Decision making as a pedagogy for social emotional learning

This paper makes the case for adults in children’s lives to incorporate the science of decision-making skills as a pedagogy for social emotional learning (SEL), the process through which humans acquire a set of five core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship s...

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Main Authors: Brooke Moore, Robin Gregory
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-06-01
Series:Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773233924000081
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author Brooke Moore
Robin Gregory
author_facet Brooke Moore
Robin Gregory
author_sort Brooke Moore
collection DOAJ
description This paper makes the case for adults in children’s lives to incorporate the science of decision-making skills as a pedagogy for social emotional learning (SEL), the process through which humans acquire a set of five core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2020). Choices require learners to activate the first four SEL components while being explicit about the fifth, which can be an inclusive protocol for teaching and practicing SEL. The interdisciplinary decision and behavioural sciences (Kahneman, 2003) offer many insights into why a structured decision-making process can help youth move strategically through a choice to create new opportunities and develop their social emotional development while avoiding common missteps (which decrease social emotional development). Missteps are likely in more common approaches such as pros and cons lists, vague directives to “stop and think,” and voting. In terms of collaborative decisions, the decision sciences illustrate how approaches based on understanding values and being curious about others’ perspectives can help to build choices that embrace diversity and minimize polarizing reliance on misinformation. Models of collaborative structured decision-making, in particular, help teachers encourage their students to embrace transformative SEL oriented towards social justice, positioning diversity within groups as a necessary asset in reaching a quality decision (Jagers et al., 2019). The incorporation of a plain-language, science-based framework, such as the one detailed in this paper, provides a foundation for students to responsibly make minor decisions and significant decisions, all while explicitly and implicitly developing their social emotional skills.
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spelling doaj-art-e3f277d0fb254f1485ffbceefb3fdaae2025-08-20T03:41:51ZengElsevierSocial and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy2773-23392024-06-01310003410.1016/j.sel.2024.100034Decision making as a pedagogy for social emotional learningBrooke Moore0Robin Gregory1Delta School District, 4585 Harvest Dr, Delta, BC V4K 5B4, Canada; Correspondence to: 5426 48B Avenue, Delta, BC V4K 4E7, Canada.Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Decision Research, PO Box 72538, Springfield, OR 97475, USAThis paper makes the case for adults in children’s lives to incorporate the science of decision-making skills as a pedagogy for social emotional learning (SEL), the process through which humans acquire a set of five core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2020). Choices require learners to activate the first four SEL components while being explicit about the fifth, which can be an inclusive protocol for teaching and practicing SEL. The interdisciplinary decision and behavioural sciences (Kahneman, 2003) offer many insights into why a structured decision-making process can help youth move strategically through a choice to create new opportunities and develop their social emotional development while avoiding common missteps (which decrease social emotional development). Missteps are likely in more common approaches such as pros and cons lists, vague directives to “stop and think,” and voting. In terms of collaborative decisions, the decision sciences illustrate how approaches based on understanding values and being curious about others’ perspectives can help to build choices that embrace diversity and minimize polarizing reliance on misinformation. Models of collaborative structured decision-making, in particular, help teachers encourage their students to embrace transformative SEL oriented towards social justice, positioning diversity within groups as a necessary asset in reaching a quality decision (Jagers et al., 2019). The incorporation of a plain-language, science-based framework, such as the one detailed in this paper, provides a foundation for students to responsibly make minor decisions and significant decisions, all while explicitly and implicitly developing their social emotional skills.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773233924000081Decision-makingPedagogySELInstructionTransformative SEL
spellingShingle Brooke Moore
Robin Gregory
Decision making as a pedagogy for social emotional learning
Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy
Decision-making
Pedagogy
SEL
Instruction
Transformative SEL
title Decision making as a pedagogy for social emotional learning
title_full Decision making as a pedagogy for social emotional learning
title_fullStr Decision making as a pedagogy for social emotional learning
title_full_unstemmed Decision making as a pedagogy for social emotional learning
title_short Decision making as a pedagogy for social emotional learning
title_sort decision making as a pedagogy for social emotional learning
topic Decision-making
Pedagogy
SEL
Instruction
Transformative SEL
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773233924000081
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