GC-DWC Faculty and Staff Develop Whole Child Development SEL Curriculum to be Implemented in over 70 University Degree Programs Across India
The Telangana state government asked the University of Notre Dame’s Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC) to develop curriculum focused on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Whole Child Development (WCD) for a new course being implemented in over 70 universities and colleges in India. Designed by GC-DWC faculty and staff, the semester-long course, titled A Whole School Approach to Social and Emotional Learning, provides students with a practical and evidence-based introduction to how SEL practices can be incorporated across schools to better support the learning and development of children. SEL focuses on children’s ability to understand and manage emotions, feel and show empathy, and develop positive relationships. The course will be a requirement for university students majoring in Education—as the ultimate means of sustaining and expanding SEL statewide.
As an element of the implementation plan for this course, members of the GC-DWC team hosted a Faculty Development Program at India’s Osmania University, where faculty members were trained in the curriculum as they prepare to roll out the SEL course at their institutions in September. Participants were engaged and eager to learn, discuss, and grow in their knowledge of SEL and WCD in order to be better prepared to lead their students. Moving forward, bi-weekly meetings will provide continuous support and guidance to the faculty to ensure success in the implementation of the course across their respective universities.
“There is a large body of evidence that has linked stronger SEL skills in children to improved academic achievement, as well as a reduction in school dropout rates, conduct problems, emotional distress, and substance use,” shared Nikhit D’Sa, GC-DWC assistant professor and director for research. “Strong SEL skill development during childhood has also been linked to positive employment and health outcomes in adulthood.”
The Whole School Approach to Social and Emotional Learning course also focuses on the most recent best practices and science on how SEL can be integrated within classrooms, across schools, and through partnerships with family and community. In doing so, the course will start by understanding the developmental foundations of SEL, how it is related to resilience, and the main criteria for using a whole-school SEL approach. Students will be engaged in analyzing and understanding examples of SEL programs from India and around the world, and will get hands-on experience with SEL activities and program components. To do this, faculty will use a flipped classroom—students will watch videos or do short readings before coming to class, and class time will be spent on discussion, debate, and exploration activities. The course will end with a two-day workshop where students will engage in practical training on how whole-school SEL approaches are being integrated into the Tribal and Social Welfare Societies’ residential schools for marginalized children in Telangana, through the GC-DWC’s Project Sampoorna.
Project Sampoorna in Telangana, India reaches 270,600 children and 1,398 teachers, and 239,400 students across 399 schools, and aims to build, operate, and replicate a WCD model of education in India through holistic systems engagement. SEL curriculum is integrated into classroom pedagogy as an element of Project Sampoorna, as they aim to promote safe and empowering school environments, made possible through a school safety policy designed to directly address bullying and school culture, and the implementation of activities for students on positive peer interaction and skill development. Through this initiative, teachers are trained on student development and wellbeing, and learn how to best implement SEL practices into their classroom culture, focusing on themes such as empathy, self-esteem, perseverance, critical thinking, and collaboration.
“Education in Telangana needs to evolve to keep pace with India’s modern economy,” Neil Boothby, professor and director of the GC-DWC emphasized. “SEL skills are more important than ever, and embedding our courses into required training of all future teachers in these university education degree programs will advance this objective, and sustain them into the future.”
To read the Whole School Approach to Social and Emotional Learning Lesson Plan Guide for Faculty, please visit: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:f186ba8a-eea6-30ec-9cb7-a309a183daba
To learn more about Project Sampoorna, please visit: https://iei.nd.edu/initiatives/gc-dwc/project-sampoorna
