Social Emotional Learning and English Language Learners

Abstract

This capstone discusses the increasing need for culturally conscious teaching practices in social-emotional learning curriculums. Due to the increasing diversity in schools, educators and other instructional staff must modify social and emotional curricula to accommodate the diverse needs of their English language learners. English language learners enter the classroom with social, emotional, and cultural needs that need to be addressed before academic learning. It is essential to include the diverse needs and cultures of these students in the classroom environment to increase self-efficacy and student motivation. The current social and emotional learning curriculums do not accommodate such needs. Solutions to this problem include implementing the CASEL framework and providing resources for teachers to modify their classroom curriculum for their diverse learner needs. Recommendations include conducting research on the social and emotional development of students and particularly English language learners over time and creating a culturally conscious social and emotional learning curriculum with standards and lessons for each developmental level.