Caring for the Social and Emotional Well- Being of ELLs

Abstract

This capstone project aims to explore the relationship between the social-emotional well-being and academic success of English Language Learners (ELLs). It also aims to support teachers, faculty, and administrative staff who work with ELLs. In many U.S. school districts, including Wheatland-Chili Central School District, the lack of progression in meeting the social and emotional learning (SEL) needs of ELLs and developing healthy feelings of self-efficacy has impacted the academic success of ELLs. It has also led to isolation, student withdrawal, and poor teacher-student relationships. To increase social and emotional support for ELLs and non ELLs, multiple components of the school climate and teachers’ pedagogy have been considered to provide positive reinforcement in these areas at the middle and high school level within Wheatland-Chili Central School District. Solutions to the problem include implementations of SEL strategies and tools, emotional tracker, lesson plan template with SEL focus, and monthly in-house faculty professional development meetings. Recommendations include educating and incorporating SEL strategies into teaching pedagogies of mainstream and ELL teachers. Furthermore, newly implemented SEL strategies should be reviewed and revised to support teachers and ELLs with any necessary revisions for greater improvement.