Schools and educators everywhere are working to increase student engagement with learning and connection to school. When integrated with academics, SEL can help to transform students’ experiences of the classroom by putting them in the driver’s seat as they grapple with content, collaborate with peers, set meaningful goals, and communicate effectively, all within a supportive and challenging classroom environment (Schwartz et al., 2023). These experiences are part of a high-quality and equitable education, and there is promise that they will lead to improved academic and social-emotional outcomes for students (Dolfin et al., 2019; Finkelstein et al., 2010; Nichols-Barrer & Haimson, 2013; Rimm-Kaufman et al., 2021).
If you have already begun integrating SEL with academic instruction, use the rubric or the questions below to identify areas for continuous improvement:
Are you drawing on state, district or other guidance to inform the inclusion of SEL objectives, and re SEL standards/goals clearly aligned with academic learning?
Do teachers use intentional, student-centered strategies to foster student ownership over their learning, including tapping into their perspectives and experiences to inform instruction?
Do students regularly share their perspectives on how social and emotional competencies connect to what they’re learning and have opportunities to apply and practice those skills in the context of academic learning?
Do teachers actively engage students in co-constructing knowledge and making meaning of content through classroom discussions and collaborative problem-solving?
The integration of SEL and academics involves three interdependent components:
If your school is already using an evidence-based SEL program, review it to determine whether it provides specific guidance and activities for integrating SEL with academic instruction. If you are looking to adopt a program, you can filter the list of programs on the CASEL Program Guide to find those that focus on integrating SEL and academic instruction.
In a student-centered classroom, students are at the center of the action, and their interests, needs, and learning styles drive instructional decisions. Educators spend time getting to know their students and thoughtfully plan instruction to support them with challenging, meaningful work no matter their current academic standing or disability status.
This requires student input about both what and how they are learning, which itself necessitates trusting relationships. When educators demonstrate curiosity and openness to student input, students are more likely to share their perspectives (BELE, 2020). Additionally, educators can continuously build student trust by leveraging resources to meet the needs and aspirations students share. This may be in the form of peer-tutoring, recommendations for enrichment programs, or connections to other people and resources that motivate and inspire them.
When it comes to student input, a lot of information gathering can happen in real time. For example, noticing that students are beginning to appear disengaged from the lesson, a teacher might do a quick “fist to five” poll on her pacing, asking students to signal their experience by raising anywhere from zero to five fingers (five meaning “too fast” and a fist meaning “too slow.”) Exit slips and surveys can also help provide educators with information to determine if the needs of all learners are being met and to test new strategies for increasing rigor and inclusion. (BELE, 2020).
What we teach matters, too. When choosing content materials, find ways to honor the contributions and struggles of different groups of people. Consider diversity within cultural or socio-economic groups as well to avoid promoting what Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes as “a single story.” That is, when we “show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.” By exploring a variety of experiences within a variety of cultures, we equip students to respect the richness and diversity of the human experience and generate curiosity and openness.
Help Build Academic Mindsets
In addition to attending to students’ experience during an academic lesson, educators also center students when they focus on how students feel about learning and school. Consciously or not, students come to school with beliefs about who they are as learners. These beliefs, or mindsets, are influenced by adults, peers, past classroom experiences, and the wider culture, and can either support or undermine school success. Four student mindsets in particular have been shown to have a positive impact on persistence and school performance (Farrington et al., 2012):
Students from all walks of life deserve to see themselves reflected in the scientists, mathematicians, musicians, and writers they study and to understand that they each have important perspectives to contribute.
Linking students’ cultures, languages, and life experiences as assets to learning (Ladson-Billings, 2014) highlights the power of self-awareness in the learning process and rejects positioning any one identity as normative. Creating spaces of belonging also helps to mitigate the impacts of stereotype threat, defined as “being at risk of confirming … a negative stereotype about one’s social group” (Steele & Aronson, 1995 in Farrington et al., 2012). Stereotype threat can increase anxiety and make it more difficult to focus, leading to underperformance even when a student is prepared, especially for students who are from marginalized and/or stigmatized groups. This applies at all levels, but especially in adolescence, when personal identity development intensifies and students are especially endangered by the ways that schools can communicate “otherness” (Tatum, 2003).
Educators can use “micro-affirmations” to demonstrate care for students throughout the day. These moments, from correctly pronouncing students names to validating their emotional responses to challenges, communicate warmth and understanding (Rowe, 2008; Powell, 2013).
As explained in Carol Dweck’s groundbreaking work on the subject, a “growth mindset” leads to the belief that we can improve with effort and new strategies, and that struggle is part of the process. When students feel like their intelligence is fixed, engagement can feel threatening; they want to protect themselves from being exposed as “not knowing the answer.” Disarm this anxiety by noting that mistakes are how we learn and honoring productive struggle.
