Social and emotional learning across the Mediterranean

Abstract

The rapid social, economic and technological changes taking place in the world today, have led to the rise of social and emotional processes as an essential requirement in positive human development and meaningful education. Children and young people need to grow and develop as autonomous, productive and healthy citizens in a fast changing world. Social and emotional competencies such as self awareness and emotional regulation, problem-solving and decision making, teamwork and collaboration, understanding and empathising with others, embracing diversity and constructive conflict resolution, are key 21st century competences. The worldwide anxiety created by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, both amongst children and adults alike, underlined the need for such ‘life competences’ to help overcome our fears, manage our anxiety, maintain a sense of control and build our resilience to cope effectively with the psychological impact of the crisis. There are various terms which have been used to describe social and emotional processes in human development and education, such as the more generic ‘soft skills’, ‘non-cognitive skills’, ‘21st century skills (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010), and ‘social and emotional skills’ (OECD, 2015). One of the most commonly used terms is ‘social and emotional learning’ defined as ‘the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions’ (CASEL, 2017). ‘Lifeskills’ is another common term used, especially in non-English speaking parts of the world. WHO (1997) defines lifeskills as ‘the abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable humans to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life’, including psycho-social skills, reflective skills, personal skills and interpersonal skills. Other common terms used in schools, particularly in Europe, include ‘personal and social education/development’, generally referring to areas such as self awareness, emotional regulation, communication skills, decision making, social responsibility, character development, family life, as well as social issues such as sexuality, gender, equity, and human rights (see also Cefai, in this volume), and social and emotional education, defined as the educational process by which an individual develops social and emotional competence for personal, social and academic growth and development through curricular, embedded, relational and contextual approaches (Cefai and Cavioni, 2014). [excerpt].