We asked, and you answered!! We had an overwhelming response from the administrators and curriculum personnel we surveyed to gauge opinions on and reception of most everything SEL related. Here’s what we found:
70% of Respondents are teaching SEL topics already!
It isn’t easy to figure out and implement a plan for tackling these potentially tricky topics, but you’re doing it!! We’re so glad to know, and we’d love to be a resource for you as you continue on this journey.
There are many reasons that it’s been difficult to get SEL up and running, and for the most part, it’s the usual suspects—time and money. Barriers to including it in the curriculum according to our participants are as follows:
45% cite a lack of funding
40% indicate a lack of instructional time
38% aren’t sure how to teach SEL effectively
Trust us, we get every single part of that! It’s tough out there, and with the challenge of always needing to adapt to updated standards and mandates, of course there are pain points. Know that you’re not alone. Booksource is always thrilled to be able to provide knowledgeable guidance, free customized booklists and cost-effective solutions for your picture book and chapter book needs.
And to delve a bit further into the specific obstacles that many of you are up against, here is a sampling of what our respondents had to say when asked to articulate their thoughts on what is preventing them from effectively teaching SEL now:
“We have a committee that is creating lessons for our building, but they really haven’t received any training and don’t have a strong knowledge-base for what they should be designing.”
“It’s too new to me to be very certain of how this will go for our district.”
“People’s buy in on the importance of SEL. Putting it on an equal playing field in relation to teaching academics.”
These are all very real concerns, and they do seem to be a realistic representation of what so many administrators and teachers are facing. SEL feels like a new frontier of sorts, and in education there are so many concerned parties who need to be assured that a new solution is going to be effective.
With so much scrutiny throughout the realm of education on ensuring an effective solution, curriculum choices can bring a lot of pressure. So it’s no surprise that there was a very divided audience when it comes to where and how the resources for teaching SEL are developed. From our survey, we found:
34% purchase curriculum from a third-party vendor
31% develop SEL curriculum internally
35% do not follow an SEL curriculum
Ideally, SEL concepts would be embedded into multiple parts of the school day, and this would reinforce an organic implementation of them. But within that framework, many experts in the field affirm that fiction and nonfiction books are among the best springboards for conversation, meaningful interaction and discourse surrounding social emotional learning. And as it turns out, many of you agree; individual comments from our survey participants when asked if they use books to teach SEL topics affirm that they do:
“Absolutely. We are a literacy-focused district and we understand the natural connection of SEL to themes/characters in read aloud, guided reading, strategy discussions and independent reading books.”
“Yes—the literacy component allows a safe place for students to discuss topics through the character’s development rather than risk sharing personal experiences.”
“Yes—there are books that align with different lesson plans and often times books/stories open the doorway to conversation.”
“Yes. Books provide an avenue for kids to find characters they relate to and have similar experiences. Students can relate to books and learn from characters’ situations.”
Awww. What can we say, we could not agree more!
The overarching analysis of the survey results confirm that you’re all trying your hardest to make good, sound decisions on how best to approach the SEL requirements and to get those solutions implemented effectively. Keep fighting the good fight, and know that we’re here supporting you and ready to jump in and help you get the right resources.
About the Author:
Melissa Reif is a former educator who spent more than 10 years in the classroom. Before joining Booksource four years ago, she taught Developmental English, Composition, Argument and College Success Strategies at Jefferson College and St. Louis Community College. Additionally, she worked in a community-based program teaching English as a second language to adult learners.
Melissa has two elementary aged girls who are avid readers, and she actively volunteers and coaches Girls on the Run, a transformational learning program for 8 to 13-year-old girls. Her favorite type of book is non-fiction, and her Grandma had a significant impact on her love of literature because she ran a branch of the local county library.
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