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What inspired this project? You can change this title but we want to know about your research process here.In this era of post-pandemic education, it was essential for students to return to how classroom life was before the quarantine occurred. Students have been isolated behind a computer screen for over a year and have lost how to deal with being back in the classroom and interacting in a face-to-face situation. Students with disabilities have a greater layer of stress added to their load, which decreases their resiliency brought on by the pandemic. (Zhang, H. 2020). For example, during zoom, students could turn their cameras off and not have to interact or engage with others.
Many students no longer conduct themselves in the classroom with the behavior and demeanor appropriate to the learning environment, such as not answering when called on or refusing to interact positively with their peers. Some students encountered a lack of confidence when returning to in-class learning. Many students struggled with trying to complete and were unable to turn in- class assignments and then to verbalize why. The Pennsylvania State University August 2020 article entitled, “ Supporting School Community Wellness with Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) During and After a Pandemic” stated, “according to a national survey of 3,300 adolescents, since the closing of school buildings, nearly 33% had feelings of depression and anxiety, and more than 25% reported a lack of connection to peers, teachers, and school communities. Just two weeks into the pandemic, more than 5,000 teachers reported feeling anxious, fearful, worried, overwhelmed, and sad, with anxiety by far the most frequently mentioned emotion.” (Cipriano, 2020) Special Education students have a difficult time expressing assistance for their academic needs. It has been observed that many Special Education students are not comfortable speaking up to authority figures when they have a specific request. Special Education students are not explicitly taught to speak up for themselves to ensure their accommodations are being followed by their teachers. School districts too often have required the focus on teaching academic skills and meeting academic goals to meet state standards. Emotional Intelligence Competency has not been the focus of instruction for these students because of the lack of instructional minutes. This lack of focus on Social Emotional Learning has continued to prevent students from accessing their full potential to increase their academic performance. Now that school has returned, students need to start advocating for themselves in a difficult learning situation and not let their learning opportunities glide right by them. The responsibility falls on the students’ shoulders and the classroom teacher. It is important to see if a targeted Social Emotional Learning program can help increase students' social/emotional skills and, thus, their academic abilities. “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Aristotle “… emotional-social intelligence is an array of interrelated emotional and social competencies and skills that determine how effectively individuals understand and express themselves, understand others and relate with them, and cope with daily demands, challenges and pressures.” Reuven Bar https://digitalkitabkhana.com/the-best-social-emotional-learning-quotes-for-academia-read-now/ |