An art-mediated toolkit to nurture social-emotional learning in primary school years

Abstract

This Project Dissertation investigates the integration of social and emotional learning (SEL) with visual art education in primary schools, responding to a recognised need for holistic, child-centred pedagogies to nurture students’ social-emotional competencies. An Art-Mediated Toolkit for Social-Emotional Learning (AMTSEL) comprising a Teacher’s Guidebook and a Student’s Handbook was developed. This toolkit is structured to address the five CASEL’s SEL domains of self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness and relationship skills, in a sequential manner. Additionally, AMTSEL contains SEL-art integrated lesson plans that explicitly address SEL objectives and visual art learning outcomes. The researcher recommends that the implementation of AMTSEL is executed over one school year supported by a whole school approach. This project dissertation contributes to practice by offering a structured approach for teachers to integrate SEL and visual art education, aligning with national curriculum goals of educating the whole child while providing recommendations for future implementation and research. No evaluation was undertaken in this project dissertation. A pilot study and an evaluation are recommended to further improve the effectiveness of AMTSEL.