EDU 970 Using Tech to Teach the Whole Child
The surge in demand for SEL (social-emotional learning) practices is a powerful stimulant for innovation. When the school culture calls for instruction geared toward high-stakes testing, the importance of EI (emotional intelligence) is often omitted. This requires a renewed clarity around what curricular quality means, and what it looks like in different contexts and communities. Using technology to boost Emotional Quotient while meeting common core standards is a powerful way to promote education of the whole child.
Social-emotional development can be taught using a variety of approaches that are sequenced, active, focused, and explicit. A 2018 Pew Research Center study found that 95 percent of U.S. teens now have access to a smartphone. This must be recognized in order for these digital natives to be reached. There has never been a more important moment for educators to insist on evidence-based strategies and practices to lift the next generations of children to their full potential.
