Sel and PBL
On stage at PBL Academy Fall Leadership Institute, there sat a student panel, consisting of high school students from various High Tech High schools. As teachers asked them questions about what makes this place special, not one student talked about projects. Instead, they talked about relationships with teachers, how they feel seen and loved. They talked about how they see their teachers as parents. They talked about how this place feels like home. These are the conditions that enable students to thrive and learn. Focusing our work in schools on social emotional learning allows for opportunities to create a sense of belonging, which in turn, enables students to be more responsive academically, but also the chance to develop students’ skills “needed to successfully manage life tasks, such as learning, forming relationships, communicating effectively, and getting along with others” (Elias, 2006, p. 5).
According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), “Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions” (2016). Teaching social emotional learning is teaching a way of being. It involves how you see others, and how you communicate and relate to other people. In social emotional learning, we teach students to recognize feelings, to empathize, to care about others. We teach students to assume the best intentions, and we do the same as teachers. We teach students to look at different perspectives, to value other opinions and ideas, and to express their own opinions and ideas in clear ways. We teach students how to work with others, how to share materials and space, and how to solve problems that arise. We teach students how to show their very best selves and to take pride in the work they are doing. We teach them to do the right thing because it helps them or helps the community. When we leave the classroom, the way we interact with the world is still closely related to the way we practice SEL in the classroom. It's the way we hope all human beings think about and interact with each other and the world.
Project Based Learning provides the context in which this learning can occur. It places students in learning environments that are student centered and collaborative. It is assumed in projects that students will try their best because they care about the work and they care about the community that is directly affected by the work (whether that is their audience or the group members they are collaborating with). If a student does not do his/her share of the work, they learn what this means for the rest of the group. They discuss and communicate openly. PBL provides opportunities for students to share opinions, to disagree, to share materials, and to problem solve when conflicts arise. PBL topics can be directly related to social emotional learning, particularly when we are trying to make positive changes in people's lives through a project (ex. valuing immigrant contributions, finding solutions for climate change or agricultural sustainability, empowering our community to be healthier). Basically, without PBL, we would be missing the context in which social emotional learning opportunities authentically arise.
So the two go hand in hand. Without SEL, PBL would not be successful, and without PBL, there would be limited opportunities to teach SEL in authentic context.
About Mari Jones
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” This idea from Mahatma Gandhi drives most of the work that my students create. My goal is to empower students to look critically at the world around them and to find ways to make a positive impact. What does it mean to be homeless? How can we make informed decisions about the food we eat? What are the ethical issues and contributions of first generation immigrants to California? These are some of the essential questions we have explored in my class.
High Tech Elementary Explorer’s emphasis on social emotional curriculum drew me to the school. Here I saw the power of relationships, and what amazing things can happen when students care about their work and about each other. Before coming to Explorer, I studied at UCSD, earning a B.A. in Communication, a Clear Multiple Subject Bilingual Teaching Credential, and a M.Ed. in Research, Equity, and Technology. I am grateful that I was able to make an impact by teaching in the community of National City for seven years. Teaching at Explorer for the past seven years has been liberating, and I am thrilled to be able to teach students in ways that prepares them to be active participants in our democratic society.
My goal for this Educational Leadership Program was to build on the work we do in my classroom and to help move teachers to think critically about the way we teach and learn. I love the way the High Tech High community pushes each other to think about education in new ways, and I am so excited to share my work from the M.Ed. Educational Leadership Program at High Tech High Graduate School of Education.
High Tech Elementary Explorer’s emphasis on social emotional curriculum drew me to the school. Here I saw the power of relationships, and what amazing things can happen when students care about their work and about each other. Before coming to Explorer, I studied at UCSD, earning a B.A. in Communication, a Clear Multiple Subject Bilingual Teaching Credential, and a M.Ed. in Research, Equity, and Technology. I am grateful that I was able to make an impact by teaching in the community of National City for seven years. Teaching at Explorer for the past seven years has been liberating, and I am thrilled to be able to teach students in ways that prepares them to be active participants in our democratic society.
My goal for this Educational Leadership Program was to build on the work we do in my classroom and to help move teachers to think critically about the way we teach and learn. I love the way the High Tech High community pushes each other to think about education in new ways, and I am so excited to share my work from the M.Ed. Educational Leadership Program at High Tech High Graduate School of Education.