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

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Unboxing Social and Emotional Learning

Season 2 Kickoff: The Past, Present, and Future of Unboxing Social and Emotional Learning

October 30, 2025 • Melvin Chan, Emma McMain, Tonje Molyneux, Adishi Gupta, Jinan El Sabbagh • Season 2 • Episode 1

After a hiatus following Season 1, we are back and more excited than ever to dive into the unboxing of social and emotional learning! We find ourselves in a social scene that is both new and not-new, when we consider the political tensions SEL is up against and our ongoing concerns about its ability to dismantle systems of oppression in locally situated ways. Join us on a trip down memory lane as we reflect on how this podcast first got started, who we were then, who we are now, and where we are going.

Participants:

Melvin Chan, BSc, MA, York University

Jinan El Sabbagh, PhD, Oklahoma State University

Adishi Gupta, MA, Independent Scholar

Emma McMain, PhD, University of Arkansas

Tonje Molyneux, PhD, University of British Columbia

Facilitator: Emma McMain

Editor: Adam Engelbrecht

References and Resources:

El Sabbagh, J. (2021). “Move, play, regulate”: A critical ethnography of a community-based SEL curriculum’s transformative implications at a low-income public elementary school (Publication No. 10302) [Doctoral dissertation, Oklahoma State University]. ProQuest. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2663529983?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses
Health Promoting Schools (World Health Organization): https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-promoting-schools#tab=tab_1
Hoffman, D. M. (2009). Reflecting on social emotional learning: A critical perspective on trends in the United States. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 533-556. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308325184
McMain, E. M., & Higheagle Strong, Z. (2020). Social emotional learning for social emotional justice: A conceptual framework for education in the midst of pandemics. Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, 15(2), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.15760/nwjte.2020.15.2.6
Wellstream—The Canadian Centre for Innovation in Child & Youth Mental Health & Substance Use: https://wellstream.ca/