Teachers can do this by asking students to share their thinking, especially when they are not sure (e.g., “Is there anyone who isn’t completely sure about their answer? I’d love to see your process, and I bet it will help others out, too.”) and by framing mistakes as learning opportunities (e.g., “I’m really glad that you shared that mistake, Alex. It is common to multiply here, and I bet others did it, too. Who can tell me why it seems like you should multiply, even though the problem actually calls for division?”). As Hammond (2015) explains, “If the student views mistakes as information that help him to be more effective, he develops a growth mindset that is open to applying effort” (p. 115). Share your own developmentally appropriate experiences of failure and what you learned from the challenge.
Research has long recognized the importance of teacher expectations, communicated through both verbal and non-verbal messages, in facilitating students’ confidence and learning (Rubie-Davies et al., 2006; Johnston et al., 2021). Believing we can be successful leads to increased effort and engagement, creating a positive feedback loop between hard work, mastery, and increased self-efficacy beliefs (Bandura, 1977).
Educators also support student’s self-efficacy through thoughtful scaffolding. Understanding that “variability in learning is the norm, not the exception” (Darling-Hammond et al., 2020) requires educators to meet each student where they are and move them towards increased capacity and independence.
Educators do this by building “learning partnerships” (Hammond, 2015) with students. Within these partnerships, educators communicate high expectations and provide tools and strategies that help students to safely stretch. This shapes students’ motivation, engagement, and persistence (Allensworth et al., 2018) and communicates that while teachers will encourage productive struggle, they will not let students fail.
For example, a teacher might encourage a less confident student to demonstrate a thoughtfully selected math problem for the class, but remind them that they can “phone a friend or the teacher” if they get stuck. This helps to build a classroom culture around collaborative problem-solving, where the ultimate goal is learning for all.
Learners are naturally motivated when they find a task compelling or see connections between the learning and their personal aspirations (Farrington et al., 2012). Whenever possible, make space for connections between instructional content and community and real-world issues. For example, have students complete brief writing exercises about what values are important to them and connect this to the learning (Cohen et al., 2009). Using an inquiry-based approach, where students work together to learn about something that interests them, integrates SEL and academics through opportunities for collaborative problem-solving and curiosity (Schwartz et al., 2023).
Communicating and reinforcing these mindsets at the classroom level is essential, but it’s also important to take a systemic approach: recognizing systemic barriers and socio-political factors that stand in the way of student success and advocating for changes to the system.
Use these phrases throughout the day to help build students’ self-efficacy and affirm their place in the learning community.
Each academic discipline has its own questions, processes, and proficiencies. Teachers consider what students should know and be able to do when planning their lessons. This emphasis—not merely on acquiring knowledge, but on being able to do something with it—is reflected in academic standards for each content area, including math, arts, physical education, history, and literacy and connects closely to SEL.
Example: Math Standards and SEL Alignment
As an example of how SEL aligns with a rigorous math objective, one standard asks students to “construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.” SEL is naturally embedded as students:
Adapted From: The Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin
The SEL team should start by developing an understanding of how SEL standards or other guidance support and sustain deep learning. For example, many states and districts have created “portraits of a graduate” to articulate their vision for student success. Portraits include important traits to the community, such as critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and being an engaged citizen, and can help educators create actionable plans to support student success in school, work, and community.
Once the SEL team has a sense of the available resources and guidance, they can collaborate with teachers to determine what embedding SEL looks and sounds like for their content area. Many schools and districts find it helpful to create crosswalks to pair academic objectives with complementary SEL objectives, as in the examples below. Whatever approach you take, it helps to ask yourself, “What SEL skills and mindsets will help students be successful with their academic objectives and longer term development?” This will point you towards the competencies to integrate within each lesson.
This chart provides examples of specific teacher actions that provide opportunities for students to practice and reflect on social and emotional skills. Use this to select practices that can help your students succeed in meeting lesson objectives.
Strategy-Focused Pairing
Academically rigorous classrooms require students to communicate effectively, organize thinking and materials, and practice strategies for managing stress or anxiety when confronting challenging material. Educators can use strategy-focused pairings to highlight the social and emotional competencies students need to be successful with the specific tasks they will encounter. These goals are often similar across academic subjects, for example:
For a detailed example of strategy-focused pairing in the context of mathematics instruction, see this brief tool from the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
Content-Specific Pairing
Content-specific pairings highlight what social and emotional competencies boost understanding within a specific academic subject. This is especially relevant in social studies and language arts, which involve interpreting fictional or historical decisions and relationships, but can be useful in all content areas.
