explaining the topics. While including SEL in the online teaching and learning process, educators need to ensure that they are providing the students with the required emotional and mental strength as well as helping them with preparing a schedule for themselves to stay focused. A class is composed of students with varying needs and capabilities. Teachers need to ensure that they learn concepts easily, that is, in such a way that they don’t face any hassle at the time of studying. 

Since SEL is all about providing the young pupils with the right studying strategy so that they don’t feel burdened by academic pressure, depression, or other mental health issues, it is essential that the educators make efforts to transmit customized instructions to the students, suiting to their own needs and interests. 

Tip #2: Provision Of Guidance To Help The Students Enhance Their Emotional Intelligence 

If students develop the ability to comprehend their emotional responses, their academic performance is going to be facilitated to a great extent. That is the reason, aiding the students in developing their Emotional Quotient or EQ score is necessary. According to the eminent psychologist Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, or EQ is composed of five main components- motivation, self-control, empathy, and social skills. The benefits of SEL can be felt if the educators work towards labeling the students’ emotions and acquire a clear understanding of their mental as well as emotional state. 

Tip #3: Assign Students Projects That Motivate Students To Develop Their Social Awareness

SEL can be executed properly in the class by permitting the students to recognize their areas of academic interest and then selecting a suitable topic for themselves so that they can work towards a project in which they find interest. However, if you wish to give the student’s project topics yourself, make sure that those topics are suitable to the ages of the students. You may also incorporate UDL or Universal Design for Learning strategies to help the students choose their learning methods. 

Final Words 

SEL strategies can be properly implemented if the educators take the help of the above-mentioned ideas. Once the ideas are carefully executed, students can attain a better understanding of the topics and have proper mental health. After all, strengthening their emotional control is essential in bettering their learning process.