In today's ever-changing educational scene, social emotional learning (SEL) has become super important for helping students grow holistically. SEL is all about nurturing healthy emotions, social skills, classroom engagement, self-awareness, and empathy. For teachers and classroom designers, this means creating environments that really foster these skills. And with the availability of your remaining Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, there's a great chance to support classrooms that do just that.

Getting to Know Social Emotional Learning

Social Emotional Learning is crucial for handling emotions, reaching goals, understanding others, building relationships, and making good choices. According to CASEL there are five main SEL skills, simply put: knowing yourself, managing yourself, understanding others, getting along with others, and making good decisions.

The Impact of Design

How classrooms are designed can have a big impact on Social EmotionalL development. Thoughtfully planned spaces can encourage socializing, reduce stress, and make students feel that they belong and are safe. Leveraging ESSER funds before they run out offers a great chance to put these ideas into action.

Here are six suggestions from our Learning Environments specialists:

• Flexible Seating and Layouts: Use ESSER funds to get furniture that can be arranged in different ways, letting students choose where to sit and encouraging different social setups.

• Inclusive and Diverse Environments: Invest in materials and displays that celebrate diversity and make every student feel seen and respected.
  
• Designated Emotional Zones: Create areas in the classroom with appropriate furniture where students can go to calm down or work through conflicts, helping them understand and manage their feelings better and improving wellness for the entire class.

• Natural Elements and Lighting: Improve natural light and introduce plants or trees to create a calming atmosphere that boosts emotional well-being.

• Visual Cues and Organizational Tools: ESSER funds can be allocated for materials that help organize the classroom space and provide clear visual
  cues, reducing anxiety and supporting executive functioning (students’ organizational skills.)
  
• Technology Integration: Use ESSER funds to get technology that enhances collaboration, communication, and creativity, finding the right balance between digital and face-to-face interactions.

The Educator's Role

While ESSER funds can help make physical changes, teachers play a large part in making SEL a part of everyday classroom life. This means modeling SEL skills, weaving SEL into lessons, creating a caring classroom community, and teaching SEL directly. As educational landscapes evolve, the strategic use of ESSER funds for SEL-focused classroom upgrades will be vital in nurturing the next generation of resilient, empathetic, and socially adept learners.

Contact our Learning Environments team for more information about design solutionsto enhance social emotional learning in your classroom.