Prioritizing the Social and Emotional Learning in Students' Digital Lives During the Pandemic
The intersection of SEL and digital citizenship supports students’ unique digital challenges.
There
is no doubt that the last 18 months have taken a tremendous toll on
students' mental health and wellbeing as they adjusted to drastic
changes in their schools and communities. As we continue to navigate
the ever-evolving hurdles of this pandemic and gear up for a new
school year, educators recognize the importance of supporting
students' social and emotional wellbeing, understanding that it's
fundamental to academic success.
When
thinking about social and emotional learning, it's important to
acknowledge the ways in which young people are interacting, learning,
and communicating with one another. If it wasn't already the case,
the pandemic cemented the role of media and technology in young
peoples' lives as they learned to navigate Zoom classes, maintained
connections with friends and family, and navigated a sea of
fast-changing information about the world. The digital context in
which young people are interacting is core to their life experiences,
emotions, relationships, and identity development and is something
schools will want to address as they enter the new school year. As
a result, the social and emotional wellbeing of students,
particularly in and around the digital world, must be a priority for
both educators and families.
Uncertain
Environment
One
of the most immediate concerns teachers and school districts are
dealing with is the conflicting guidance around the Delta variant.
Just
when everyone thought things would look a bit more "normal"
by the start of the new school year with in-person learning, we're
now dealing with conflicting messaging, policies, and continued
uncertainty on how school will look in the coming months. This
uncertain environment will require flexibility and resiliency. The
social and emotional implications for young people will continue to
be a priority across all learning environments. While
social and emotional learning (SEL) is already a priority in many
schools, the evolving influences of COVID variants will require a
flexibility to adapt SEL for a socially distant classroom setting,
hybrid or remote learning as well. Technology will continue to play
an important role in students’ various learning environments. But
how do students apply social-emotional competencies in the digital
world? Schools will need to support students specifically in this
area, as students increasingly use technology for learning and life.
Mental
Health
After
a difficult year, educators must
be mindful of the struggles students will have transitioning back to
school and back to socializing in and around classrooms. These
struggles may include experience with illness and death in families,
isolation and loneliness, inadequate access to school resources, or
poverty and job loss. Students have been through a lot, and there’s
a great need for additional support from schools. In addition,
students are participating in a polarized, contentious, and confusing
online environment, whether it’s media they’re consuming or
interacting with on social media. In
our Common
Sense research,
we found that teens
and young adults are exposed to more hate speech than ever before on
social media platforms, and the content they are exposed to tends to
be targeted at them by their race, gender, and/or sexual orientation.
The
frequency with which young people reported encountering hateful
content online has nearly doubled in the last
two years (from 12% to 23%). Furthermore, the problem with
disinformation
and misinformation on the internet and social media is a huge
problem, so much so that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has
declared it a “serious
threat to public health.”
Meanwhile,
38% of all 14- to 22-year-olds report symptoms of moderate to severe
depression, up from 25% in 2018. These
unique challenges highlight the importance of not just teaching SEL
but also digital citizenship: the responsible use of technology to
learn, create, and participate.
School
Investments
This
past year also brought an infusion of funds from the stimulus package
and Emergency Connectivity Fund, where schools are investing in
devices and infrastructure to help get all students online and
connected for learning. While
acquiring technology is important to address opportunity gaps,
effective technology integration requires that schools invest in
supporting students’ wellbeing with digital citizenship and SEL
skills to use devices responsibly, and to better manage the impact of
media and tech in their lives. This, in turn, can improve academic
performance, decrease conflict between students, and help students
feel more invested in their school communities.
Recommendations
Technology's
impact on students' social and emotional wellbeing can vary across
age and levels of development, so implementation of social-emotional
learning for students’ digital lives can vary widely. SEL
in Digital Life resources,
such as CASEL-aligned short lessons, family conversation starters,
and teacher training are a great place to start. Here are some best
practices to keep in mind:
-
Make
time for SEL: We know
educators have a ton on their plates, but SEL doesn’t have to be a
huge time commitment. Even 10
or 15
minutes a couple times per week to do a “gut check” in with your
students on their feelings, how their day is going, and if they are
experiencing any challenges can add up as important support
throughout the school year. Look for CASEL-aligned resources to
address the five core competencies of SEL.
-
Classroom
Culture: Establish
a positive classroom culture around digital citizenship and SEL at
the start of the year. Set expectations with students — which you
can do collaboratively — on norms regarding their self-management,
self-awareness, relationship skills, and more both in-person and
online. Ask them how they want to be responsible for themselves and
others as they learn, communicate, and work together. You can
revisit and level-set these expectations throughout the year,
especially if conditions around in-person and remote learning may
change.
-
Family
Engagement: Parents
and caregivers are looking to schools for advice on supporting their
child’s technology use. Caregivers are an essential piece of
guiding children with SEL and digital citizenship, to help reinforce
what is taught in the classroom, and have deeper conversations on
kids’ experiences in their digital lives.
As
we look forward to the coming school year, prioritizing social and
emotional wellbeing in students' digital lives is an important
foundation to help them thrive as learners in an ever-changing
environment.