Research reveals that social and emotional learning (SEL) improves grade school students’ engagement with the academic curriculum. With online learning, it is still unclear how students have been negatively impacted, but lack of teacher-student relationships and low motivations appear to be strong contributors. Furthermore, there has been speculation that the fear and isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic increased mental illness among children. Dr. Tracy Bennett, Founder of GetKidsInternetSafe, said she has never seen the quantity of clients looking for outpatient psychotherapy or such high severity levels among adults and kids in her 25-year career as a clinical psychologist. She added that, in response to the child; and family distress, teachers have been heroic in their creation, adoption, and application of SEL curricula. In service of the positives of screen use, today’s GKIS article recommends SEL apps that can be used at home as well as in the classroom.
The Benefits of Social and Emotional Learning
Improves Behavior and Academic Performance
SEL programs tend to target:
Self-awareness in recognizing emotions, strengths, and limitations
Self-management by controlling emotions and behaviors
Social awareness in gaining insight into others and building empathy towards diverse backgrounds
Relationship skills in forming and maintaining healthy relationships
Decision making in acting upon productive choices[1][3]
Students use SEL skills to protect against substance use, bullying, and school failures among other benefits. The ability of teachers and parents to form a safe care environment with SEL results in less emotional distress, fewer conduct problems, and improves test scores and grades among children.[1]
Do SEL programs work?
A long-term study by Taylor and colleagues (2017) collected 18 years’ worth of data from 46 studies to examine if SEL programs make a difference. The SEL programs had students apply learned skills to personal development, social relationships, ethical behaviors, and productive work at school. This increased subject physical and mental well-being into adulthood demonstrating a positive trend in future social relationships, graduate rates and attendance, and low numbers of arrests.[3]
A study by Jones and colleagues (2015) found similar conclusions. They measured kindergartens’ future wellness in education, employment, crime, substance abuse, and mental health. Their data showed:
High self-control at an early age
High task completion rate
Improves multi-skill management
Improves organizational skills
Improve noncognitive skills (e.g., motivation, integrity, and interpersonal interaction)[2]
Taylor et al. also found that a “one size fits all” SEL program is not as effective as one designed specifically for a selected student population and a selected outcome. For example, according to their study students with ethnic minority backgrounds developed better emotional coping skills with SEL. In contrast, poor-income students developed better school attachment and achievement. Other benefits for SEL included decreased substance use, risk-taking, and problem behaviors while improving positive relationships using social support and growth opportunities amongst minorities.[3]
Friendly and Productive Tools for Long Term Success
Achieve screen sanity and SEL skills with our own Screen Safety Essentials Course. To help your family form cooperative dialogue and teach critical problem-solving skills about your child’s online and offline life, we offer weekly coaching videos from our very own Parenting and Screen Safety Expert, Dr. Tracy Bennett. Designed for families with kids ages 8 to 16, our GKIS Screen Safety Essentials Course does the work for you. No more wondering what to say, which issues to cover, and how to stay relevant and consistent about screen safety and family connection.
Some of the resources the Screen Safety Essentials Course offers include:
✅ Weekly parents-only videos with the information and tools you need to earn the credibility to be their go-to expert
✅ Weekly family videos with insider and science-based teaching topics and fun family activities.
✅ Workbook pages and colorful infographic downloads
✅ Access to Dr. Bennett’s BEST webinars
✅ Psychological wellness and balance skills to avoid costly digital injuries
✅ Exclusive access to Dr. B and motivated parents like yourself on our private Facebook community page
✅ Options for private coaching with Dr. Bennett for extra support
✅ BONUS: Selected readings from our GKIS Blog articles and Dr. B’s book SCREEN TIME IN THE MEAN TIME
Safety, connection, less conflict, and so much more! Your first 30 days are totally free. Available through our GetKidsInternetSafe website.
Middle School Confidential
GKIS also recommends the Middle School Confidential app. Middle School Confidential offers a three-piece comic book series for ages 8-14 by Annie Fox and Matt Kindt. It covers lessons about character, problem-solving, friendships, and school situations. Quizzes, tips, real quotes from teens, and real-world resources support problem-solving and open dialogue skills between parents and children.[5] Specific tools like assertiveness and positive self-talk help users recognize and name emotions and build empathy.
The Positive Penguin application offers 5-minute meditation practices for child resilience. Developers incorporated funny sounds and game modes to set a friendly environment. According to their website, Positive Penguin is “the app designed to help children understand why they feel a certain feeling and behave in a productive way.” The app helps children transform negative thoughts and emotions into a more optimistic perspective.[6] Positive Penguin helps kids improve SEL communication and problem-solving skills.
