Educators Social and Emotional Article

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62 Kappan May 2013

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Stephanie M. Jones, Suzanne M. Bouffard, and Richard WeissbourdR&D

Educators social and emotional

skills vital to learningSocial and emotional competencies arent secondary to the mission of education, but are

concrete factors in the success of teachers, students, and schools.

teacher stress can fuel each otherin many ways.

Practices and policies to sup-

port and foster educators socialand emotional competencies arefundamental to addressing thesechallenges. Schools must over-come the false assumption thatall educators naturally possessthese abilities in equal measure.As with other competencies, theycan be built through coaching andother forms of support. At thecore of these approaches is a clearunderstanding of social and emo-tional learning (SEL), recognitionof SELs effect on teaching and

learning, and openness to innova-tion and shifts in school culture.

Getting concrete about SEL

Social and emotional learninghas often been an umbrella termfor a wide range of competenciesfrom emotional intelligence tosocial competence to self-regula-tion. SEL competencies encom-pass three areas:

Emotional processesinclude un-

I yelled at my students toomuch today.

I thought I was going to lose itwhen Nick acted up in class again.

Im so stressed out that I dontwant to teach tomorrow.

Statements like these are all toofamiliar to educators. What teacheror administrator hasnt felt stressesthat make it difficult to focus onteaching and learning? Who hasntneeded to call on a deep well ofsocial and emotional resources toovercome those challenges?

In the current national focus onteacher quality, the essential roleof teachers social and emotionalcompetencies is often overlooked.But ask educators when they needthose competencies and theyll

likely respond every day. Andask students to describe the teach-ers who most influenced them andwhy, and their answers will likelyinclude qualities in the social andemotional area the ability tolisten and empathize, pick up ona subtle social cue, find a studentshidden strength, or model calmunder stress.

These educators and studentsknow intuitively what researchhas shown: Social and emotionalcompetencies influence every-

thing from teacher-student rela-tionships to classroom manage-ment to effective instruction toteacher burnout.

There is good reason to believethat social and emotional compe-tencies like managing emotions

and stress are needed more to-day than ever before. The latestMetLife Survey of the AmericanTeacher found unprecedentedlevels of stress and dissatisfactionamong teachers and principals,with just over half of teachers re-porting great stress at least sev-eral days a week. Students, too,report high levels of stress, nega-tive perceptions of their schoolenvironments, and problems inthe social, emotional, and behav-ioral areas, such as bullying, con-

flicts with peers, and externalizingand internalizing mental healthproblems (OConnell, Boat, &Warner, 2009). And student and

R&D appears in each issue of Kappanwith the assistance of the Deans Alliance,

which is composed of the deans of the education schools/colleges at the following

universities: Harvard University, Michigan State University, Northwestern University,

Stanford University, Teachers College Columbia University, University of California,

Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Michigan, University of

Pennsylvania, and University of Wisconsin.


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derstanding and labeling feelingsaccurately; regulating emotionsand behaviors for the situation(e.g., calmly sorting through adisagreement rather than storm-ing out of a faculty meeting whenangry); taking anothers perspec-tive, and displaying empathy.

Social/interpersonal skillsincludeunderstanding social cues (such asbody language and tone of voice);correctly attributing the intent ofothers behaviors (e.g., understand-ing a students defiance as a desirefor independence rather than a per-sonal insult); interacting positivelywith students and other adults, andacting in prosocial ways (e.g., offer-ing help and kind words).

Cognitive regulationincludesmaintaining attention and focus;engaging working memory, inhib-iting impulses that are not appro-priate to the situation (e.g., notyelling at a student or using sar-casm out of frustration), and flex-ibly shifting gears when needed(e.g., trying a new approach whenan instructional strategy is notworking).

