Fourth Edition, September 2011

Teaching social and emotional learning
A number of programs have been developed to teach social and emotional skills. Because these skills 
change as students grow and mature, it is important to match the program with the developmental ages 
and stages of your students. 
Many of these programs are designed to be used by a classroom teacher for all students in their class. 
Some are designed to be delivered by a classroom teacher and a specially trained professional, such as a 
social worker, psychologist, or behaviour therapist. For any of these programs to be eff ective, it is vital that 
the classroom teacher be involved in the program.
Social and emotional learning programs can be built into the regular curriculum, or off ered as “stand-
alone” programs. They range from 8-10 sessions over a few weeks, to year-long programs that happen 
several times a week. For a listing of programs with good evidence of eff ectiveness, see the Coalition 
for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (http://casel.org/). You can also fi nd a brief overview of the 
eff ectiveness of these programs at http://10.148.32.115/e-best/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/RIB-Social-
Emotional-Learning.pdf
Many school boards are already deli
v
ering social and emotional learning initiatives; “Roots of Empathy” 
and “Tribes” are two of the more commonly off ered programs. In order to be eff ective, these programs 
require training for educators, and a well thought-out plan for implementing them. Programs which are 
implemented poorly are not as successful as those that are implemented well.
Some educators feel their role is to teach academic subjects, and not to “waste” classroom instructional 
time with non-academic programs such as social and emotional learning. Other educators may not feel 
comfortable talking about emotions and social rules, as these are subjects that may depend on individual 
values and beliefs. Research clearly shows, however, that teaching social and emotional skills will improve 
academic achievement, as well as reduce behaviour problems in the classroom and improve class climate.
Making a Diff erence: An Educators’ Guide to C
rces on mental

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Making a Diff erence: An Educators’ Guide to Child and Youth Mental Health Problems
www.cymhin.ca
L 5
National and Provincial Resources on mental 
health for young people and parents