SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING THROUGH UNIVERSAL DESIGN: A FRAMEWORK

Previous academic years allowed for limited or no social integration causing exposure to social experience to be rare and different. With limited opportunity to learn in a classroom and socialize with peers during past academic years, it is imperative that teachers facilitate avenues that allow students to reengage their social emotional health while also experiencing an equitable learning environment. One key way to implement this facilitation is integrating social emotional learning into content learning blocks or academic classes. Social Emotional Learning Standards, when provided by the state, can be integrated into daily or weekly lessons of classroom instruction. These standards aide students in reaching social and life skill goals outlined in the Individual Education Plan. Incorporating such standards universally into all classrooms is keys. This article gives teachers and teacher educators a framework, tools, and resources to support social emotional learning through the platform of Universal Design for Learning.