For all adults, some of theseskills come naturally, while oth-ers require ongoing effort. SELcompetencies develop in a compli-cated set of interactions and set-

tings from birth into adulthood.Theyre also influenced by context.For example, managing stress iseasier in an environment that en-courages learning than in one thatis harshly critical; environmentswhere complaints and gossip arethe norm tend to bring out morenegative behaviors. Supportiveschool cultures not only enhancestaff members SEL abilities, but,importantly, set the conditions forusing them effectively.

To date, most interventions to

develop SEL and build positiveschool culture have focused ex-clusively on students. Educatorstypically receive little trainingand support for implementationand for effectively supporting stu-dents social and emotional devel-opment and even less training and

support for educators own SEL.But such support is growing.

Teachers SEL

Teachers SEL competenciesinfluence students in at least threeways.

First, SEL influences the qual-ity of teacher-student relation-ships. Teachers who are goodat regulating their emotions aremore likely to display positive af-fect and higher job satisfaction(Brackett, et al., 2010). Teach-ers who are calm, positive, andcontent are likely to be betterequipped to treat students warmlyand sensitively, even when stu-dents behave in challenging ways.When students have high-qualityrelationships with teachers, theyhave better social adjustment andhigher academic competence(Mashburn et al., 2008; Raver,Garner, & Smith-Donald, 2007;Pianta, 2003). Conversely, whenteachers and students have nega-

tive or conflict-filled relation-ships, students are less likely to beengaged in school and more likelyto have low academic achievement(Burchinal, Peisner-Feinberg,Pianta, & Howes, 2002; Hamre& Pianta, 2001; NICHD EarlyChild Care Research Network,2003; Raver, et al., 2008). Onestudy even found that the qualityof teacher-student relationshipswas a better predictor of academicadjustment than other factors liketeacher education and teacher-

student ratio (Mashburn et al.,2008).

Second, teachers model SELskills for students intentionallyor not. Teachers navigate stress-ful situations nearly every day, andstudents are watching. Studentslearn from the way teachers man-age frustration, maintain control ofthemselves and the classroom, stayfocused in the face of distractions,and shift tactics when needed.

They also learn from the wayteachers handle students who needbetter SEL skills, such as whenstudents act cruelly toward oneanother or use inappropriate lan-guage, such as thats so gay. Thisis why R.W. Roeser and colleagues(2012) suggest that teachers need

to possess certain habits of mind,or dispositions, such as awareness,attention, flexibility, and intention-ality. It is also why one interven-tion program begins with activitiesto build school leaders and teach-ers SEL skills as a precursor tostudent programming (Maurer &Brackett, 2004).

Third, teachers SEL abilitieslikely influence their classroomorganization and management. Asevery teacher knows, maintain-ing a calm, organized, and well-regulated environment is essen-tial. Such environments includeeffective behavior managementapproaches as well as practicesthat encourage creativity, studentchoice and autonomy, and studentreflection (Bodrova & Leong,2006; Mashburn et al., 2008). Tobuild such environments, teach-ers must maintain a sense of calm,be organized, feel in control ofthe classroom, and develop socialtrust with students and families

who may be different from them(Carlock, 2011).Most educators can think of ad-

ditional ways that SEL influencespractice. Focusing on these com-petencies is like starting a healthydiet: Once you notice the effects,you see more and more benefits.

Stress and burnout

As noted previously, environ-mental factors, particularly stress,influence teachers and studentsability to develop and use SEL

competencies. Studies suggest thatteachers today are more stressedand unhappy than ever before andthat more teachers are leaving theprofession.

Stress influences the three path-ways from teacher SEL to studentoutcomes described above. First,research with both teachers andparents suggests that when adultsare stressed and/or depressed,their interactions with children

Teachers with

stronger SEL

competencies

have more

positive

relationships

with students

manage their

classrooms

more

effectively,

and implemen

SEL programstargeted to

students

with greater

fidelity.

Comments?Like PDK at www.facebook.com/pdkintl

STEPHANIE M. JONES(jonesst@gse.

harvard.edu) is an associate professor

of human development and urban

education at the Harvard Graduate

School of Education, Cambridge, Mass.,

where SUZANNE M. BOUFFARD

is a research project manager and

RICHARD WEISSBOURDis director

of the Human Development and Psy-

chology Program.


