Last week, we hosted a Twitter chat with the Committee for Children to spark further conversation on the importance of social and emotional learning. We were so encouraged by all the participation, we wanted to share the discussion with you!

If the Committee for Children (CFC) sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve been sharing their work all month. As one of our partners, we’ve been able to highlight CFC’s dedication to nurturing and celebrating all children through social and emotional learning, SEL.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning defines social and emotional learning as the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the following:

• 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
• Make responsible decisions

SEL programs focus on cultivating the best learning possible, by providing supportive relationships that make learning challenging, engaging, and meaningful. Beginning social and emotional awareness at a young age allows students to develop a sense of self, empathy, problem solving, and communication skills.

So how can we add more social and emotional learning into the classroom? Online tools and campaigns, like Facebook’s InspirED, give students and teachers resources they need to bring more SEL into the classroom. And, our #SELCHAT last week gave educators a chance to discuss how to improve our schools by focusing on emotions. In case you missed it, we’ve included a recap of our chat below.

Does your school include a SEL curriculum? We want to know about your experiences in school and at home — take our Born Brave Experiences survey and tell us!

And here’s what our online community had to say: