Social Emotional Learning

Social Emotional Learning - A Brief Overview

According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional learning (CASEL.Org), "Social-emotional learning (S.E.L.) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions."

Feelings chart

Sensory tools

Social-emotional learning is happening every day, in every way, and during play!

Social-emotional skill building and development is foundational to the philosophy of Paddington Station Preschool. For many students, Paddington Station is one of the first opportunities to foster personal independence and build healthy relationships with peers. As individuals, we learn about our own identity through interactions with others. Students are learning how to recognize and manage emotions, contribute to classroom communities, build confidence, cultivate empathy, and create strong bonds with friends and teachers alike. Teachers at Paddington Station model a variety of social-emotional strategies in order to help students identify coping skills they can use during challenging moments. Just as play is incorporated into all aspects of curriculum, social-emotional learning is seamlessly woven into every day.

We create social-emotional learning opportunities based on the following CASEL.Org frameworks:

Self-Awareness
Self-Management
Social Awareness
Relationship Skills
Responsible Decision-Making

Social-Emotional Scope and Sequence
Paddington Station has also crafted a Social-Emotional Scope and Sequence in order to inform developmentally appropriate practices. The Social-Emotional Scope and Sequence details the trajectory of skill building that occurs from ages 2 - 6.

What does social-emotional learning look like in the classroom?

Daily morning meeting and closing reflection circle
Individual greetings for every child
Social stories crafted for individuals students and classroom communities
Social-emotional lesson plans specific to age groups
Feelings/emotion charts for visual reference
Social-emotional resource library (including books, sensory tools, manipulative, and more)
Visual schedules, classroom community job charts, and varied transition tools
Emotionally responsive instructional supports
Cozy individual spaces in every classroom
"Solution Cards" and other visual supports for problem solving
Integrated approach with all classroom instruction