How To Integrate Social-Emotional Learning Into Classroom?

The social-emotional learning has brought new significance to the reform of education.Integrating social-emotional learning into academic instruction provides specific means for the future of students.However,through a literature review,it is found that there are few studies in China that analyze the current situation of SEL in academic classroom.Therefore,this study attempts to conduct a case study to deeply analyze the current situation of integrating social-emotional learning into academic instruction and explore the pathways and methods.Initially,this study constructs an analytical framework for "Social-Emotional Learning in Academic Instruction" based on Social-Situational Learning Theory and Holistic Learning Theory,as well as a comprehensive review of relevant literature,particularly the official and authoritative characteristics and strategic frameworks for implementing SEL in the classroom.Subsequently,a representative primary school in Shanghai(referred to as "School F")was selected for data collection of case study.Four classes at School F were chosen as case studies,with the collection of class video recordings,teaching design texts,and post-class interviews with some teachers,yielding a rich set of case study data.Using the previously constructed analytical framework as a standard,within-case descriptive analysis and cross-case comparative analysis were conducted on the four teaching cases.The study explores how these four lessons integrate SEL in academic instruction across four dimensions: objectives,content,process,and evaluation,identifying strengths and weaknesses and summarizing the pathways for integrating SEL in academic instruction.The study identifies the following characteristics of SEL in academic instruction:1)The goals and content of SEL exhibit both disciplinary and developmental features.2)In terms of process and evaluation,teachers’ SEL perspective is characterized by tacit knowledge,which embodies an implicit practical wisdom in nurturing students;an emphasis on fostering collaboration and interaction within small classroom settings to cultivate future citizens;and the provision of a secure and supportive classroom atmosphere and environment that facilitates the delivery of an implicit SEL curriculum.However,several shortcomings are also evident: teachers primarily concentrate on fostering students’ collective consciousness and prosocial abilities,while the development of self-awareness is often overlooked;self-assessment methods lack systematic and scientific tools.Additionally,a phenomenon of "cognitive overload" arises due to the rigid implementation of SEL.Lastly,the study delineates the pathways for the implementation of SEL in classroom instruction: 1)Identifying SEL components within teaching objectives and content while avoiding inflexible implementation,thus promoting an organic integration of the two;2)Utilizing open learning tasks and resource support to stimulate students’ enthusiasm and confidence;adopting pedagogical methods such as role-playing and group collaboration to cultivate empathy,cooperation,and communication skills;employing affirmative and constructive language and fostering a warm,secure teaching environment to facilitate the provision of an implicit SEL curriculum;3)Communicating learning objectives and evaluation criteria in advance,incorporating social and emotional competencies into the evaluation framework,and utilizing descriptive feedback grounded in self-regulation and task management to create conditions conducive to the development of self-awareness and the identification of personal strengths.The efficacy of these paths hinges on teachers’ comprehension of SEL and their own level of SEL competency.Consequently,it is crucial to prioritize the development of teachers’ own social and emotional skills,enabling them to educate by example.