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Issues in Curriculum

Lauren Turner

University of West Georgia

Curriculum Trends and Issues

Dr. Robert Morris

April 9, 2023
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Educators globally embraced the challenges put forth by the Covid-19 pandemic beginning in

2020 and were hailed as heroes as they shifted from online teaching to hybrid learning, and now finally

back to brick-and-mortar teaching. The past three years have presented challenges unlike any other

time in history to our educational system, the dynamics of teaching, and the progress of our students.

One of the consequences teachers and administrators are currently faced with are the deficits and

learning gaps left over from the time spent learning virtually. Nationally, it is reported that our students

in grades 4 and 8 are scoring lower in both reading and math than in previous assessment years going

back the past two decades (Sparks, 2022). Teachers are struggling to close gaps, diminish the deficits,

and continue to teach their own required grade level standards. The effects from a nationwide virtual

learning experience will continue to be observed for a generation, but most notably, beyond the

academic faults, teachers find that students returning to their classrooms are lacking the social-

emotional skills like self-management, responsible decision-making, and social awareness that were put

on the back burner during the pandemic.

"Behavior problems and psychological distress among young children have increased since the

pandemic began and are correlated with cumulative exposure to pandemic-related stressors, such as job

loss and family illness (Gassman-Pines, 2022)." Substantial changes to the lives of young children and

adolescents have caused psychological effects that continue to be studied. Many variables, including

household disruptions, childcare changes, and socioeconomic factors play a part in the effect on child

development during 2020 and beyond. Escalated levels of emotions like sadness, anxiety, irritability,

anger, and depression have been reported in young children (Gassman-Pines, 2022). Teachers are

experiencing an uptick in explosive behaviors from students lacking coping skills at developmentally

appropriate rates. Teachers are struggling to catch students up to speed academically and make up for

lost time spent on socializing, problem-solving, and communication skills. One of the primary goals of

education is to prepare students for life and to become college and career ready, and that extends
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beyond academics. Students need to become competent in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and within

that scope, the five competencies. These are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness,

relationship skills, and responsible decision-making (Keane, 2023). These five competencies enable

students to better understand their emotions, self-control, friendship, and communication skills, and

ultimately be able to have more success as an academic learner in school. Since, "the concept of SEL is

rooted in the idea that, for a child in school, learning is a social process as much as it is an academic one

(Keane, 2023)," educators that can integrate SEL concepts within their teaching will be promoting the

child's social, emotional, and academic progress. The benefits of SEL are confirmed by neuroscience and

have been shown to lead to success in school and also in family and social relationships. Students with

exposure to programs involving the five SEL competencies have increased community involvement and

reduced criminal behavior (Keane, 2023).

Schools must move toward implementing an SEL research-based program or curriculum and

teaching the five competencies, both through direct instruction and modeling positive behavior. "SEL

programs stand the greatest chance of success when organized as a school-wide commitment and

embedded into the school's daily fabric (McChargue, 2022)." Creating accountability for teachers,

administrators, and students increases the effectiveness and likelihood that students will be positively

impacted and see results over time when they are routinely engaged in learning involving the SEL

competencies. These competencies can and should be taught in core classes, electives, and throughout

all K-12 grades. Students of all ages benefit from self and social awareness, better relationship skills, and

being able to responsibly make decisions. "The competencies, often considered soft skills, affect

academic learning (Varner, 2020)." Students with developed social-emotional skills can "focus their

attention, set and monitor goals, recognize and resolve problems, make decisions, and use

organizational skills to achieve academic and personal objectives." These abilities have clear connections

to academic success.
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One way to ensure the successful implementation of the SEL competencies is through ongoing

professional development and teacher training. Training teachers to become proficient in the skills

should begin in their teacher certification programs, whether that be undergraduate or alternate

programs. Similar to the need for ELL or Reading Endorsements, SEL Endorsements or college courses

would better prepare educators for the undeniable need for SEL approaches in the classroom. Teachers

nationwide are serving more students with disabilities, language needs, and learning gaps. Just as they

prepare for these accommodations within their curriculum, they need to understand the underlying

social and emotional needs of their students. "Like any other subject, educators need to have a solid

understanding of what social-emotional learning is in order to feel prepared to teach these skills

(Prothero, 2022)." Fortunately, "as more research comes forward on SEL benefits, teacher preparation

institutes are beginning to rethink their requirements to include SEL components into their curriculum

courses (McChargue, 2022)." The shift in educating future teachers on the importance of SEL builds a

foundation for future success. "There are some key factors that contribute to the success of social-

emotional learning, such as high-quality, evidence-based curricula; integrating social-emotional learning

into academic subjects, and, finally, a school culture and climate that supports social-emotional learning.

