In the 21st century, education should not focus on cognitive skills development only. The volatility of the modern world can cause stress, fear and multiple negative experiences, making resilience and a sense of security indispensable.
For this reason, many schools worldwide are integrating Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs into their curricula to address these challenges and promote the social-emotional competencies of their students (Ahmed et al.,2020).
Teenagers in Greece, exposed to multiple pressures in their familial, school and broader environment, are subject to rapid emotional and cognitive changes. In the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) class, fear of making mistakes and being
judged for that by teachers or peers can severely inhibit communication. Moreover, their search for their own personal and social identity is a significant stressor that impacts the learning process. This is where SEL can enter the stage.
Based on the foundational model of Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), SEL is a process through which children and adults develop the following skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness,
positive relationship skills and responsible decision making (CASEL, n.d.). In an EFL class, SEL is a powerful tool which connects learners both emotionally and cognitively with the target language, improving pedagogical outcomes.
Implementing SEL on a regular basis can help develop the previously mentioned skills and endow students with invaluable life competencies.
Exploring SEL
It has been contended that long-term successful SEL implementation calls for its robust integration in the training curriculum at university level (Kyriazopoulou et al., 2025). However, even in cases where teachers have received little or no formal
preparation in SEL, the following basic activities can be readily embedded in their teaching practice to promote students’ overall well-being.
1. Emotional check-ins
Emotional check-ins can prove to be extremely beneficial in the formation of an engaging learning environment. Having teenagers talk about their daily life incidents and how they feel about them is an activity that normalises talking about emotions alongside practising the target language. The Emotion Wheel or Emoji face sticks are two common tools for this activity which develops students’ self-awareness skill.
2. Role-playing for empathy and perspective taking
• After hearing a short story, students role-play, which promotes both their
listening and speaking skills. Students are encouraged to place themselves in a character’s shoes and use the target language to talk about that character’s thoughts and feelings.
• Photo prompts can have students act out dialogues in diverse situations such as job interviews (interviewer vs. interviewee), school incidents (principal vs. student) or sport events (coach vs. player). This activity promotes students’ empathy and social awareness skills.
3. Peer mentorship and collaboration
• Students can help each other with a variety of cognitive tasks. Once a week, a student is assigned to check their classmates’ performance in class activities and help them with potential challenges. Offering
assistance and advice to peers fosters positive social skills and reduces chances of verbal bullying.
• Students discuss several project ideas and decide on the one they will pursue cooperatively. This teamwork develops students’ collaboration and responsible decision-making skills.
4. Conflict resolution
• Teachers provide students with useful vocabulary for anger management, polite disagreement and effective negotiation. Then, students are presented with some conflictual cases to reflect upon and enact short scripts. A scenario between two people waiting in line could, for example, involve one person believing the other has cut in. Students discuss possible reactions, making both aggressive and calm word choices and examining the consequences of the respective linguistic options.
• Another popular scenario is a school conflict when a student wants to copy from a classmate. Students are asked to properly use the target language to avoid argument escalation and resolve the situation respectfully. Such scripts promote real-world communication and self-management skills.
5. Building confidence and resilience
• Encouraging teenagers to persevere in their effort and overcome emotional barriers in the event of mistakes is highly significant. A popular activity to normalise mistakes is the “Correct your teacher” game. Students are excited at the thought of spotting mistakes made by an unlikely source – the teacher. This activity welcomes mistakes and highlights their role as a steppingstone in the learning process, rather than as a setback.
• The “progress log” is an equally motivational activity as teenagers can track their own development over time. A progress log can be a small diary or – preferably – a digital blog. There, students can focus on their wins, however small or big they are (positive comments, correct use of a new word, improved writing) and set new achievable goals. In combination with teachers’ constructive feedback, teenagers can track their progress in the target language. This tangible evidence boosts their confidence and sustains their motivation.
Concluding thoughts
These meaningful activities expose students to purposeful language teaching and boost their identity development (Liassa & Zorbas, 2021). However, the variety of SEL practices can be far wider and the ultimate choice of the most suitable ones always depends on the age, interests and language level of the class. Technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, can be a valuable assistant, supporting teachers to design SEL activities and evaluate their application in class. In this way, teachers can make the most effective choices within their own educational context. The primary goal is to foster a respectful, safe and emotionally balanced environment that can promote students’ academic growth (Poulou, 2017).
Last but not least, the teacher serving as a role model needs to be underscored. As early as 2002, it was asserted that Emotional Intelligence (EI) can enable nonnative teachers of English to better understand their students’ affective needs and learning habits (Tuncay, 2002). This practically means that teachers’ own emotional awareness is crucial in the formation of a safe learning environment where students feel free to take risks. Emotionally intelligent teachers always manage to identify their learners’ academic and emotional needs and guide them through challenging situations. Thanks to their constant understanding and encouragement, their students are empowered to thrive. This positive energy often gives teachers a sense of fulfillment, reducing burnout and increasing job satisfaction (Poulou & Garner, 2024). In essence, SEL is beneficial for everyone in a class, nurturing students and teachers alike. It can make the difference every
teacher longs for.
References
Ahmed, I., Hamzah, A. B., & Abdullah, M. N. L. Y. B. (2020). Effect of social and emotional learning
approach on students’ social emotional competence. International Journal of Instruction, 13(4),
663–676
CASEL. (n.d.). The CASEL framework. https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/whatis-the-caselframework/
Kyriazopoulou, M., Metsäpelto, R. L., Varis, S., Poikkeus, A. M., Tolvanen, A., Galanaki, E. P., &
Mikkilä-Erdmann, M. (2025). Teacher education students’ emotional intelligence and teacher selfefficacy:
A cross-cultural comparison Current Psychology, 44(2), 1206–1218
Liassa, G., & Zorbas, V. (2021). The socialization of students in the EFL classroom according to
their cultural and religious background. In Applied linguistics research and good practices for
multicultural and multilingual classrooms (pp. 185–202). Nova Science Publishers
Poulou, M. S. (2017). Students’ emotional and behavioral difficulties: The role of teachers’ social
and emotional learning and teacher-student relationships. International Journal of Emotional
Education, 9(2), 72–89
Poulou, M., & Garner, P. W. (2024). Teacher-student relationships: The roles of teachers’ emotional
competence, social emotional learning beliefs, and burnout. Teachers and Teaching, 1–22
Tuncay, H. (2002). Emotional intelligence (EQ) in ELT/EFL curriculum. Arts and Social Sciences
Journal of Istanbul Kültür University, 1(2), 21–34
