Best Practices for Social-Emotional Learning in Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms

Social-emotional learning has existed for many years and the body of research surrounding it increasingly shows its effectiveness. Although SEL curriculums are available, they are often too expensive for school districts to purchase. This paper analyzed SEL best practices so positive behavior and classroom engagement increase. Some elements commonly emerged through quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research for consideration as best practices. Included themes are a positive teacher-student relationship and positive student-student interactions. Once relationships were established, explicitly teaching a social skill then reinforcing with positive feedback and a game proved to be effective in increasing both behavior and classroom engagement. Research showed books and media were useful resources for supporting SEL standards. Finally, barriers to implementation are discussed and how to overcome such challenges. Evidence showed when these practices were implemented, positive behavior and classroom engagement increased