Social and emotional learning (SEL) involves the processes through which children, adolescents 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.
When we think about SEL for our students we group the skills into categories:
1. Self-Management is the ability to regulate your emotions, thoughts and behavior in varying situations, as well as motivate yourself to cope
with stress.
a. Controlling impulses
b. Managing stress effectively
c. Showing motivation
2. Self-Efficacy is “the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.” Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in a particular situation.
a. Confidence in ability to succeed
b. Setting and meeting goals
c. Exhibiting a growth mindset
3. Effort includes the focus and engagement a student brings to the tutoring session.
a. Sticking with a task
b. Trying again when an error occurs
c. Willing and eager to engage in conversations
4. Emotion Regulation or Self-Awareness is the ability to recognize and understand how your emotions, thoughts and values impact your behavior.
a. Identifying and expressing emotions
b. Recognizing your strengths and challenges
c. Having an accurate self-perception and self-confidence
5. Engagement refers to how attentive and invested students are in the tutoring session.
a. Interested in the tutoring session
b. Being focused on and/or enthusiastic about the practice activities
c. Re-focusing when a distraction occurs
During Experience Corps tutoring sessions tutors will look for student growth around these five (SEL) competencies. When we think about SEL for our students we group the skills into categories:
| Topic | Question | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Self- Management: How well students manage emotions |
Overall, how focused is this student in your | • How can you tell when a student is focused? • What things distract the student? • How quickly do they get back on track? • What are the differences between focused and distracted students? |
| Self-Efficacy: Perceptions of how much students believe they can succeed in achieving academic outcomes |
How confident is the student in their ability to learn all of the material presented in your session? | • How can you tell when a student is confident in reading? • What do you see when a student is not confident? • What do students say that makes you think they are confident, (or not) confident with their reading? • How can you boost student confidence? • What is the difference between the most confident students and the least confident students? |
| Effort: How much effort do students put into school and learning |
Overall, how much effort does this student put forth during your session? | • What do students say or do when they are putting in effort, or not putting in effort? • How quickly do they follow directions? • How engaged are students with quality talk? Topics? • What tips are there for motivating students to put forth effort? • What differences do you see between students who put forth effort, and those who don’t put forth effort? |
| Emotion Regulation: How well students regulate their emotions |
How often is this student able to control their emotions when they need to? | • What are some emotions expressed during your session? • What are the behaviors seen to express those emotions? • Are the emotions appropriate in the context of tutoring? • What are some inappropriate emotions? • What tips are there for helping students regulate emotions? • What differences do you see between students who handle emotions and those who do not? |
| Engagement: How attentive and invested are students in tutoring |
Overall, how interested is this student in your sessions? | • How can you tell when a student is really interested or not interested in your session? • How often do the students ask you questions, and what type of questions are they? • Is the student enthusiastic to come to the session? What tips are there for keeping students interested? • What differences do you see between those who are interested and those who are not interested? |
Additional Resources: What is Growth Mindset?