Chances are, if you’re an educator or school media specialist, you’ve learned many techniques for combating hateful and bullying behavior in school. One method in particular has stepped to the forefront of these educational tactics: social emotional learning, or SEL. But what is it?
Social emotional learning can be described as the development of skills that help children cope and thrive, socially and emotionally. It fosters empathy, understanding, and resilience and offers a way for educators and librarians to teach children and teens how to relate positively to one another. Part of the mission of SEL techniques is to get beyond simplistic understandings of victims and bullies.
As adults, we all have some preconceived notions about why people participate in bullying. It’s important to remember that bullying is a behavior, not a descriptor. Librarians and teachers may want to start by reading Verywell’s “10 Common Myths and Misconceptions About Bullying.”
In recognition of October being National Bullying Prevention Month, we offer the following tools addressing SEL basics; tips for teens, parents, and educators; signs of a healthy friendship; and more.
Videos
Bystander Revolution Gr 2 Up–A crowdsourced collection of videos featuring celebrities and teens sharing their thoughts on antibullying techniques. This public service announcement from Bystander Revolution highlights how easy it is to step up, be kind, and make a difference in a stranger’s life and can easily be used in classrooms or programs. TEDx Talks: Empathy Is a Verb Professional–In this TEDx Talk, educational psychologist and author of UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in an All-About-Me World Michele Borba shares her expertise on how empathy can and should be actively practiced, using several classroom-based programs as examples. EmpathyLabUK All ages–Creators of the first Empathy Day, the Empathy Lab uses literature to foster empathy and social action. It draws on the latest neuroscience research to show that our elastic brains are capable of learning empathy. Keep an eye on this movement.Games that explore emotions
Cool School: Where Peace Rules K-Gr 3–While the directions are a bit cumbersome at first, this game sets up scenarios where young children can decide on the best course of action when bullying behavior occurs. This would best be used with an adult to aid in the navigation. It could also easily be used scene-by-scene in the classroom to encourage discussions with groups of children.Antibullying and SEL online resources
The Aspen Institute: The National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development Professional–The Aspen Institute brings together scholars, governmental experts, and the private sector to examine and discuss what makes for successful learning environments. The gold mine of this site, however, is the resource page. The site is filled with case studies, output from conferences, and ample background literature. Educators, librarians, and parents will find great arguments for the inclusion of social emotional learning within the walls of educational institutions. Teaching Students To Prevent Bullying: Curriculum Resources Professional–The National Education Association provides lesson plans, activities, games, quizzes, books, and more for teachers in grades K to 12. Organized by age and subject, the lesson plans can also be browsed by month to coordinate thematically with nationally recognized holidays or months.Social media support
Empathy through books
Bank Street College of Education: Social & Emotional Learning Through Literature Professional–Well-organized and researched, New York City’s Bank Street College of Education offers two sets of themed book lists to support librarians. The lists—one on “Acceptance, Fitting In, and Identity” and one on “Bullying/Teasing”—are broken into two age groups (children eight and younger, and books for children nine and up) and include a short description of each book’s highlights and themes.We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing
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