(Prothero, 2022)"

Social- Emotional Learning does not need to exist only in the form of explicit, direct instruction.

Embedding content into core curriculum and within daily lessons is meaningful to students and works

toward the common goal. "Educators and school administrators also have the power to foster a positive

environment that promotes SEL by clearly voicing expectations and classroom rules that establish social

norms that are guided by positivity and respect and by promoting positive relationships among students

and teachers by establishing structures that allow for a predictable daily routine and conflict resolution

when necessary (Keane, 2023)." Integrating the SEL competencies may seem time-consuming or difficult

for teachers. It is common knowledge that teachers spend hours of unpaid time working to promote the
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education and well-being of their students. However, implementing research-based best practices

integrates many of the SEL concepts without additional work or planning. For example, in science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics courses, Project-Based Learning (PBL) has been shown to rely

on "core strengths in social-emotional learning (SEL), including self-awareness and social awareness,

positive relationships, and responsibility (Lee, 2022)." Elementary students in multiple grade levels,

beginning in kindergarten, were studied using PBL to problem solve or create products deemed useful to

their community using mathematics. These tasks involved a multitude of SEL skills including "reinforced

positive relationship building and effective conflict handling, demonstrating resourcefulness, managing

time, meeting authentic criteria, and persisting through challenges rather than following step-by-step,

one-size-fits-all procedures (Lee, 2022)." The lessons also involved social awareness by sharing heritage

and inclusivity of all group members, some of whom were students with physical disabilities.

Perseverance and collaboration were noted in all lessons as students worked together to exchange ideas

and solutions. Project-Based Learning is usually found in science classrooms since it mirrors real inquiry-

based approaches used by scientists but can be used across curriculums and subject areas as an

effective research-based teaching strategy. "Teaching science through inquiry refers to the pedagogical

decisions and actions teachers make to promote collaboration, decision-making, and a deep

understanding of fundamental science ideas (Bahnson,2020).” As such, in the process of inquiry,

students build their relationship skills by communicating effectively and use decision making to revise or

implement changes to their shared products. Natural learning takes place as students are forced to think

critically and collaboratively with their peers. Teachers can foster these skills through direct instruction

of team roles, conflict resolution, and shared responsibility. Additionally, subjects within the arts can

effectively integrate SEL quite easily. General music education incorporates "activities such as

improvisation, ensemble playing, group singing, and defining emotions (Varner, 2020)," which "helps in

fostering brain development, cognitive development, social-emotional learning and academic

performance in healthy children and adolescents (Varner, 2020)." Music and art are creative outlets for

students and can also help students regulate their behavior and adapt well to change. These critical life

skills can be achieved through mediums students find enjoyable in the arts while promoting cognitive

development and academic skills.

Education researcher Robert Marzano employs several instructional strategies for effective

teachers, including cooperative learning. Engaging students with SEL methods and strategies related to

cooperative learning like social awareness and responsible decision-making will make using this strategy

more seamless in its execution. Many students need to be taught cooperation, particularly in primary

grades. Students who work in partners or teams can problem solve under the supervision of teachers

who can coach them through various scenarios. Marzano also focuses on maintaining relationships and

engaging with students, a natural consequence of SEL in the classroom. Goal setting and high

expectations are other pillars of his framework and schools have often set their teacher evaluation

ratings to his methodology. Rating scales and indicators allow teachers to see where their practices fall

with his four domains that are directly tied to student achievement (Learning Sciences International,

2022).

