Category: Magazine Articles

Simple things can make a significant difference in our classroom environments, yet we should be intentional about them. Every year, we should strive to make it the best year students have, and if we all did this, the school would only progressively get better for our students. Below are some straightforward ideas that can help shape a fantastic year for your students.

Although social and emotional competencies and their role in human lives are recognized worldwide, there is no universally official definition of them. Emotional intelligence, psychosocial competencies, socio-affective skills, etc.: they have all kinds of names. Over the years, constants have nevertheless emerged, and various benchmarks have materialized.

Inspiring quotes suggested by Myra, a primary school teacher. “Have you ever responded sharply to someone for no reason? Or had to take a minute to lock yourself in a quiet place?”

If we recognize that these social and emotional competencies are transversal and intrinsically linked to school learning, it is clear that they are rarely the subject of explicit teaching at school, even if they are taught as other school subjects (Oliviera et al., 2021; Rimm-Kauffman and Hamre, 2010). Moreover, in order to teach them and reinvest them into everyday school activities, teachers must first have developed them for themselves.

Here are four ways to support students’ social and emotional well-being during the transition from online to in-person learning—each tied to core SEL competencies from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

Affective or social-emotional competencies play a major role in teaching and learning. However, these competencies are not stagnant: they are competencies that anyone can learn to develop—but not just in any manner! It is in this perspective that developing social-emotional competencies becomes a major subject in teachers’ professional training and educational arsenal.

Sometimes we seem to be better advised and equipped in matters of financial health than in matters of mental health. At least there seems to be less stigma surrounding the former. In addition, this so-called advice tailored to financial investing, i.e. intended to help you plan and ensure long-term financial stability, can be just as useful to us in a parallel objective: that of maintaining, in a preventive manner, psychological balance.

Here are four ways to support students’ social and emotional well-being during the transition from online to in-person learning—each tied to core SEL competencies from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

While school-age Québecers are showing signs of anxiety and depression, it becomes essential, both for their academic success and for their well-being, to equip them with the tools necessary to ensure good mental health. Thus, developing social-emotional learning (SEL) is increasingly important. While this is the topic of the day in several countries, such as in the United States, there are still many questions about whether our approaches and programs are having the desired effect. If we need to develop these skills in students, how do we evaluate their progress and offer them appropriate interventions?

Recently, because of the pandemic, school administrators quickly had to implement action plans to support teacher training, particularly in connection with digital skills. The new school year provides a great opportunity for leaders to keep this learning approach alive, one that we’ve all had to experience for over a year now, in spite of ourselves. How can a management act now, and how can it influence the continuation of this professional development process among its teachers?