The general philosophical perspective that schools are for social development as well as academic instruction has been shared by many thinkers throughout history, but today’s version of “social and emotional learning” (SEL) is perhaps most foreshadowed in the work of John Dewey and other progressive social reformers of the early 20th century. Despite their best efforts, American public schools generally proceeded in a more technocratic, achievement-test driven direction.
Nevertheless, concepts that were later incorporated into the SEL movement—such as Kurt Lewin’s notion of the interdependence of person and environment, Bandura’s social learning theory, cognitive behavioral therapy, and affective education—as later reflected in the Martin & Reigeluth chapter in Green Book II (Reigeluth 1999)—were percolating between the 1920s and 1990s.
- Working Paper on SEL by Molenda
- SEL Appendix A: Emotional Intelligence and SEL
- SEL Appendix B: School Environment
- SEL Appendix C: Conceptual Framework for SEL
- SEL Appendix D: Moral Education
Check the detailed documents, and leave your comments below.