As with any academic curriculum, teachers want to ensure that their students are represented

equally, and "a curriculum is not thorough if students are only given the opportunity to think critically

and act responsively, but not equitably (Scott, 2014)." An equitable curriculum is critical for students

who are racially, culturally, or cognitively diverse. Students who are English language learners (ELL) can

transition into a new culture more smoothly through SEL integration in class. "Language—both verbal

and nonverbal—has a role in creating misunderstandings, de-escalating conflicts, and attaining and

preserving peace (Pentón, 2021)." Learning a new language in a new culture is difficult for students,

especially when compounded with differing cultural norms. Teachers of ELL students should implement

SEL practices to hone social relationships between their native English-speaking students and ELLs.
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Nonverbal language, like body language, can be misinterpreted, leading to misunderstanding and

conflicts among students. Students may experience stress, fear, a sense of inferiority, and a dislike for

school if these social interactions are not addressed. Teachers or counselors can host small group

discussions and lead students to find similarities in their interests and lives. Finding commonalities

fosters a sense of community in the classroom and creates a positive school climate. Teachers of ELL

students can use strategies like role play or pairing students with a positive peer role model to help

students gain a better sense of cultural expectations. Building friendships between students or setting

up mentor/mentee relationships can promote growth in the relationship skills and social awareness

competencies of SEL.

"Existing SEL scholarship highlights the pressing need for teachers to take a race-conscious

approach to SEL (Forman, 2022)." Students of color need to see themselves represented in social-

emotional learning activities, just as they do in other assignments and in literature. Teachers who can

create culturally responsive and respectful classrooms are modeling the very skills they are promoting

through social-emotional learning. When doing so, "teachers must ask themselves the following: Do the

assignments and materials equally and equitably represent the views of African American and Hispanic

American students (Scott, 2014)?" Teachers should work to acknowledge differences and embrace

diversity as part of relationship skills. Preparing students for life includes the diverse population of

people they will work with in the community and encounter in higher education. Collaboration despite

differences is key to building a successful business, community, and society.

The five-competency framework of SEL is largely inclusive of components regularly indicated in

the social and behavioral goals for a wide array of students with individualized education plans (IEPs)

(Eveleigh, 2022). For students with IEPs, or those in the process of qualifying, SEL can have a meaningful

impact on their progress toward behavior goals. Relationship skills, social awareness, and self-awareness

skills can increase a student's ability to make friends, understand their own emotions, and successfully
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navigate through complicated feelings and work towards reaching an appropriate solution. "Students

with learning differences account for one in five students in the United States, including students with

specific learning disabilities and those who have learning and attention issues but are not formally

diagnosed (Eveleigh, 2022)," so it is pertinent for educators to remain mindful of accommodating these

students in all aspects of the curriculum, including SEL.

"Technology's impact on students' social and emotional well-being can vary across age and

levels of development (Campos, 2021)." One-to-one device-to-student ratios are becoming more

common across the country and children are constantly exposed to a wide variety of technology daily.

Students have access to social media accounts and immediate information at home and school. Raising

responsible digital citizens has become a parent and teacher role. Social media strongly impacts

students' emotional well-being, as well as the social dynamics and relationships we see at school.

Students frequently encounter hateful content, online bullying, and distorted images that can affect self-

esteem and body image. In a recent survey from Common Sense on how young people use digital media

to manage their mental health while coping with Covid-19, the frequency with which young people

reported encountering hateful content online was substantially higher today than it was in 2018

(Campos, 2021). In order to offset the detrimental impacts of digital media, educators should employ

SEL tactics combined with responsible digital citizenship lessons beginning in elementary school. In

addition to this type of instruction, educators can also use technology to improve the SEL competency of

their students by intentionally using programs and apps designed to help students improve their self-

awareness and self-management skills. Many apps aim to help students of all age levels identify and

understand their emotions, self-regulate, foster empathy, and practice mindfulness and self-control.

Students can even find apps to help them during specific life transitions, like going from elementary to

middle school, or with complex topics like dealing with depression (Emotional Intelligence, n.d.). With
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apps and lessons like these, educators can provide their students with SEL strategies to promote the

social and emotional health of their students.

