As a general education teacher, you are the key to nurturing schoolwide social-emotional learning (SEL). If you’re reading this, congratulations on taking this first step toward promoting SEL in your school and classroom! 

Understandably, you may be feeling overwhelmed about teaching SEL.

You may be thinking: 

• Am I qualified to teach SEL?
• How do I teach SEL? 
• Where do I find the time to teach SEL? 
• Where can I find materials for SEL lessons?

Rest assured, you already have all the tools, experience, and skills you need. It’s easier and less time-consuming than you may think. Teaching SEL to your students will save you time and frustration in the long run.

In this article, we’ll discuss the many benefits of teaching SEL in a general education setting. Plus, we’ll share practical SEL teaching strategies you can work into your lesson plans immediately.

What Is SEL and Why Is It Important?

There are many benefits of SEL for both educators and students. SEL supports students with responsible decision-making, establishing and maintaining relationships, developing healthy identities, and feeling and showing empathy.

Social-emotional learning also supports educators. When students are socially and emotionally aware, they’re more equipped to self-regulate, stay motivated, and feel connected to educators and peers.

This translates to:

• Higher academic achievement
• More motivation to learn
• Less disruptive behavior
• Reduced emotional stress
• And more!

Why You Are Already Qualified to Teach SEL as a General Education Teacher:

You may be thinking, “That all sounds great, but I’m not qualified to teach SEL.”

Well, you’re more qualified than you think. In fact, your experience as a general education teacher has equipped you with all the skills you need to be a great SEL instructor. 

You already know how to listen, observe, and facilitate group discussions.

Still not convinced? Think of all the SEL skills you already possess as a parent, sibling, friend, and/or coworker. You are using SEL skills every time you listen, offer perspective, give encouragement, calm someone down, or help a friend solve a problem. 

These are the skills we use to compassionately engage with others. These are the skills you’ll use to teach SEL. 

How Do I Teach SEL as a General Education Teacher?

Now let’s talk about some easy ways you can start incorporating SEL into your general education instruction:

1. Incorporate SEL Topics Into Your Lessons.

Think about ways you can talk about core SEL skills in your general ed lessons. Some SEL topics include:

• Self-awareness
• Self-management
• Social awareness
• Relationship skills
• Responsible decision-making

Are you teaching about a historical event where key players could have benefited from some social awareness skills? Call that out in your lesson!

Is there an opportunity to address self-management skills when assigning geometry homework? Incorporate that into the assignment.

Are you teaching a book where the main characters are struggling with their relationship skills? Ask questions to spark discussion about it in your class.

Every lesson and assignment is an opportunity to discuss an SEL topic. 

2. Incorporate Mindfulness Activities in Your Classroom.

School can be anxiety-inducing. Teaching SEL skills like mindfulness and self-regulation can help your students calm down during moments of stress.

Are your students feeling stressed before a test or presentation? Lead them through a quick student mindfulness exercise or belly breathing for self-care exercise to help them calm down.

Remind them to check in with themselves throughout the day. Promoting mindfulness in your classroom will help your students feel less stressed, more focused, and ultimately more engaged in your lessons. 

3. Share Personal Stories About SEL with Your Students.

Think about ways you self-regulate or use social awareness or self-awareness in your day-to-day life. What strategies work for you?

Did you use a calming strategy at the coffee shop? Did you use your decision-making skills to decide what errands to run over the weekend?

SEL lessons can be as simple as telling a personal story. Stories will help your students connect with you and help them to develop empathy by seeing life from your perspective. 

4. Use Video Modeling to Teach SEL.

Incorporate short SEL video-modeling lessons into your day. 

Video Modeling is an evidence-based model of teaching that uses video recordings to model and teach targeted behaviors or skills. 

Video modeling is especially useful for teaching more complex SEL topics, like social awareness and relationship skills. 

When students see peers modeling SEL skills in video modeling lessons, they’re more likely to pay attention and integrate what they learn into their everyday interactions.

The benefits of Video Modeling include:

• Less stress and anxiety around learning a new skill 
• Engages the learner
• Consistent form of teaching and excellent for repetition 
• Faster rates of skill acquisition 
• Promotes generalization 

You can find free SEL videos on YouTube (check out the Everyday Speech YouTube channel), try an SEL video modeling curriculum, or create your own videos using your phone.

5. Teach SEL as a General Education Teacher with Hands-On Activities, Games, and Group Discussions.

Hands-on SEL targeted activities and games can help you break up the day. 

Read our blog, “No-Prep Late Elementary Lessons to Teach Problem Solving” to learn how to set up a game of problem-solving Jeopardy or 4-square.

For older students, encourage positive self-talk by asking them to write down three things they like about themself. Tell them to keep this list on hand to refer to throughout the year. 

Spark group discussion by asking what students would do in various social situations. Some example discussion questions could include:

• Your friend invites everyone to a party except you. How do you handle the situation?
• You’re feeling anxious before a big presentation. What are three ways to calm down?
• You can’t decide what after-school activity to choose. What decision-making steps can you use?
  

Have fun with it! 

Where do I find the time to teach SEL? 

You can easily incorporate the above exercises in your day-to-day lessons. You only need a few extra minutes a day.

SEL is all about encouraging students to become more aware of themselves and others.

The more you start incorporating SEL topics and language into your classroom routine, the easier it will become!

Where can I find materials for SEL lessons?

There are plenty of SEL materials out there. Decide on the format that works best for you and your students.

Visit the Everyday Speech YouTube channel for free videos and sign up for our Material Mix Monday Newsletter for free activities in your inbox every week. 

Experiment with videos, games, activities, and discussion prompts to see what your students engage with most.

You’ll find plenty of pre-made SEL materials on Pinterest, YouTube, and Teachers Pay Teachers. 

If you want to incorporate SEL into your classroom on a regular basis, look into a pre-made SEL curriculum. This will save you the time and headache that goes into rounding up materials and creating lesson plans.

Our 40-week no-prep SEL curriculum provides you with everything you need to support your students in becoming SEL all-stars. Unlike other SEL curricula, our no-prep curriculum supports every student in the building, and includes support bundles for students who need Tier 2 and 3 intervention.