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64 Kappan May 2013

become less warm, more harsh,and more conflictual. Second,teachers who have limited emo-tional regulation skills may havetrouble coping with stress andstruggle to model effective stressmanagement for students. Third,neuroscience research shows that

stress also disrupts cognitive regu-lation processes, including atten-tion, memory, and problem solv-ing. At the same time, its likelythat limited SEL competenciescan exacerbate teachers stress.

Jennings and Greenberg (2009)developed a theoretical modelthat describes how SEL and stressinteract to create a feedback loopthat they refer to as a burnoutcascade. According to the model,teachers with stronger SEL com-petencies have more positive re-lationships with students, managetheir classrooms more effectively,and implement SEL programstargeted to students with greaterfidelity. The result is a positiveand healthy classroom climatethat supports positive student out-comes. These outcomes includ-ing student behavior in the class-room feed back into teachersrelationships with students, stress,and social and emotional skills.Ideally, the cycle is a positive one.

But, when it is negative, the resultis a cascade that results in growingteacher burnout over time.

Any approach to buildingteachers SEL competenciestherefore must address teacherstress. The most effective ap-proaches are likely to be thosethat work to mitigate factors thatcause stress and also help teach-ers learn to cope with stresses thatcant be avoided.

Promising interventions

A limited but growing numberof interventions have been de-signed to support educators especially teachers SEL andstress management:

Emotion-focused training: Sup-port for emotional regulation canhelp educators cope with stress,frustration, and challenges likethe emotional burden of studenttrauma. Chang (2009) proposedthat emotion-focused interven-

Students

learn from

the way

teachers

manage

frustration,

maintain

control of

themselves

and the

classroom,

stay focused

in the face of

distractions,

and shifttactics when

needed.

tions should help teachers recog-nize the emotional nature of theirwork, identify and reflect on theiremotions and the causes of them,and cope with difficult emotionsthrough reframing, problem solv-ing, and emotional management.The RULER approach is an inter-

vention for K-12 students, teach-ers, administrators, and parentsthat focuses on emotion recogni-tion, understanding, labeling, ex-pression, and regulation. Duringan initial two-day training, teach-ers and administrators learn abouttools that they and their studentscan use to create emotionally sup-portive schools and classrooms.Teachers attend an additionaltraining on implementing the stu-dent curriculum, and they receiveup to five coaching visits in theirclassrooms.

Relationship-building interven-tions: Interventions designed tofoster positive teacher-studentinteractions frequently use coach-ing, in which professional men-tors provide classroom-basedfeedback and specific strategies.The 4Rs + MTP project is apromising new approach to SEL-focused coaching. It is designedto enhance an evidence-basedSEL curriculum for students, the

4Rs (Reading, Writing, Respect,& Resolution), with an evidence-based professional developmentand support system, My TeachingPartner (MTP). MTP provides aweb site with videos and other re-sources that teachers can access atany time as well as biweekly, one-on-one consultation via the Inter-net. Teachers regularly videotapetheir own teaching of lessons inSEL skills, literacy, and languageand receive specific written feed-back from consultants. The obser-

vations and feedback are guidedby the empirically validated Class-room Assessment Scoring Systemframework and assessment instru-ment, which focuses on teacher-student interactions.

Mindfulness and stress reduction:Mindfulness refers to both a stateof being and an approach basedin meditation and other center-ing techniques. When people aremindful, they are focused, aware

of the present moment, nonjudg-mental, and accepting of situa-tions as they are. Strategies forbuilding mindfulness include deepbreathing, reflection, yoga, andsecular meditation. Mindfulnesspractices have been used in medi-cal and military populations with

evidence of effectiveness and arenow being applied in educationsettings with the goal of help-ing educators be less reactive andmore reflective, responsive, andflexible. Two mindfulness pro-grams for educators are CARE(Cultivating Awareness and Resil-ience in Education) and SMART(Stress Management and Resil-iency Training). Both programsaim to build educators mindful-ness, job satisfaction, feelingsabout students, and efficacy forregulating emotions.

