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Using SEL Strategies to Create Inclusive Practices in High School

While you may have just started hearing rumblings about SEL within the past decade or so, through no fault of their own, high school teachers often view socioemotional learning as just one more “thing” to fit into their busy schedules. After all, between the large class sizes, mountains of standards to cover, and the short amount of time teachers have to prepare their students for the upcoming high-stakes tests, it can be difficult at best to find the time to incorporate these important skills into their classrooms; however, once a conscious decision has been made to do so, the outcomes can improve the quality of students’ lives both inside and outside the classroom.

Socioemotional Learning and Inclusive Teaching Practices: The Dynamic Duo

Research shows that the type of learning environment as well as the prescribed teaching method can have a measurable effect on students’ self-efficacy, an important SEL skill. Not surprisingly, many high school students who struggle have low self-efficacy in terms of academics. Since many have a fixed mindset and truly believe that they lack the ability to succeed, they often end up falling into the vicious cycle of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Consequently, they tend to avoid academics, opting instead to give up quickly when problems arise.

Fortunately, high school teachers can look to socioemotional learning to drive their inclusive teaching practices within their classrooms. Now more than ever, teachers are finding themselves responsible for a diverse group of learners. The inclusive classroom refers to a strategy that involves including students of all abilities in one classroom, rather than following past practices of separating students based on their language or cognitive abilities. Using a variety of strategies that are tailored to students’ individual strengths and needs allows them to equitably access the curriculum. Once teachers tap into students’ individual strengths and learning styles, their socioemotional skills begin to take flight, leading to greater academic gains across the board.

Engaging Strategies to Try in the Classroom Now

Creating a student-centered classroom is a step in the right direction because it combines the best of both SEL and inclusive teaching strategies. If teachers follow this prescription with fidelity, students will ultimately gain the confidence that they need to believe in themselves. The following table references some best practices for creating a student-centered classroom because the activities are all learner centered, meaning that students are at the heart of the learning process. During these activities, teachers serve as facilitators as they weave socioemotional supports throughout each lesson or topic. Doing so helps students’ self-efficacy levels to rise, causing them to perform better academically.

Name of Strategy	How to Perform Strategy	Why Strategy is Useful
Think-Pair-Share	Also called “Turn and Talk,” the teacher poses a question to the group. Students are given a certain amount of time to think about the question and form a response (Think). Then, they are given some more time to talk to an elbow partner (Pair), and then responses are shared with the whole class (Share).	It quickly engages all students in learning. It also is non-confrontational, as students engage in smaller groups. Self-efficacy is developed more quickly because students can fully explain their answers and ways of thinking to their partner.
Jigsaw	The teacher places students into “home groups” and “expert groups.” Each group is assigned a different sub-topic under the general topic. Students then work on researching their sub-topic with others who have been assigned the same sub-topic. This is the “expert” group. Once each member is an “expert,” s/he is responsible for teaching his/her “home” group about the sub-topic. For example, if students are learning about Newton’s three laws of motion in science, one group is assigned to become experts on the first law, while the other two groups focus on the second and third laws, respectively.	This strategy is extremely useful for getting students to engage with one another. As students are tasked with researching and learning new facts and information together, they become more confident in their ability to teach their assigned topic to their home group, thus increasing their self-efficacy. As an added benefit, this strategy can be used across all content areas and grade levels.
Numbered Heads Together	Students are placed into groups and each student is assigned a number within his/her group. A question is posed, and students discuss the question in their individual groups. When time is up, the teacher calls a number and all the students with that same number from the different groups stand up and share something that their group discussed.	This strategy allows students to discuss their ideas in smaller groups before sharing with the whole group. In addition, students are tasked with using their active listening skills. It also allows students to build on and connect similar ideas from different groups, which helps to broaden the conversation.
Tea Party	Students form two concentric circles, with each one facing the other (e.g., there should be one inner circle and one outer circle). The teacher prompts students with a question or other prompt. Students must discuss the question/statement with the person standing across from them. When time is up, the students in the outer circle move in one direction so that a new partner is rotated in. Another question is asked and a new discussion with a new partner ensues.	This strategy allows students to have a voice and encourages them to work together to come up with a solution or explanation. A word of caution before using this strategy — be sure that students have been explicitly taught how to use it, as some students may choose not to participate. If a student isn’t talking, sharing, or discussing, then valuable learning time is being lost. As a result, teachers should be sure to circulate among the circles, making sure that each set of partners is participating, and modeling and prompting for those who are having trouble.
Round Robin	The teacher divides students into groups of three to four and gives them a question or problem to solve. Within each group, students take turns answering and sharing their ideas. As they do so, they work cooperatively to come up with an answer or solution on which they can all agree.	This strategy is especially beneficial when the question or problem is multi-faceted, meaning there are multiple answers or solutions. To be successful, this strategy requires the participation of everyone in the group. Students use an array of SEL skills during this activity, including taking turns, supporting one another, sharing ideas, and respectful disagreement.
Write Around	Similar to the Round Robin strategy above, students take turns sharing their ideas and responses, only this time it is done via the written form. Here, the first student is given a certain amount of time to respond and once the time limit has been met, s/he passes the paper to the next member of the group, who uses the time to add to, explain, or clarify what the first person wrote. This continues until every group member has had the chance to participate.	This strategy allows each member to contribute his/her own knowledge and/or ideas. Students must pay attention to what their fellow group members are writing, as they work together to help each other clarify their ideas and responses.
Carousel	The teacher places different pieces of chart paper around the classroom, each containing a different question related to a main topic. Students are broken off into groups of three to four and each group rotates through the questions. Each group is given a specific color with which to write their responses on the chart paper. Each group is given one to two minutes to cooperatively work together to answer the question on each of the pieces of chart paper. At the end, all the groups come together to discuss all the ideas presented on the pieces of chart paper.	This strategy is especially useful when activating prior knowledge before the introduction of new material, or at any time the teacher wants to review what has been taught and (hopefully) learned. Students are challenged to come up with additional ideas as they move around the room. This can be difficult, especially at the end of the strategy, but students use their SEL skills of empathy as they work together to help anyone who is struggling.

It's worth the effort!

It is essential to see our students as whole individuals with unique needs. Students are unable to learn from people they don’t trust, and thus developing social and emotional relationships with students is the backbone of effective teaching. Using the strategies you’ve learned here will help improve the social and emotional well-being of your students and improve their curiosity and love of learning.

Are you curious? Want to take a deep dive on this topic?

To learn more about using SEL to create inclusive practices in your classroom, visit the Professional Development Institute (PDI) website or our Using SEL to Drive Inclusive Practices in High School course.

For over 27 years, PDI has provided high-quality and affordable online professional development courses to K-12 teachers worldwide. Our online courses are designed to offer practical strategies that can be implemented in classrooms immediately. All our courses are instructor-led and conducted entirely online. Graduate-level university credit for every PDI online course for teachers is available through the University of California San Diego Division of Extended Studies. PDI offers an extensive catalog of online courses that cover the most critical topics in today's classrooms.