Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

Questions in this section focus on the following 3 areas from the CASEL framework, which provides a foundation for applying evidence-based SEL strategies in your learning community:

• Self-management
• Self-awareness
• Responsible decision-making

Personal reflections encourage students to think about how they have grown and what they have learned about themselves over a period of the school year. It gives them an opportunity to celebrate things they have done well, as well as better understand opportunities for growth with their personal and emotional development.

A study published in 2017 found that reflective activities in the shorter term had a positive impact on students' mood and emotional enjoyment.

Another study published in the US found that when students are given the tools to engage in personal reflection on their learning, skills relevant to academic success were improved (critical thinking, cognitive reasoning etc). 

Essentially all student reflection improves the quality of students’ ‘thinking and learning’.

• Share collective triumphs and points of emphasis with students
• Teachers reflect major themes and how they can impact future lesson/curriculum planning
• Use students' responses to assist in report writing

A full list of questions you can use in your class can be found in Ziplet’s question library under “Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) - Self”.

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