Creating an environment that focuses on the whole child rather than just academics and grades is essential to promoting their wellbeing. A positive school environment leads to increased student motivation, higher high school graduation rates, improved wellbeing of both educators and students and many more potential benefits. With wellbeing and SEL recently becoming “hot topics” within education, it can be difficult to keep up to date with this rapidly evolving field. There is a myriad of information out on the importance of this holistic approach and how social emotional methods should be used in the classroom to create a more positive climate for all, but these books are great to make sense of it all.
Inspiring the Best in Students by Johnathan C. Erwin
Students feel more inclined to learn in an environment where they have choice and meaningful relationships with their educators and classmates. Erwin gives his advice to 3rd to 12th grade teachers based on over 15 years of teaching experience to help students embrace their education and community.
The Emotional Literacy Handbook by James Park, Alice Haddon, Harriet Goodman
This quick read takes a holistic approach to early education, taking into account the role of the student, teacher, parent and community as a whole to promote social emotional learning. An extensive list of additional resources will guide you to more information about any topic that spark your interest throughout the book.
How to Promote Children’s Social and Emotional Competence by Carolyn Webster-Stratton
Webster-Stratton writes out short scripts between a teacher and parent, examples of notes to send home with students and so on to show what a SEL conscious class would look like. Happy Grams, circle time games and deep discussions are just a selection of what is offered in this book.
The Educators Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement
The 25 expert contributors detail exactly why social emotional learning is essential to the overall education of children, ranging from early brain development to distinct socio-economic positions. This book dives deep into the fundamental importance of SEL and why it needs to be the new gold standard for education.
Teach, Breathe, Learn by Meena Srinivasan
Teaching at any level is challenging, so Srinivasan refocuses the importance of mindfulness onto the teacher. Srinivasan provides educators with the tools to maintain their own wellbeing so that they can lead by example in the classroom.
Lost at School by Dr. Ross Greene
Dr. Greene gets to the true heart of the behavioral issues, refuting the common conception that children are acting out by choice or for attention. Rather, the issue is a “lack of important thinking skills,” which means that teachers must commit to understanding the actual intent of a students behavior in order to appropriately respond and best meet students needs
Creating Safe, Equitable, Engaging Schools: A Comprehensive, Evidence-based Approach to Supporting Students
There are a multitude of factors that influence how students behave and this book helps to make the numerous frameworks developed more coherent. Over 30 experts contribute to this research, creating an easy to understand basis on how to form a support system that takes all aspects of a child into account.
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