Our last episode was all about the self, and now we turn to the social. SEL not only focuses on promoting “self” regulation and “self” awareness--it also emphasizes expressing emotion to others, recognizing emotion in others, and building relationships. As per usual, we ask a lot of questions: How are private aspects of the self measured, verbalized, and made social through SEL? Is it wrong to try to measure concepts like joy or wellbeing? Is it always important to name, discuss, and control how we are feeling, or are there other ways to relate to emotions that may not be as valued in current schooling practices? We are joined by a new group member, Sequoia Dance-Leighton, whose insights into wellness and wholeness are based more on a balancing act of “both/and” rather than a rigid “yes or no!”

Participants:

Sequoia Dance-Leighton, MA, Washington State University

Adishi Gupta, MA, University of British Columbia

Emma McMain, PhD, Washington State University

Tonje Molyneux, MEd, MA, University of British Columbia

Facilitator: Emma McMain

Editor: Marc Koch

References:

Soutter, M. (2020). Measuring joy: A social justice issue. Phi Delta Kappan, 101(8), 25–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721720923517

Vadeboncoeur, J. A., & Collie, R. J. (2013). Locating social and emotional learning in schooled environments: A Vygotskian perspective on learning as unified. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 20(3), 201–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749039.2012.755205

Wegerif, R. (2008). Dialogic or dialectic? The significance of ontological assumptions in research on educational dialogue. British Educational Research Journal, 34(3), 347–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920701532228