Is SEL (social emotional learning) environment better in a boarding school?
Social emotional learning (SEL) is a process that helps students develop the knowledge, understandings, skills, and positive attitudes needed to recognize and address social and emotional issues in themselves and others while increasing the capacity to make informed decisions.
In other words, it develops children’s skills in making good choices and the ability to understand and manage their emotions in ways that will allow them to be more successful, not only academically but also socially.
Research done by top boys schools in India shows that social emotional learning interventions improve anti-bullying practices both in the classroom and playground, school attendance and grades, empathy and compassion for others, behaviors that lead to violence and conflict, aggression and substance abuse, as well as leadership skills.
There is a growing consensus among educators and practitioners in the field of human and social development that learning the abilities which foster socio-emotional competence and learning to regulate emotions are central to success in school and in life.
School plays an increasing role in promoting socio-emotional development and educators throughout the world have identified the need for effective programs based on socio-emotional competencies.
While much social-emotional learning takes place in the classroom, it is honestly not enough and with the rapidly changing world, children need to be socially and emotionally aware at all times.
Today’s children experience stress both at home and at school but they don’t get to practice it as much as they should. Boarding schools ensure that your child is able to practice his social and emotional learnings at all times.
Being at home they aren’t able to practice it as much because first, the number of people they get to interact with is limited and second, this limited exposure breeds a similar thought process which starts inhibiting an individual and their capabilities.
A growing body of research over the last 20 years has demonstrated that there are significant social and emotional learning (SEL) benefits to be had from residential education. These include improved self esteem, values, life skills and motivation, as well as increased capacity for tolerance, social connectedness and problem solving.
In boarding schools in India, you get to make friends and learn how to work together. You will be placed in a residential facility where you will have cooked three meals. You have the option of partaking in team building activities with your peers, such as playing a game of football or paintballing. The social emotional learning program enables you to sample the real world and give you life skills to succeed when you leave.
Students at a boarding schools learn how to accept diversity with empathy and friendliness. Technical skills are enhanced through interaction with students and teachers in the same environment. It benefits the boarders in the boarding school, due to how they interact with the other resident borders and learn everyone’s personality first, instead of being segregated throughout their primary school years.
This allows them to understand how cultural differences affect one’s behavior and how people from different cultures view things differently. They are exposed to interact and empathize with other races, which is important as it helps with developing their own personalities.
As the world becomes smaller, being a global citizen has become increasingly important and therefore every child, regardless of their background or upbringing, needs an education in social emotional learning to be successful.
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