Page 35 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 35
the importance of the social and emotional competencies of educational staff
of teachers’ SEC is given very little emphasis in teacher education stand-
ards (Schonert-Reichl, Hanson-Peterson et al., 2015). Practices and policies
to support and promote teachers’ SEC are vital, including teacher pre-ser-
vice and in-service training or programmes.
A limited but growing number of interventions/programmes is de-
signed to support teachers’ SEC (e.g. RULER, MTP, CARE, SMART, see
Jones et al., 2013 for details). For example, a recent study (Schonert-Reichl,
Roeser et al., 2015) showed the ‘value-added’ of a combined programme
for cultivating students’ socio-emotional competencies – one in which ed-
ucators receive support for their SEC and then implement a socio-emo-
tional learning programme for students. In another study, the mindful-
ness-based programme CARE for Teachers improved teachers’ SEC (e.g.
emotion regulation) as well as the quality of their classroom interactions
(Jennings et al., 2017).
However, while these interventions are promising, what really needs
to happen is that SEC become embedded in day-to-day interactions at
school for everyone – students, teachers, staff and administrators (Jones et
al., 2013). This means that SEC must develop in the context of daily life in
the classroom/school as emotional and social challenges and other teach-
ing opportunities arise.
Focusing on a specific SEC of the teacher:
Relational competence
An attempt to achieve the ‘all-present-social-and-emotional-competence’
is seen in the Danish Relational Competence project (2012–2016; Nielsen,
2017) that drew together multiple stakeholders, levels and perspectives (i.e.
teacher students, faculty professors, in-service teachers, pupils, experts
from non-government organisations).
Relational competence is a concept proposed by Juul and Jensen (2010)
and can be viewed within the general framework of the teacher’s SEC (see
CASEL, 2013; Jones et al., 2013). Relational competence is defined as the
teacher’s ability to see an individual student as a unique being and to thus
attune their own actions (behaviour) without abandoning their leadership
role and authenticity in their contact with the student. As stated by Juul
and Jensen (2011), the basis for high-quality relationships is that students/
children are understood and treated as individuals – as autonomous per-
sons who play an active role in building and maintaining relationships.
35
of teachers’ SEC is given very little emphasis in teacher education stand-
ards (Schonert-Reichl, Hanson-Peterson et al., 2015). Practices and policies
to support and promote teachers’ SEC are vital, including teacher pre-ser-
vice and in-service training or programmes.
A limited but growing number of interventions/programmes is de-
signed to support teachers’ SEC (e.g. RULER, MTP, CARE, SMART, see
Jones et al., 2013 for details). For example, a recent study (Schonert-Reichl,
Roeser et al., 2015) showed the ‘value-added’ of a combined programme
for cultivating students’ socio-emotional competencies – one in which ed-
ucators receive support for their SEC and then implement a socio-emo-
tional learning programme for students. In another study, the mindful-
ness-based programme CARE for Teachers improved teachers’ SEC (e.g.
emotion regulation) as well as the quality of their classroom interactions
(Jennings et al., 2017).
However, while these interventions are promising, what really needs
to happen is that SEC become embedded in day-to-day interactions at
school for everyone – students, teachers, staff and administrators (Jones et
al., 2013). This means that SEC must develop in the context of daily life in
the classroom/school as emotional and social challenges and other teach-
ing opportunities arise.
Focusing on a specific SEC of the teacher:
Relational competence
An attempt to achieve the ‘all-present-social-and-emotional-competence’
is seen in the Danish Relational Competence project (2012–2016; Nielsen,
2017) that drew together multiple stakeholders, levels and perspectives (i.e.
teacher students, faculty professors, in-service teachers, pupils, experts
from non-government organisations).
Relational competence is a concept proposed by Juul and Jensen (2010)
and can be viewed within the general framework of the teacher’s SEC (see
CASEL, 2013; Jones et al., 2013). Relational competence is defined as the
teacher’s ability to see an individual student as a unique being and to thus
attune their own actions (behaviour) without abandoning their leadership
role and authenticity in their contact with the student. As stated by Juul
and Jensen (2011), the basis for high-quality relationships is that students/
children are understood and treated as individuals – as autonomous per-
sons who play an active role in building and maintaining relationships.
35
