{"id":8086,"date":"2017-07-24T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2017-07-24T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.coreeducationllc.com\/blog2\/?p=8086"},"modified":"2020-03-03T16:59:18","modified_gmt":"2020-03-03T20:59:18","slug":"social-emotional-learning-international-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coreeducationllc.com\/blog2\/social-emotional-learning-international-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Social and Emotional Learning from an International Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Mark Tucker, writing for the Top Performers blog, recently weighed in on a discussion about the value of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) by providing an international perspective. Excerpts from his piece appear below:<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the things that has really impressed us about the schools serving very vulnerable children in East Asia is their strategy for dealing with students who all too often grow up in circumstances that teach them not to trust adults\u2014any adults. \u00a0These kids often come to school fearful and unwilling to engage. \u00a0In places like Hong Kong and Singapore, the faculties of such schools embrace the motto: ‘First the Heart, Then the Head.’ \u00a0They know they cannot reach these young people in order to engage them in learning until they first do what they need to do to earn their trust. \u00a0The faculty in these schools will go to court if they have to intercede on the student’s behalf with a judge, buy them lunch if they cannot afford one on their own, stay in school until 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. if the student has no safe place to go.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The impressive thing about the schools I am describing is that they are uncompromising on the standards they set for student achievement. \u00a0But, at the same time, they will work, sometimes for years, to build the social and emotional foundation on which the student’s cognitive development will then be built. \u00a0If a student comes to school believing that no adult can be trusted, the futures available to more fortunate children will forever be denied to them and a life of crime is better than no life at all.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s what Singapore’s Ministry of Education has posted on its web site about the<\/span> goals Singapore has for its students<\/span>:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The person who is schooled in the Singapore Education system embodies the Desired Outcomes of Education. He has a good sense of self-awareness, a sound moral compass, and the necessary skills and knowledge to take on challenges of the future. He is responsible to his family, community and nation. He appreciates the beauty of the world around him, possesses a healthy mind and body, and has a zest for life. In sum, he is<\/span><\/p>\n