The purpose of education is to prepare students for life beyond the classroom academically,

socially, and emotionally. This includes equipping students to transition into responsible global citizens

able to apply academic content and interpersonal skills to their chosen field of work. As educators work

to prepare their students, it is helpful to consider the most desirable workforce capabilities employers

search for when adding to their teams. According to Lieberman's article, "US Companies: Key Job Skills

Students Need Post-Pandemic," many large companies target potential employees with SEL skills above

other points of interest when hiring. People with agility and flexibility, a growth mindset and resilience,

teamwork, and collaboration use these traits to transition to the workplace efficiently and successfully

and are often prioritized as valuable candidates. While several companies emphasized the ability to use

technology or code, they also reasoned that those skills require problem-solving, inquiry, and other

team-based core values. Employees who can empathize, show emotional intelligence, and engage with

colleagues and customers are helping their companies succeed in their vision and mission for customer

service and care. Additionally, many companies had priorities shift during the pandemic and have

reimagined their success plan and values. There is also a high need for resilience and a growth mindset

which are strongly emphasized in social-emotional learning. Positive correlations between resiliency and

engagement, productivity, ambition, and turnover rates have also indicated the future and long-term

success rates of employees to those hiring.

Unlike academic test results, the results of a social-emotional learning program are more

difficult to quantify. A successful SEL program can have a positive academic impact on students, but also

takes on greater meaning when those skills are transferred to "non-academic skills, such as resiliency,

empathy, goal setting, responsible decision making, and emotional management (Prothero,2022)."

Districts and states that have already implemented a long-running SEL program have found the best way
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to reflect upon the efficacy of the program is trifold. First, they consider data relative to graduation

rates, academic achievement, behavioral referrals, and participation in extra-curricular activities.

Analyzing specific pieces of this data, such as discipline referrals, allows educators and administrators to

better understand patterns occurring and where more attention is needed. If trends are visible in the

discipline data in a specific subgroup, time of day or teacher, they reflect and can plan for

transformative SEL routines. When SEL practices are sustained and embedded in the district culture,

there can be positive correlations to student engagement, mental health, and even staff turnover.

Additionally, collecting student beliefs and attitudes in the form of surveys over time can also reflect the

impact of SEL curriculum and show areas needing improvement. Students reflect and report on their

own social-emotional intelligence and the districts have reported that they generally trend with higher

reading and math scores, as well as higher GPAs. In contrast, rates of suspensions and absenteeism

decrease. Finally, schools are also using feedback from students to help guide instruction in the form of

annual student conferences. In these conferences, students share their perspectives and give voice to

the SEL implementation so that administrators and educators can continue to fine-tune the SEL

curriculum and understand the direction to work toward next.

Social-emotional learning can take shape in many different forms, but the benefits of

successfully implementing a strong SEL curriculum are tremendous. Students and staff alike need these

foundational life skills to have self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills,

and responsible decision-making abilities. Teachers need quality professional development

opportunities, their own SEL education, and to be a part of schools with a cohesive stance on the

direction and importance of these competencies. Students deserve the opportunity to learn these

intrapersonal and interpersonal skills that can help provide them with the tools to lead balanced,

meaningful lives, and schools that serve students using SEL are developing capable, considerate citizens

that are prepared for the future.

References:

Bahnson, A., Wilcox, J., Kruse, J., & Schou, T. (2020). From Surviving to Thriving : Teaching Social
Emotional Learning Alongside the NGSS. The Science Teacher, 87(7), 28–34.

Campos, D. V. (2021, August 2). Teachers' essential guide to social and emotional learning in Digital Life.
Common Sense Education. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from
https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/teachers-essential-guide-to-social-and-
emotional-learning-in-digital-life

Elias, M. J. (2004). The Connection between Social-Emotional Learning and Learning Disabilities:
Implications for Intervention. Learning Disability Quarterly, 27(1), 53–63.
https://doi.org/10.2307/1593632

Emotional intelligence apps and games. Common Sense Education. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18,
2023, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/lists/emotional-intelligence-apps-
and-games

Eveleigh, A., Cook, A., Naples, L. H., & Cipriano, C. (2022). How Did Educators of Students with Learning
Differences Use Social–Emotional Learning to Support Their Students and Themselves Early in
the COVID-19 Pandemic? Children & Schools, 44(1), 27–38. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdab030

Forman, S. R., Foster, J. L., & Rigby, J. G. (2022). School Leaders’ Use of Social-Emotional Learning to
Disrupt Whiteness. Educational Administration Quarterly, 58(3), 351–385.

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disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic on child behavior problems. Developmental
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Classroom. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of West Georgia.
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