The Future of Education

Social-Emotional Capacity Building refers to the actions tailored to the construction  of  “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”  (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning; CASEL, 2012). Recent studies describe the nature and structure of these skills, their development and relevance for a wide range of individual and societal outcomes (Durlak et al. 2015; Nagaoka et al., 2015; Hart et al., 2014; Flanagan & Levine, 2010). There are numerous challenges that children and school have often to face in contemporary Europe and these skills are relevant for learning and psychological wellbeing, especially for children who present with vulnerabilities. Core Social-Emotional competencies can be taught in different ways and settings through explicit and specific instructions, teacher instructional practices, integration with academic curriculum areas, and organizational strategies. But addressing the numerous challenges of children of these times requires innovation in teaching strategies and in technology. With this in mind, the presentation  will  first of all highlight  the contribution  in terms of opportunities emerging from research studies and projects conducted in Europe, and  from the national reports and transnational analysis carried out  by partners of the project on Socio-emotional Capacity Building in Primary Education (PSsmile.emundus.eu). Some examples will be then provided of resources, together with technologically supported environments developed (e-learning, e-courses, apps). Strengths and weaknesses in programs available will be shown as well as recent more innovative attempts for developing and testing  effective technological supports. Finally, issues, goals and relevance for policy and current school practices will be described.

Keywords: Social-Emotional competencies, socio-emotional learning, SEL, emotions development, social-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, social awareness, responsible decisions.