Unboxing Social and Emotional Learning

Sequoia leads us through grounding activities to open and close our discussion about the settler-colonial underpinnings of social and emotional learning (SEL). Together, we grapple with critical questions about how and whether SEL can truly become culturally responsive, sustaining, or revitalizing. Where do issues of cultural appropriation crop up, and how can SEL push against an expectation of eternal “self-improvement” to hold space for balance, presence, and acceptance? SEL certainly needs to learn with and from Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities if it is to promote equity. However, we end with the unresolved question of whether Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities necessarily need the “help” of SEL.

Participants: 

Melvin Chan, BSc, MA, York University

Sequoia Dance-Leighton, MA, Washington State University

Jinan El Sabbagh, PhD, Oklahoma State University

Adishi Gupta, MA,University of British Columbia

Emma McMain, PhD, Washington State University

Tonje Molyneux, MEd, MA, University of British Columbia

Facilitator: Sequoia Dance-Leighton

Editor: Adam Engelbrecht

References: 

Sun, J., Goforth, A. N., Nichols, L. M., Violante, A., Christopher, K., Howlett, R., & Graham, N. (2022). Building a space to dream: Supporting Indigenous children's survivance through community‐engaged social and emotional learning. Child Development, 93(3), 699–716. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13786

Our last episode was all about the self, and now we turn to the social. SEL not only focuses on promoting “self” regulation and “self” awareness--it also emphasizes expressing emotion to others, recognizing emotion in others, and building relationships. As per usual, we ask a lot of questions: How are private aspects of the self measured, verbalized, and made social through SEL? Is it wrong to try to measure concepts like joy or wellbeing? Is it always important to name, discuss, and control how we are feeling, or are there other ways to relate to emotions that may not be as valued in current schooling practices? We are joined by a new group member, Sequoia Dance-Leighton, whose insights into wellness and wholeness are based more on a balancing act of “both/and” rather than a rigid “yes or no!”

Participants: 

Sequoia Dance-Leighton, MA, Washington State University

Adishi Gupta, MA, University of British Columbia

Emma McMain, PhD, Washington State University

Tonje Molyneux, MEd, MA, University of British Columbia

Facilitator: Emma McMain

Editor: Marc Koch

References: 

Soutter, M. (2020). Measuring joy: A social justice issue. Phi Delta Kappan, 101(8), 25–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721720923517 

Vadeboncoeur, J. A., & Collie, R. J. (2013). Locating social and emotional learning in schooled environments: A Vygotskian perspective on learning as unified. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 20(3), 201–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749039.2012.755205

Wegerif, R. (2008). Dialogic or dialectic? The significance of ontological assumptions in research on educational dialogue. British Educational Research Journal, 34(3), 347–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920701532228

To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom, says Socrates. Self-awareness and self-management appear as central components of most SEL programs, and self-improvement, self-help, and self-care are buzzwords in our daily lives. We devote this episode to contemplating what exactly is the self? What kind of “self” does SEL seek to develop, and what understandings of self might be left behind? What can we learn from examining how self is understood across cultures and contexts, from more individualistic to more collectivist ways of being? We welcome a new member of our group, Adishi Gupta, whose research is all about the “selves” that are celebrated and shrouded in educational curriculum.

Participants: 

Melvin Chan, BSc, MA, York University

Jinan El Sabbagh, PhD, Oklahoma State University

Adishi Gupta, MA, University of British Columbia

Emma McMain, PhD, Washington State University

Tonje Molyneux, MEd, MA, University of British Columbia

Facilitator: Emma McMain

Editor: Marc Koch

References: 

Nisbett, R. E. (2004). The geography of thought: How Asians and Westerners think differently…and why. Free Press.

Neo-what? We’re back with our third episode to discuss how SEL is entangled with the for-profit world of marketization and self-surveillance in some pretty concerning ways. We make space to discuss what we actually mean when we use words like “critical,” “capitalism,” and “neoliberalism,” and we contemplate SEL’s strong emphases on individual responsibility and self-discipline. We also welcome the question of what we would like to see being done in the name of social and emotional learning (though some of us suggest departing from the SEL label entirely). What makes us feel hopeful or excited when it comes to education that nurtures humans in their wholeness?

Participants: 

Melvin Chan, BSc, MA, York University

Jinan El Sabbagh, PhD, Oklahoma State University

Emma McMain, PhD, Washington State University

Facilitator: Emma McMain

Editor: Marc Koch

References: 

Jagers, R. J,. Rivas-Drake, D., & Williams, B. (2019). Transformative social and emotional learning (SEL): Toward SEL in service of educational equity and excellence. Educational Psychologist, 54(3), 162–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2019.1623032 

Richerme, L. K. (2022). The hidden neoliberalism of CASEL’s Social Emotional Learning framework: Concerns for equity. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 232, 7–25. https://doi.org/10.5406/21627223.232.01

The sky is always falling! Or is it? SEL is often positioned as the response to a message of “society in crisis,” “children in crisis,” “schools in crisis,” or all of the above. In this message, SEL is usually framed as the solution, and sometimes in saviorist or surefire-cure ways. Building on Episode 1, we continue to unpack the social, political, and historical context behind SEL, considering how our deepest societal fears and desires can manifest in our educational practices. As educator-activists, we hold space for paradoxes, including the need for radical and immediate action toward social-ecological justice and the need for slow, patient, cyclical change. 

Participants: 

Melvin Chan, BSc, MA, York University

Brandon Edwards-Schuth, PhD, University of Oulu

Jinan El Sabbagh, PhD, Oklahoma State University

Emma McMain, PhD, Washington State University

Tonje Molyneux, MEd, MA, University of British Columbia

Facilitator: Emma McMain

Editor: Marc Koch

References: 

Boler, M. (1999). Feeling power: Emotions and education. Routledge.

Stearns, C. (2019). Critiquing social and emotional learning: Psychodynamic and cultural perspectives. Lexington Books.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of our podcast series, “Unboxing SEL!” We come together as a group of friends, educators, and scholars to discuss social and emotional learning in ways that do not frequently occur in K-12 and higher education. Join us in this episode as we introduce ourselves, talk through our goals, and share initial thoughts/concerns/possibilities for an education that tends to sociality and emotionality. Why SEL? Why podcasting? Why us? Why now? 

Participants: 

Melvin Chan, BSc, MA, York University

Brandon Edwards-Schuth, PhD, University of Oulu

Jinan El Sabbagh, PhD, Oklahoma State University

Emma McMain, PhD, Washington State University

Tonje Molyneux, MEd, MA, University of British Columbia

Facilitator: Emma McMain

Editor: Marc Koch

References:

Camangian, P., & Cariaga, S. (2021). Social and emotional learning is hegemonic miseducation: Students deserve humanization instead. Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 25(7), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2020.1798374

Simmons, D. (2021, March 1). Why SEL alone isn’t enough. ASCD, 78(6). https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/why-sel-alone-isnt-enough