A blog post by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback). This blog post has been beautifully illustrated by Pop Sutthiya Lertyongphati.
Accompanying podcast episode:
As high school teachers, we know that our students need more than just academic knowledge to thrive. They need tools to manage their emotions, build relationships (isn’t this so crucial in business?), and make thoughtful decisions. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) gives them these tools and helps us, as teachers, create classrooms where students feel supported, engaged, and ready to succeed.
In my classroom, SEL forms an integral part of each lesson’s structure and delivery, and today I’m sharing ten practical ways you can integrate it into your teaching too!
What is SEL?
At its core, SEL equips students with five essential skills:
- Self-awareness – Understanding their emotions, strengths, and areas for growth (target-setting, which is something teachers have been doing for decades to assist with academic goal setting, can certainly help with this too).
- Self-management – Managing stress (note: teachers need this too!), setting goals, and staying motivated.
- Social awareness – Showing empathy and valuing others’ perspectives (collaboration through group projects is a good way to facilitate this, provided there is a reflection on the interpersonal skills developed).
- Relationship skills – Building meaningful connections and resolving conflicts.
- Responsible decision-making – Making thoughtful, ethical choices.
A handy phrase that helps me to remember this list is “Three S’s and Two R’s”
When these skills are taught alongside academic content, students not only perform better in school but also develop confidence and resilience: character traits that will help them navigate various challenges throughout life.
10 Ways to Bring SEL Into Your Classroom
Here are some strategies I use that you can easily apply to your teaching:
1. Start with Emotional Check-Ins
Take a few moments at the start of class to check in with your students. A simple prompt like, “How are you feeling today?” using mood meters or sticky notes fosters self-awareness and helps you connect with your students on a deeper level. In my debut book, The Quick Guide to Classroom Management, I emphasize the importance of having ‘check-in’ conversations with your students on a regular basis (even as you are on duty, or walking around the corridor, for example). These are perfect for a homeroom/tutor group team-building activity. Any non-confidential information that you gather from such conversations (e.g. students’ hobbies and interests, life events, music preferences, etc.) is called ‘Professional Intelligence’, and it can be used to inform your teaching/interventions.
2. Facilitate Collaborative Projects
Group work is a great opportunity to practice relationship skills. Assign roles to each team member—such as leader, timekeeper, or presenter—to teach accountability and effective communication.
3. Introduce Mindfulness Practices
Short mindfulness exercises, like guided breathing, a mindful body scan, or a moment of silence, can help students manage stress and refocus their energy. These work wonders before a test or during a busy day. In my experience, these work best if they are deployed on a regular basis, rather than ad hoc, as there will be some initial awkwardness on the part of the students when they first try these exercises. Regular practice, and a class culture of acceptance and a recognition of the importance of mindfulness practices, are needed in order for the techniques to be truly effective.
If you’re new to mindfulness (as many teachers are), or if you’re struggling to come up with ideas for mindfulness activities, then this blog by American University contains lots of good information.
4. Encourage Journaling
Journaling allows students to reflect on their emotions and experiences in a personal, non-judgmental way. It’s a simple activity that promotes self-awareness and emotional regulation. This can be done in the traditional way, using personal notebooks, or online (e.g. via systems like Google Sites or Docs).
Make sure you make the journaling interactive in some way. You may wish to allow students to form ‘buddy groups’ with others they are comfortable sharing their emotions with or initiate some kind of ‘anonymous disclosure’ activity (e.g. students fill in an anonymous Google Form with reflections, or write something on a piece of paper, and the teacher reads responses to the class).
I’ve written a very popular blog post about Learning Journals here (feel free to adapt these ideas to SEL journaling too).
5. Practice Conflict Resolution
Present scenarios or real-life conflicts and guide students in resolving them through role-playing. This builds empathy, social awareness, and decision-making skills.
Edutopia have written this brilliant article on using role-play as a SEL teaching tool. I highly recommend that all teachers read this, as it contains ideas that are highly practical and actionable.
6. Celebrate Cultural Diversity
Create space for students to share their backgrounds, traditions, or interests. Whether it’s through classroom discussions, projects, or celebrations, this fosters social awareness and inclusion. Whilst diverse classrooms do sometimes come with unique challenges for the subject teacher, they also offer tremendous opportunities for team-building and cultural awareness.
7. Focus on Goal-Setting
Help students set and track SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). This activity encourages self-management and shows them how to turn aspirations into action. This can be done within individual subject areas, or as a more holistic PSHE, homeroom or mentoring activity.
8. Create a Peer Mentorship Program
Pair older students with younger ones in a mentorship program. Mentors build leadership and empathy, while mentees gain guidance and support—everyone wins! Such a programme will probably require some training for the mentors initially, and ground rules should definitely be established, but when organized and monitored properly this can be a very rewarding programme for individual students who need support.
I’ve written a separate blog post about executive coaching strategies here. Whilst that blog post is primarily aimed at adults who mentor adults, much of the material is applicable to secondary school mentoring scenarios too.
9. Build Gratitude Practices
Incorporate simple activities like gratitude walls or weekly affirmations. These encourage optimism, build confidence, and create a positive classroom environment.
Colorin Colorado have written this great article that outlines fifteen ideas for incorporating gratitude practices into your classroom.
10. Make SEL Part of Your Subject Lessons
Infuse SEL into your curriculum by highlighting its connections to your subject. For example:
- In English, analyze a character’s emotional growth.
- In History, discuss ethical dilemmas faced by historical figures.
- In Science, explore the societal impact of discoveries or technologies.
This approach shows students that SEL is not just an add-on—it’s essential to real-world problem-solving.
Can you think of some ways to incorporate SEL into your subject area? Please feel free to comment below.
Why I Love Using SEL
Incorporating SEL into my classroom has transformed the way I teach and the way my students learn. They’re more engaged, more resilient, and more empathetic toward each other. I’ve seen firsthand how these small, intentional practices can create a big impact. The only frustration that I sometimes have with SEL practices, however, is that it can take quite a considerable length of time before the classroom teacher sees the fruits of their labour. This time-investment, however, is worth it in my opinion.
I encourage you to try some of these strategies in your classroom and see the difference SEL can make. Have you already used SEL in your teaching? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below—let’s grow together! 😊
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