Looking at classroom management through a social and emotional learning lens

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an approach that teaches self-regulation, self-monitoring, and social skills in school settings. SEL has been shown to be an effective method of reducing negative social interactions and increasing academic achievement. This article relates the experiences of one intermediate school principal and her staff as they used SEL strategies to change the climate and culture of their highly diverse school population. Classroom management is discussed as the vehicle used by the teachers, while the principal aligned school procedures with the philosophy of SEL. The article describes the lessons they learned and suggests directions for future research into how SEL can make effective and meaningful contributions to the field of education.

IMAGINE A CLASSROOM where students are greeted every day by their teacher and classmates, where there is a corner called the "Turtle Zone" for children to go to when they feel they need time to get their emotions back under control before they do something that will get them into trouble. Envision a school secretary handing two students a "Problem Solving Diary" to complete after being sent to the office for fighting during recess. Their answers will become the basis for their discussion with the principal and the consequences they will face for their actions. Well, I don't have to imagine it; I lived it. It did not happen by coincidence. It took hard work, persistence, and a change in the way teachers, staff, and administrators thought, acted, and believed in themselves. It took an understanding of a concept called Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).

In 1992 I became principal of a school that was being reconfigured from a K-5 building to a 4-5 intermediate school in response to a state desegregation mandate. The staff and I focused our energies on making sure furniture, textbooks, equipment, supplies, and classrooms were ready when school opened in September. What we did not understand was that we also needed to focus on planning and preparing for the new population of students, for the diversity among them, and, in many cases, the cultural gap between them and ourselves. We did not realize that planning was needed because "intergroup contact may reinforce previously held stereotypes and increase intergroup hostility unless the contact situation is structured in such a way that provides equal status for minority- and majority-group members and provides strong institutional support for positive relations" (Schofield's 1978 study as cited in Norris, 1998, p. 30).

The school's student population went from being approximately 42% minority to 56% between June and September. While African Americans made up the largest minority group, they were closely followed by Asian students (the largest population in this group being students from India). Beyond race and ethnicity, we found that the greatest diversity was in the behaviors and attitudes some students brought with them. Negative behaviors such as arguing, name calling, teasing, and even fighting did not tend to manifest themselves during instruction time in class; however, in the unstructured times before or after school, on the bus lines, and at recess, there were incidents that spilled over into the classroom. Students who looked different or spoke differently from the majority of their peers experienced more victimization than others. Teachers used class time to settle disputes and soothe hurt feelings. Some parents living near the building became alarmed by what they perceived as daily fights. Our first year together was a real learning experience. There was much we would come to understand over the next few years.

This article will discuss what we learned and how we changed. It will present the concept of Social and Emotional Learning and show how our school staff used this approach to move closer to creating the kind of community where everyone felt safe, valued, and affirmed.

Social and Emotional Learning

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is an approach that teaches individuals to recognize, regulate, and express the social and emotional aspects of their lives so they can successfully manage life tasks. Some people have the ability to be naturally attuned to their emotions and those of others, but some do not. Fortunately, unlike IQ, the abilities that comprise "emotional intelligence" can be acquired and/or strengthened. SEL skills are designed to create attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions that promote healthy social relationships, personal wellbeing, and academic achievement. SEL is not a program, although there are hundreds of programs that address SEL issues. Leaders in the field of SEL believe that schools need to take a more programmatic approach where SEL behaviors permeate every part of school life--the policies, curricula, instruction, and interactions of all who work and learn there (Elias, Arnold, & Hussey, 2003).

In 1995, Goleman published a book that has had a major impact on the field of education. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ connected brain research to learning, extended Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, and reenergized the character education movement. Goleman suggested that cognition alone is not enough for success in the classroom or, even more importantly, in life. Building on the work of Mayer and Salovey (1997), Gardner (1983), and many others, Goleman identified skills that children and adults need if they are to be able to navigate successfully through this very complex world in which we live. Two years later a group from the Collaborative for Academics Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), led by Maurice Elias, published Promoting Social and Emotional Learning: Guidelines for Educators (1997), a monograph that illustrated how emotional intelligence skills mapped onto schools. It identified 37 schools across the country that chose to address social intervention and prevention programs (e.g., drug awareness and prevention, AIDS education, delinquency, character education, and violence prevention) through a comprehensive programmatic approach. In these schools, respect, responsible behavior, sound decision making, and effective problem solving became integral parts of the culture. They form the core of social and emotional learning.