Smiling Mind helps children seek mindfulness as a daily practice. Developed by psychologists and educators, this app encourages children ages 3 to 18 to reduce stress, tension, pressure, and challenges with a 10-minute meditation.[7] With daily check-ins, a meditation habit assists kids to form positive affirmations by thinking before they act.
Availability:
Apple App Store
Google Play Store.
Accomplishments
#22 in rank for Health & Fitness (as of 15 Feb 2021)
5 million users leading Meditation app for Australia
To improve communication and empathy skills in your family, grab your SEL app of choice today! Thanks to CSUCI intern, Christian Sandoval for his contributions to today’s GKIS article.
I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.
Onward to More Awesome Parenting,
Tracy S. Bennett, Ph. D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
GetKidsInternetSafe
[1] Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta‐analysis of school‐based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csuci.edu/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
[2] Damon E. Jones, Mark Greenberg, and Max Crowley, 2015:
[3] Taylor, R. D., Oberle, E., Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2017). Promoting positive youth development through school‐based social and emotional learning interventions: A meta‐analysis of follow‐up effects. Child Development, 88(4), 1156–1171. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csuci.edu/10.1111/cdev.12864
[4] Sawyer, M. G., Arney, F. M., Baghurst, P. A., Clark, J. J., Graetz, B. W., Kosky, R. J., et al. (2001). The mental health of young people in Australia: Key findings from the child and adolescent component of the national survey of mental health and well-being. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35, 806-814.
Children deserve the best possible education and the brightest future opportunities. What parent doesn’t want their child to succeed in life? Many view education as the gateway to success. At the same time, COVID-19 has caused a challenge for our school systems providing quality virtual education. How are our children faring?
The Negatives of Virtual Learning
For younger children, this transition has proved to be difficult and stressful for both students and teachers. Young children have a tough time staying engaged on-screen for long. As a result, their education is likely suffering and they may not be learning the basics they will need for later in life.
There is also a large lack of social interaction for children in this age range. The impact of this might be seen for generations to come, perhaps a rise in social anxiety may be discovered?
What about the older students? The California Department of Education has reported that 2020 had 3,000 fewer high school graduates than 2019.[1] In addition to this shortage of expected graduates, 2021 prospective graduates are enduring their entire senior year virtual. Many students report feeling less optimistic about their future, less motivated to learn, and less confident in their academic abilities. Time will tell how the 2021 graduation rate will be, but it will likely be lower than even the 2020s’ was.
The Positives of Virtual Learning
There are some upsides to virtual learning. First, it’s the safest means of learning during the era of COVID. Education can be redone, learning can happen later, but continuing to protect our children and their teachers from one of the most destructive events in our time is the number one priority. In addition to just the health benefits, the drop-out rate for California has also decreased, with 800 fewer drop-outs than in 2019.[1] This is likely due to the opportunity to learn from home. Virtual learning allows for more flexible learning and more self-responsibility for one’s learning, something that may benefit high school students as they transition to higher education.
Virtual Learning and Parents
If you are ever feeling overwhelmed by virtual learning, pause and try to think about the following points:
It’s temporary! Virtual learning is only temporary. Before too long, our children will be back into the classroom and off of the screens. Don’t let yourself get too upset about something that isn’t going to last forever.
You’re not alone. Almost every parent is experiencing the same frustrations that you are. If you need someone to vent or talk to, reach out to one of your fellow parents. The shared experiences will likely help you both feel better about what is going on.
Don’t blame the teachers. Many of them were thrown into this unprepared and unwarned, just like you and your children were. Some teachers are struggling through this time with their kids just like you. They want to be back in the classroom as soon as it is viably safe to do so too.
Don’t blame your children. They didn’t ask for any of this to happen, and they are likely doing the best they can. They want to be back with their friends on the playground, it might be difficult for them to understand why they aren’t allowed to. Try and remind them, in an age-appropriate way, that this is for their safety and the safety of those around them.
Finally, don’t blame yourself. You have no power over this unprecedented situation. Remind yourself that you are only human and that you are giving it your absolute best. It’s okay to feel out of patience from time to time. Giving yourself and others grace is critical to wellness.
More Resources on Virtual Learning and Online Safety
To improve communication and empathy skills in your family, grab your SEL app of choice today! Thanks to CSUCI intern, Christian Sandoval for his contributions to today’s GKIS article.
