This is Elizabeth Holder for the New Educators Anonymous podcast. Today’s episode will cover social awareness, which is one of the five competencies of SEL, also known as the social and emotional learning framework. According to the New Jersey Department of Education, “social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel, and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions (New Jersey Department of Education, 2024).”

Social and emotional learning is important because students in SEL-focused programs are more likely to come to class, get better grades, have fewer behavioral issues, and care about their community. As students learn about social and emotional learning, they will become self-aware, self-managed, they will have social awareness of others, develop relationship skills, and can make healthy and responsible decision-making about personal behavior and social interactions with others.