Four lesson plans (Grades K-2 Science, 3-5 Language Arts, 6-8 Social Studies, and 9-12 Math) that provide examples of both strategy-focused and content-specific SEL integration.
Supporting Students With Knowledge Transfer
Once educators have determined the SEL competencies students will need to be successful, they can support their application through SEL pedagogies (Zieher, et al., 2024). One way to do this is through the Frame, Coach, Reflect model. In this model, the teacher sets students up for success when they:
Through coaching, educators build on established, trusting developmental relationships with students to help them learn from setbacks, navigate hard situations and systems, and try out new approaches. When acting as an “SEL coach,” educators should pay attention to developmental considerations and align coaching moves with what they know about their students’ personalities. Like most coaching, coaching at the classroom level involves listening without judgment, asking questions with genuine curiosity, and remaining strengths-based.
A simple strategy for educators to communicate clearly and reinforce for students how social and emotional skills are in play during academic instruction. This context-driven SEL instruction strengthens skill development.
When educators use interactive pedagogy, students are deeply engaged in discussion, collaboration, and making meaning throughout learning. Your SEL team can support teachers in developing instructional practices that put collaborative problem-solving and students’ curiosity at the center of the learning. Many schools and districts chose to begin with the SEL 3 Signature Practices.
The SEL 3 Signature Practices are a common entry point to begin weaving SEL throughout the day. They are:
Visit CASEL’s SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook for a library of these practices, teacher tools, supporting research, and videos of the signature practices in action.
Two research-based strategies for integrating SEL and academics, class discussions and collaborative problem-solving, are foundational to interactive learning and provide consistent opportunities to deepen SEL through the transfer of skills to authentic contexts. This can help students build a more nuanced understanding of how to apply the competencies in their daily lives. The frame, coach, reflect model provides a framework for scaffolding these strategies, as well.
Class Discussions
Conversation with peers is critical to student learning and improves comprehension and engagement (Cazden & Beck, 2003). When thoughtfully supported, classroom discussions provide opportunities for students to grapple with multiple perspectives and practice effective communication. Classroom discussions also provide opportunities to hear concepts explained in a variety of ways, which can increase understanding and engagement and help students “own” the learning.
While the goal is for class discussion to become increasingly student-led, educators need to thoughtfully scaffold the process. Acting as a guide and facilitator, they can support students by co-creating classroom shared agreements, using facilitative questions (e.g., “Who has thoughts connected to what Sarah just said?”) to help students build on one another’s thinking, and providing opportunities for students to reflect on their contributions to class discussions as well as what they learned. For English Learners (ELs), rich classroom discussions provide essential opportunities to practice language in context. The expansion of content knowledge and conversational strategies go hand in hand (Bunch et al., 2013).
These videos show examples of class discussion where students are also strengthening relationships, communication skills, engagement, and leadership:
While discussion is an effective strategy for all grades, the approach will differ depending on developmental levels. In the younger grades, discussions might be shorter, educators may offer fewer sentence stems, or more time may be spent talking in pairs or triads.
Use this tool to create the conditions for effective discussions where students grapple with multiple perspectives and practice effective communication.
Collaborative Problem-Solving
Through collaborative problem-solving, students build shared understanding and work together to come to solutions by pooling knowledge, skills, and efforts. This provides an opportunity for what the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) calls “deeper learning,” defined as an approach that “develops students’ abilities to think critically and solve complex problems, communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and learn independently.” Deeper learning experiences both require, and help develop, social emotional competencies.
There are many entry points and opportunities for collaborative problem-solving during the school day. Having students work with partners provides them opportunities to practice communication skills and consensus-building. Educators can support this positive interdependence by reinforcing that the goal of group work is that all members learn the material, not merely that the work gets completed. Thoughtful planning of groups can further ensure each group has a student with the social awareness and relationships skills to draw others into the discussion and act as an ally for struggling students.
One approach to collaborative problem-solving, Project-Based Learning (PBL), shows promise to support SEL and engage students as leaders. In this approach, students inquire around topics of interest, collaborate to develop deep understanding of the issues and often propose solutions, and share their findings in public presentations (Condliffe, 2017; Larmer & Mergendoller, 2015). For example, in a unit on electricity, students in a third grade science class learn skills like problem and positive solution identification, active listening, and respectful communication. After learning how electricity works, they work collaboratively in groups to learn about an energy challenge in their community and present a solution.
All students can benefit from student-led, collaborative approaches, including students with individual educational plans (GIsML Project). Along with supporting academics, approaches like PBL are especially relevant for supporting the SEL of middle and high schoolers; due to their developmental stage, adolescents may be more receptive to social and emotional programming that asks them to use their skills and competencies to make an impact on issues that matter to them versus more didactic approaches (Ozer et al., 2021).