SEL routines: Like students,educators can benefit from struc-tures and routines that continuallyremind and guide them in usingSEL skills. Used in ongoing waysthroughout the school day, rou-tines can take the form of struc-tured activities (e.g., techniquesfor calming down) or specificlanguage (e.g., I messages forstating feelings). Some programsand classrooms have wall posters

that remind students and adults touse these strategies. For example,routines are an important part of anew program for students and ed-ucators in grades pre-K to 3 calledSECURe (Social, Emotional, andCognitive Understanding andRegulation). Routines include Stopand Stay Cool, a three-step processfor staying in control of emotions,and a Decision Tree that guideschoices. One factor that appearsto make the routines effective istheir consistent use throughout the

school day and building, with staffand students using them in thesame way that they use strategieslike raising hands or forming lines.

Build SEL into daily work

While these interventions arepromising, theyre not enough ontheir own. Support for SEL skillsmust be embedded into the dailylife of the school for everyone students, teachers, staff, and admin-

R&D


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istrators. This is essential becauseSEL skills are developed in andneeded for everyday interactions.This cultural shift will be uneasy formany schools, especially given thatso many are intensely focused onacademic achievement. But as weveargued, the impact of such cultural

shifts on both SEL and academicachievement can be large. Manyforms of support are also inexpen-sive and easy to implement.

Making SEL a core part of aschools work means integratingpractices that:

Build emotional awareness.All ad-ministrators and staff need to de-velop greater understanding of howtheir own emotions affect students(and colleagues). The emotionssurrounding teaching and learningshould be discussed in supervisionand staff meetings, addressed inprofessional development, and ex-plored through tools like journals,logs, and nonevaluative videotapereview. Some teachers are likely tobe resistant to talking about emo-tions, responding to it as flaky, forexample, or not seeing it as part oftheir job. School leaders will needa repertoire of strategies for in-creasing teachers emotional aware-ness that is responsive to teachersbackgrounds, temperaments, and

cultures. Sometimes, school lead-ers may also need to use strategiesthat are indirect. When teachersare asked to reflect on how studentsview them, for example, they canindirectly develop greater emo-tional awareness.

Incorporate reflection into dailypractice. Reflection understand-ing what is happening, why, andhow it might be changed is acritical skill for reacting effectivelyin challenging situations. Reflec-tion should be continually modeled

and reinforced. Administrators canbuild it into meetings and supervi-sion, colleagues can be assignedpartners or teams for regular reflec-tive discussions, and all staff can beencouraged to take regular time forreflection, even if its just five min-utes at the beginning of the day andfive minutes at the end.

Tackle professional and personalstress.A school cant eliminate allstress, but administrators should ask

staff regularly about stress, work toreduce stressors like scheduling andresource issues, and provide tips fordealing with stress (for example,taking deep breaths, briefly medi-tating, talking through frustration).Administrators should also providereferrals for mental health services

when needed.Create a culture of continuous im-

provement and learning. Nonevalu-ative supervision, open staff discus-sions, and open-door policies canencourage staff to be reflective andto acknowledge both SEL compe-tencies that are personal strengthsand those that need improvement.An emotionally safe and learning-focused environment is essential forexploring these topics.

Involving everyone, especiallyadministrators, and integratingadult SEL with ongoing approachesto support students SEL meansa significant shift in how we thinkabout the mission of education: Afundamental understanding thatsocial and emotional competenciesare not secondary to the missionof education, but concrete factorsin the success of teachers, students,and schools. K

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Social and

emotionalcompetencies

influence

everything

from teacher-

student

relationships

to classroom

management

to effective

instruction

to teacher

burnout.


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