Social and Emotional Learning Foundations
This 12 week course focuses on equipping students with knowledge about systemic social and emotional learning (SEL) and practical strategies to promote adult well-being and equitable, evidence-based SEL among school-aged children and youth. The Course is designed for classroom teachers who work directly with Pre K-12th grade students. The course will survey a spectrum of assets-based, accessible methods to develop local strategies that promote positive relationships and improve conditions for learning to make schools centers of social and emotional well-being. Major topics of exploration include: the field’s history, purpose, research-base, and role in promoting educational equity; personal and community well-being among educators.
Topics
- Synthesize knowledge gained in the course to create an improvement project within a local learning environment
- Understand the core goals and components of systemic social and emotional learning, including why and how SEL is central to promoting positive relationships, well-being, and success in school, work, and life. Understand how SEL is connected to related education frameworks and goals, including academic attainment and school climate and culture imperatives. Understand both the research-base that underlies SEL practice and the strategies for using research evidence to continuously improve educational practice. Understand SEL’s role in promoting educational equity and global citizenship by using transformative, culturally responsive, and healing-centered practices. Apply basic neuroscience principles behind emotions, motivation, and learning, and the impact of stress and trauma on the brain, to classroom settings. Demonstrate enhanced knowledge of classroom and school-wide SEL planning, implementation, and continuous improvement processes, including selecting evidence-based SEL curricula. Demonstrate enhanced capacity to engage in personal development and reflection practices that strengthen adult SEL competencies and well-being. Demonstrate enhanced capacity to foster developmentally appropriate student SEL competencies through direct instruction, academic integration, and classroom pedagogy that centers student voice and experience. Demonstrate enhanced capacity to foster developmentally appropriate student SEL competencies through direct instruction, academic integration, and classroom pedagogy that centers student voice and experience. Demonstrate enhanced capacity to build authentic partnerships with families to support student SEL. Synthesize knowledge gained in the course to create an improvement project within a local learning environment
Official catalogue course objectives and student learning outcomes
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027