Social Emotional Learning and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Within Teacher Preparation Programs

Although social emotional learning (SEL) has gained interest in the education field and has been correlated to positive student outcomes there are no clear policies or procedures on training teachers in its instruction of. Teachers play a key role in supporting students’ well-being, including social emotional competence, yet there seems to be no systemic structure in teacher preparation programs focused on SEL instruction. Ladson-Billings’ theory of culturally relevant pedagogy and the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning’s (CASEL) framework of SEL were utilized to examine how SEL is implemented in these programs and assess the use of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) with SEL. The purpose of this case study was to record faculty and prospective teachers’ perspectives at a Hispanic-serving institution on how these programs implement SEL in pre-service courses to prepare their candidates for work with students in urban Pk--12 settings. Faculty and prospective teachers in four teacher preparation programs were interviewed about their perspectives on SEL implementation in curriculum for diverse populations. The major findings were that both faculty and prospective teachers feel the teacher–student relationship is a foundational to student success. The students’ cultural background, including family and community environments, are essential in establishing those relationships because they help build trust and connection. Although the programs do have components of SEL and CRP in their curricula, there is a need to further develop the competencies of self-management, responsible decision making, and sociopolitical consciousness