8/23/2021

Welcoming Back the Whole Child: Social-Emotional Learning and the Literacy Needs of Returning Students

While returning to classrooms in the fall always offers something new to students, this year will be unlike any other. The experiences of the last year will have impacted their well-being in ways educators will still be trying to understand as school starts.

As reported in EdWeek, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that from April through October 2020, the proportion of children between the ages of 5 and 11 visiting an emergency department because of a mental health crisis climbed 24% compared to that same time period in 2019. Among 12- to 17-year-olds, the number increased by 31%.

The Economic Policy Institute explained:

"The prolonged school lockdowns that, starting in early spring of 2020, dismantled children’s routines, including normal school days, also blocked their access to the basic supports that schools provide—including organized recreation, and, of course, the face-to-face contact with teachers and friends that is fundamental to child development."

As educators assess where students stand academically, they are also coming to grips with the multiple adversities children may have faced: the loss of family members to COVID-19, isolation from friends and extended family, stress of adapting to remote instruction, lack of social supports provided by schools (such as lunches), internet accessibility issues, and more.

Efforts to return students to grade level academically must be part of a holistic approach to education that takes into consideration the social and emotional needs of all learners and brings them into the fold of a new normal that educators, teachers, and students alike are all learning to navigate together.

The importance of social-emotional learning (SEL)

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development.

More specifically, social and emotional skills play an important role in three core areas: the capacity to achieve goals, to work well with others, and to cope with emotional challenges.

Even before the pandemic, SEL was a hot topic in education and was gaining wide acceptance as part of an educational focus on serving the needs of the "whole child" and preparing students for life beyond school. In fact, 95% of teachers believe that SEL skills are teachable and important to teach in school as a foundation for academic and lifelong success (Civic Enterprises et al., 2013).

According to Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, "social and emotional skills—from maintaining composure to pursuing goals to working effectively as part of a team—are absolutely essential for success in the classroom, as well as longer-term success in the workplace and in life."

For this coming year in particular, educators will want to ensure students are engaged and motivated in order to benefit from accelerated learning. After all, one of the effects of quality SEL is enhanced student motivation.

Self-determination theory and cultivating motivation

Educators have long worked to instill in their students an intrinsic motivation to succeed, rather than relying on extrinsic motivators such as grades and awards. Self-determination theory (SDT) emerged through extensive studies of social and psychological determinants of intrinsic motivation, well-being, personality, interest, and developmental processes (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

The mental, emotional, and social skills and abilities related to SEL and SDT satisfy three innate psychological needs that promote academic and life success: autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Ryan & Deci, 2000). These innate needs and literacy learning interrelate—in other words, literacy learning is facilitated when these innate needs are satisfied.

How Lexia applies SEL and SDT to literacy instruction

There is a connection between students' emotional state and their academic performance (Sousa, 1998; Wolfe, 2001). As a report from the National Commision on Social, Emotional, & Academic Development concluded, "The promotion of social, emotional, and academic learning is not a shifting educational fad; it is the substance of education itself. It is not a distraction from the 'real work' of math and English instruction; it is how instruction can succeed."

"Language is a social construct, meaning that it develops in the context of social interaction," explained Brandi B. Kenner, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Choice-filled Lives Network. "The fact that social-emotional learning occurs in a socially constructed context shows the connections between language development and how social-emotional learning is acquired."

Instruction that fosters students' literacy growth and satisfies their innate social-emotional needs is interwoven into the design of all Lexia literacy solutions:

Autonomy—controlling one's destiny

Autonomy is supported by authorizing students to monitor their progress and develop self-management skills. Lexia solutions help students take ownership of their learning and become responsible decision-makers.

Competence—experiencing success

Lexia solutions provide visible proof of competence to enhance students’ sense of well-being. As students compete against themselves to improve their accuracy and automaticity, they motivate themselves to do their best and learn persistence, which develops a growth mindset.

Relatedness—connecting to, interacting with, and caring for others

Through friendly classroom competition, students interact with one another. Reading informational and narrative texts about people from diverse backgrounds and cultures increases students' awareness of the lives of other people and heightens their empathy for other people and the challenges they may face. Additionally, the many diverse voices, characters, and authors provide increased opportunity for students to see themselves reflected in what they read.

SEL and SDT promotes equity

Student motivation is key for an equitable classroom environment. That's why literacy instruction that satisfies the three innate psychological needs is so valuable.

When students can make decisions about their instruction and learn in their own ways (rather than feeling forced), they are more likely to be motivated to learn. Explicit, systematic, and personalized online instruction of literacy skills and concepts supports students' sense of competence and helps build their confidence.

Students engage more with a curriculum when it is relevant to their lives. A culturally responsive curriculum widens students' horizons and encourages all students to appreciate their relatedness to others. A classroom where different languages and cultures are honored can help students feel connected and engaged with their peers.

Welcome back the whole child

Although teachers have a lot on their plates this year, SEL should be seen as a cornerstone necessary for both academic and career success rather than an add-on to an overburdened curriculum.

Along with their pleasure at being reunited with teachers and classmates, students will bring the emotional and mental repercussions of the adversities they faced last year. A holistic teaching approach that meets children where they are and offers them opportunities to control their destiny; experience success; and connect to, interact with, and care for others will go a long way toward supporting their return to well-being and academic progress.

The good news is that with Lexia literacy products, there's no need to see SEL as separate. SEL and features that satisfy the three innate psychological needs are incorporated into our entire product portfolio.

At the end of the day, effective learning and teaching goes beyond skills. As teachers welcome back the whole child, Lexia tools can help advance literacy, equity and well-being in one.