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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
Episodes
16 episodes
Season 2 Finale: An End to a Beginning
In this final (for now) episode of Unboxing Social and Emotional Learning, we look back on the podcast project as a whole—sharing favorite moments, discussing recurrent themes, and imagining what may come next for the pod and for SEL. ...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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56:51
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Embodying Empathy: Performing Arts and SEL - With Sharmila Miller
In this conversation with Sharmila Miller, we learn about her experience as a drama teacher and anti-racism facilitator within education and performing arts. Sharmila shares how the process of teaching drama inherently involves engaging student...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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59:56
Interconnected: Bringing an Ecological Perspective to SEL - With Drs. Shannon Wanless and Renee Owen
In this episode of Unboxing SEL, Dr. Shannon Wanless and Dr. Renee Owen share insights from their article Evolving Transformative SEL with an Ecological Perspective. They trace their unique paths into SEL and explain why movin...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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51:14
In Conversation with the Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma - With Xavier Graves and Traci Gardner
Unboxing SEL dives into conversation with Traci Gardner and Xavier Graves from the Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma (RJIOK) to learn about their work and vision toward promoting more just and equitable futures. Restorative justice, say...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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55:09
Educational Support and SEL - With Michaela Brain
In this lively episode, Michaela Brain joins us to talk about her work as an educational assistant and support worker in British Columbia, Canada. Michaela shares her experiences with SEL instruction across a variety of educational settings inc...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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45:44
Restoring the Humanity of Social and Emotional Learning - With Chris McNutt
Chris McNutt joins us for a transformative conversation about his work as the co-founder and executive director of Human Restoration Project, a nonprofit organization focused on truly listening to youth and reimagining school at a systems level...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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59:46
Season 2 Kickoff: The Past, Present, and Future of Unboxing Social and Emotional Learning
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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59:43
SEL and Politics
Let’s talk politics! As SEL becomes increasingly situated in the midst of educational “culture wars” between the political left and right, we decided to devote an entire episode to discussing how this polarization has happened and what it means...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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57:49
SEL and Cultural Appropriation: Mindfulness and Yoga
Drawing on our own experiences and associations with yoga and meditative practices, we investigate the rise of mindfulness and yoga in SEL programs. Substantial research touts the benefits of these practices across age groups, and yet we wonder...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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54:05
SEL and More-Than-Human Entanglements
Gut bacteria, viruses, microbes, sand and soil…in this episode, we acknowledge how sociality and emotionality are always embedded within human-nonhuman entanglements. How can SEL be extended to recognize and nurture these entanglements? If SEL ...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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50:56
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 bec...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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1:07:43
SEL and the Social
Our last episode was all about the self, and now we turn to the social. SEL not only focuses on promoting “self” regulation and “self” awareness--it also emphasizes expressing emotion to others, recognizing emotion in others, and building relat...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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55:05
SEL and the Self
To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom, says Socrates. Self-awareness and self-management appear as central components of most SEL programs, and self-improvement, self-help, and self-care are buzzwords in our daily lives. We devote...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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53:54
SEL and Neoliberalism
Neo-what? We’re back with our third episode to discuss how SEL is entangled with the for-profit world of marketization and self-surveillance in some pretty concerning ways. We make space to discuss what we actually mean when we use wor...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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53:14
SEL and Social Crisis…Who and What is the Problem?
The sky is always falling! Or is it? SEL is often positioned as the response to a message of “society in crisis,” “children in crisis,” “schools in crisis,” or all of the above. In this message, SEL is usually framed as the so...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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52:10
Starting the Conversation: Critical Dialogue Around Social and Emotional Learning
Welcome to the inaugural episode of our podcast series, “Unboxing SEL!” We come together as a group of friends, educators, and scholars to discuss social and emotional learning in ways that do not frequently occur in K-12 and higher education. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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51:55