Why social-emotional learning is the most important subject right now

Over the past few weeks, our team at The Social Institute has been brainstorming with students across the country about their greatest needs and concerns right now. The main takeaway: There is an overwhelming need to support students’ social-emotional health and well-being now more than ever before.

Students confess to us they feel stress and anxiety over this new “normal” way of attending school and socializing through technology. At the end of a long day of sitting in front of their computer screen trying to stay focused, some students report feeling lethargic and “blah." Zoom fatigue is now a thing — one high school sophomore told me she was “zoomed out.” And of course, there is palpable grief over missed milestones, particularly for students in the midst of a capstone year.

Social-distancing is keeping them safe physically, but educators and parents are looking for practical guidance on how to support students’ social-emotional health through this pandemic. In addition to huddling with students, our team met with The Social Institute’s Research Advisory Committee — a group of psychologists, mental health specialists, and social emotional learning experts. Here are some of our top ways students can use social media and technology to boost their social-emotional health:

While we can’t give students back everything they’ve lost this semester, we can support their learning from both an academic and social-emotional standpoint. We can help them find silver linings and focus on what really matters. And thankfully, we have the power of social media and technology to bring us together like never before.