What skills are developed in social-emotional learning?

SEL increases children’s emotional understanding, interpersonal and problem-solving skills as well as enhancing self-esteem, self-regulation and sense of efficacy or confidence in their ability.

For primary-aged children, developing social and emotional learning helps develop a range of foundational skills that can have a profound impact on their academic performance and overall wellbeing. From communicating effectively and building positive relationships, working with others, staying motivated, practicing curiosity, and having the ability to cope with and negotiate through life’s inevitable tricky and difficult times.

The most widely used framework introduced by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), who coined the term SEL back in 1994¹, is the CASEL framework. Daniel Goleman² introduced a framework of emotional intelligence encompassing five core domains: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Adrian Faupel³ further developed this framework in the context of emotional literacy, emphasising its role in fostering children’s social and emotional competencies essential for life and learning.

At Hamish & Milo we have used and adapted the Goleman & Faupel framework to create our own Social and Emotional Literacy Pathway that is based around the five skill components but very explicitly establishes the huge importance of the context and the need for the right environment – based on relational practice and attachment for a child to be able to develop and grow socially and emotionally.

Within our Hamish & Milo SEL Pathway, we have explicitly added three precursor elements, which are: self-regulated adult, establishing emotional safety and co-regulation, as we believe it’s imperative these elements are in place before children can begin to develop their social and emotional competencies.

CASEL SEL Framework

Adapted from CASEL¹

The Hamish & Milo Social and Emotional Literacy Pathway

Emotional Literacy Pathway

SEL element and core competency

Description

Emotional literacy starts with the adults present in the lives of children. It is imperative that the adults themselves are self-aware, safe, containing, empathic and sensitive in their capacity to connect and create relationships with the children in their care.

Hamish & Milo support

  • Supervision and training for staff

Associated skills

  • Self-awareness
  • Recognition of own emotional needs
  • Self-nurture and self-care

Description

This exists when children can be fully themselves and feel able to express themselves freely – all their ideas, questions, concerns and mistakes – without fear of judgement, humiliation or punishment.

Hamish & Milo support

At the core of our SEL programme is the emphasis on building trusting, safe, and connected relationships – an essential foundation for the success of any SEL approach.

Associated skills

  • Trust
  • Belonging
  • Care

Description

Emotional safety comes from the felt sense of a caring and compassionate adult who actively fosters a trusting, authentic, and connected relationship. Connection, attachment, and relationship are the key elements in every interaction and within any taught SEL programme to cultivate a sense of safety and care.

Hamish & Milo support

At the core of our SEL programme is the emphasis on building trusting, safe, and connected relationships – an essential foundation for the success of any SEL approach.

Associated skills

  • Trust
  • Belonging
  • Care

Description

Warm and responsive interactions that provide the support, emotion coaching and modelling children need to feel understood and to begin to understand, express and modulate their thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

Hamish & Milo programme to support this specific area

  • Relationship building throughout the duration of all the programmes
  • Sock puppet pets

Associated skills

  • Safety
  • Responsive to emotional needs

Description

The ability to identify and recognise our own emotions, thoughts and values and how they influence behaviour. The ability to accurately assess our strengths and limitations with a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism.

Hamish & Milo programme to support this specific area

  • Amazing me
  • Celebrating me

Associated skills

  • Recognising sensations and linking them to our emotions
  • Identifying and labelling emotions
  • Accurate self-perception
  • Recognising strengths
  • Self-confidence
  • Self-efficacy

Description

The ability to successfully regulate our emotions, thoughts and behaviours in different situations – effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating ourselves.

Hamish & Milo programme to support this specific area

  • Calm me
  • Exploding me

Associated skills

  • Recognising our sensations, emotions and triggers
  • Being able to think and make choices
  • Being able to know calm, and use strategies to help calm down
  • Impulse control
  • Stress management

Description

The ability to use our emotional resources to achieve goals. The ability to enjoy the learning process and persevere in the face of obstacles or barriers. The ability to set and work towards personal and academic goals.

Hamish & Milo programme to support this specific area

  • Resilient me
  • New beginnings and me

Associated skills

  • Self-discipline
  • Self-motivation
  • Goal setting
  • Organisational skills
  • Communication
  • Team work
  • Evaluating
  • Reflecting

Description

Sensing and responding to the emotions of others with a felt sense of understanding.

Hamish & Milo programme to support this specific area

  • Memories and me
  • Finding me

Associated skills

  • Understanding emotions
  • Recognising our own and others’ feelings
  • Appreciating diversity
  • Respect for others

Description

Managing relationships, inspiring and engaging with others, problem solving, conflict resolution, connection and belonging and being able to receive desired responses from others.

Hamish & Milo programme to support this specific area

  • Actions, words and me
  • My friends and me

Associated skills

  • Communication
  • Social engagement
  • Relationship building
  • Teamwork
  • Identifying problems
  • Analysing solutions
  • Solving problems
  • Evaluating
  • Reflecting

“If vulnerable children haven’t experienced the warmth of co-regulation, our efforts to teach them self-regulation will inevitably fall short. These children simply don’t have the neural architecture in place; they need safe, emotionally attuned relationships to build it. When adults don’t appreciate their role as emotional co-regulators, we are missing the bigger developmental picture.”

Dr Mona Delahooke

¹ CASEL
² Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.
³ Faupel, A. (ed.) 2003. Emotional literacy: Assessment and intervention. Ages 11-16. Southampton: GL Assessment.