Design Leader | UX & UI Design | E-learning Developer | Design Operations | Design Thinking

SEL FORWARD

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING TOWARDS MEANINGFUL SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

RATIONALE

By the term “wide-awakeness” we want to denote a plane of consciousness of highest tension originating in an attitude of full attention to life and its requirements.

- Greene, 1978

As they (teachers and students) attain this knowledge of reality through common reflection and action, they discover themselves as its permanent re-creators. In this way, the presence of the oppressed in the struggle for their liberation will be what it should be: not pseudo-participation, but committed involvement.

- Freire, 1989

To bring a spirit of study to learning that takes place both in and beyond classroom settings, learning must be understood as an experience that enriches life in its entity.

- hooks, 2003

PHILOSOPHY

Education in the 21st century has evolved beyond acquiring knowledge. It is crucial for students today to develop skills that will help them succeed and flourish socially and emotionally so that when they step out of their classrooms, they are equipped with a strong social and emotional skills to analyze, manage and meaningfully participate in different situations and environments. The purpose of this curriculum is to prepare students to be responsible participants of their community by developing their social and emotional intelligence. This curriculum will enable students to navigate through complex problems that spread across different disciplines by adopting an interdisciplinary and integrative approach. Social and emotional intelligence for that matter means to understand, manage emotions, feel and show empathy to those around them, set and achieve goals, establish and maintain positive relationships among groups of people, as well as make responsible decisions (“Core SEL Competencies”, 2018). With the acquirement of social and emotional intelligence early in life, students will understand that their emotions will propel them to engage in social contribution.

Greene (1997) explained how humans respond to the “industrial and technological age that led to automatization and bland routinization of life” (p. 119). While the industrialization and technological advancements made human tasks easier and more efficient, it also created passive consumers of society resulting in the degeneration of human skills. Hence, we believe that by nurturing social and emotional intelligence, it will allow students to be self-aware thus empowering them to not only be aware of themselves and their environment but also be active citizens who make meaningful contributions to their community. Civic engagement is active and embodied, and it thus requires effective emotional regulation to make sure that one’s actions are in line with their values.

Back