Promoting Children’s Social and Emotional Competence

Children's Social and Emotional Learning
Social-emotional learning, which is also known as social competence, is a term used to refer to the ability of children to recognize and control emotions, create and maintain positive relationships, solve social issues in a constructive manner, and make responsible decisions. The development of social competence is essential since children express their emotions and behaviors differently in groups. Their expression of emotions and behaviors are influenced by various factors including individual and cultural differences. This implies that the social-emotional learning of children is linked to cultures, relationships, and contexts in which they learn and grow. Therefore, adults have an important role in shaping positive social and emotional development of children. Given the role they play in shaping children’s learning and growth, teachers are critical in the development of social and emotional competence of children.
Teachers can help promote positive social and emotional development of children by applying effective curriculum and teaching strategies. This would entail the adoption of an integrated approach to teaching social and emotional competence. When applying curriculum and teaching strategies for children’s social-emotional learning, teachers need to understand the continua of social and emotional competence and have realistic expectations for children’s behaviors (Bredekamp, 2019). Teachers should utilize and provide effective forms and amounts of assistance to children. Some of the teaching strategies that could help promote positive social and emotional development of children include field trips, play, and integrated teaching of geography, history, political science, economics, and other related subjects. On the other hand, effective curriculum strategies for social-emotional learning include teaching self-regulation, social problem-solving skills, and friendship skills. These strategies should be used to foster the a sense of identity in children, which is critical in development of social-emotional competence.
Effective Social Studies Curriculum and Teaching Strategies
The development and use of effective social studies curriculum and teaching strategies is essential in promoting children’s social and emotional competence. Effective social studies curriculum and teaching strategies are critical components of children’s social-emotional learning. The development of positive social-emotional competence in children is integrally linked to other areas of development and learning curriculum content, especially in social studies. Social studies is not primarily a single field or topic of study since it involves a combined study of the social sciences and humanities in order to help children make informed and logical decisions for the public (Bredekamp, 2019). This implies that the study of social studies focuses on promoting civic competence among children. When studying integrated social sciences and humanities, children obtain skills in decision-making, collaboration, problem-solving, and gathering and analyzing information for informed judgments.
Effective social studies curriculum incorporates various fields of study that seek to promote civic competence. In this case, such a curriculum entails an integrated study of geography, history, political science, and economics. This integration helps children to learn the cultural, political, economic, and environmental aspects of the past, present, and future societies. One of the effective social studies teaching strategies is play, which helps children to develop competence in positive peer relationships and practice social skills. Secondly, learning about the past (history), geography, and mapping is an effective social studies teaching strategy as it enhances children’s active experiences during learning. Third, incorporating technology in social studies is critical toward the creation of an integrated approach to social and emotional learning. Technology provides a framework for children to be actively involved in the learning process and develop essential skills for civic competence.
Reference
Bredekamp, S. (2019). Effective practices in early childhood education: Building a foundation (4th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.