Social-Emotional Learning

Domain 3 of the principles from psychology to enhance pre-K to 12 teaching and learning.

Domain 3 of the principles from psychology to enhance pre-K to 12 teaching and learning.

Why Is Emotional Well-Being Important to Student Learning?

APA outlines the most important principles from psychology in context of pre-K to 12 classroom teaching and learning. Of these "Top 20 Principles," three pertain to the social context and emotional dimensions that affect learning. In other words: why are social context, interpersonal relations and emotional well-being important to student learning?

We encourage consideration and practice of these twenty principles throughout all teacher preparation programs. Providing educators — both novice and veteran — with a strong foundation of psychological knowledge will help them develop positive student-teacher relationships, improve overall student outcomes and potentially reduce teacher attrition.

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Principle 13
Learning is situated within multiple social contexts.

Learners are influenced by various factors that are naturally a part of their lives (i.e., families, peer groups, neighborhoods, culture, beliefs, etc.). Appreciating the potential influence of these contexts on learners can enhance the effectiveness of instruction and communications.

Tips for teachers 
Teachers can facilitate effective interpersonal relationships and communication, and thereby affect learning, by:

  • Relating curriculum to students' cultural backgrounds.
  • Establishing connections with families and seeking opportunities to participate in the local communities.
  • Enabling a classroom culture that benefits all students.
Principle 14
Interpersonal relationships and communication are critical to both the teaching-learning process and the social-emotional development of students.

Classrooms provide a critical context for cultivating social skills. An especially important skill is developing successful relationships with peers and adults. This skill is highly dependent on students' ability to communicate thoughts and feelings through verbal and nonverbal behavior.

Tips for teachers 
Teachers should attend to the relational aspects of the classroom by:

  • Providing and maintaining a safe and secure environment (both physical and social) in a shared classroom culture.
  • Providing clear behavioral expectations related to social interactions.
  • Establishing clear injunctions against bullying.
  • Including planned instruction and opportunities to practice social skills and receive feedback.
  • Prompting students to elaborate on their responses.
  • Engaging in give-and-take with students during discussions.
  • Encouraging students to seek clarification from others.
  • Promoting attention to nonverbal cues.
  • Providing opportunities for students to practice communication in both academic and social contexts.
  • Providing feedback to enhance skill development.
  • Modeling effective verbal and nonverbal communication.
Principle 15
Emotional well-being influences educational performance, learning and development.

Emotional well-being is integral to successful, everyday functioning in the classroom and influences academic performance and learning. It is also important to interpersonal relationships, social development and overall mental health.

Tips for teachers 
Teachers can help facilitate emotional development by:

  • Using emotional vocabulary, for example, labeling emotions such as fearful or happy.
  • Modeling appropriate emotional expression and reactions.
  • Teaching emotion regulation strategies such as stop and think, or deep breathing.
  • Promoting emotional understanding of others.
  • Monitoring expectations of students regardless of past performance to be equally encouraging to all.