Unboxing Social and Emotional Learning
We are a group of friends, educators, and scholars (but hopefully not the gate-keeping kind) who use podcasting to speak critically, honestly, and open-mindedly about the excitements and concerns we have about social and emotional learning (SEL). What happens when sociality and emotionality, two things that have always been a part of learning, become seen as measurable in a world of marketized and self-managed education? How can we bust SEL out of any boxed-in definitions, and how might we unpack its complexity? Join us in asking questions without easy answers and taking the time to peel back layers of education that are often left undisturbed.
Contact us at: unboxingselpodcast@gmail.com
Unboxing Social and Emotional Learning
SEL and Settler Colonialism
Sequoia leads us through grounding activities to open and close our discussion about the settler-colonial underpinnings of social and emotional learning (SEL). Together, we grapple with critical questions about how and whether SEL can truly become culturally responsive, sustaining, or revitalizing. Where do issues of cultural appropriation crop up, and how can SEL push against an expectation of eternal “self-improvement” to hold space for balance, presence, and acceptance? SEL certainly needs to learn with and from Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities if it is to promote equity. However, we end with the unresolved question of whether Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities necessarily need the “help” of SEL.
Participants:
Melvin Chan, BSc, MA, York University
Sequoia Dance-Leighton, MA, Washington State University
Jinan El Sabbagh, PhD, Oklahoma State University
Adishi Gupta, MA,University of British Columbia
Emma McMain, PhD, Washington State University
Tonje Molyneux, MEd, MA, University of British Columbia
Facilitator: Sequoia Dance-Leighton
Editor: Adam Engelbrecht
References:
Sun, J., Goforth, A. N., Nichols, L. M., Violante, A., Christopher, K., Howlett, R., & Graham, N. (2022). Building a space to dream: Supporting Indigenous children's survivance through community‐engaged social and emotional learning. Child Development, 93(3), 699–716. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13786