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At Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC), students in the School of Education (SOE) are learning how to be teachers who make an impact in the classroom in academics. This fall, GGC launched a new course that brings another important element to teaching that benefits students both personally and professionally through knowledge and skills that come with social emotional learning (SEL).

This one-credit, semester-long course focuses on educating future teachers about the various competencies of social and emotional learning such as self-awareness, self-management, self-care, responsible decision-making, social-awareness and social sensing. The class introduces practical strategies that focus on developing relationship skills and conflict resolution techniques. On a professional level, teachers use these skills to help their students learn to communicate and manage their emotions better.

“Our curriculum prepares GGC student teachers to work with children who may have unique learning needs and who come from socially, culturally and linguistically diverse environments,” said Dr. Kinga Varga-Dobai, professor of language and literature.

The SEL course adds to the SOE curriculum through its focus on social and emotional wellness, which is a necessary condition of learning. One of the goals of this course is to help future teachers apply SEL competencies in their work.  This includes supporting children with developing a vocabulary of emotions and constructive communication skills, with focus on community, and how to be more reflective and attentive to each other’s needs in a classroom environment said Varga-Dobai.

“This helps lay the groundwork to help prevent school bullying,” she said. “School districts have been adopting various SEL programs at the elementary school level, and we hope that this will extend to middle and high school.”

Personally, the skills future teachers learn help them manage stress, which studies show is a major factor in the teacher shortage.

“What I’ve learned in SEL class has personally helped me by teaching me how to manage my emotions better, communicate more effectively with others and handle stress in healthier ways,” said Stephanie Waddell, ’25, elementary education.

Varga-Dobai added that SEL skills also help teachers with classroom management. Teachers, she said, can recognize behavior issues and help navigate them by teaching their students how to resolve conflicts in a non-violent way.

“This SEL course has been crucial to finding ways to reach all of my students on a level that allows me, as the teacher, to better understand what they may need or what they may be going through,” said Chasiti Wade, ’25, elementary education. “It has taught me that when a student ‘acts out’ or is having a difficult time, we need to shift the question from 'What is wrong with you?' to 'What happened to you?' to understand the needs of the student and to build a trusting relationship. This will foster a safe classroom environment where students can grow.”

Demecia Parks, ’25, elementary education, said that the SEL course will help her foster relationships in the classroom with students and build community.

“There are many schools that are starting to focus more on SEL because it is essential for learning in general,” said Parks. “Paying attention to mental health and well-being are essential, and that starts with young people.”

View and download SEL classroom photos.