Why Social Emotional Learning Matters For Migrant Students In Addition To How Schools Tin Help

By Andreas Schleicher, Director, Directorate for Education in addition to Skills

in addition to John McLaughlin,  Deputy Education & Early Childhood Development Minister, New Brunswick

Photo credit: Feliphe Schiarolli/Unsplash

The footing is experiencing major geopolitical, economic, environmental in addition to social shifts resulting inwards increased international migration. In turn, migration flows are having a snowball outcome on cultural, ethnic, linguistic in addition to religious variety inwards many of today's classrooms, peculiarly inwards cities in addition to large metropolitan areas. As a result, calls for schools to aid their students prepare social in addition to emotional skills – inwards add-on to rigid academic skills – are growing louder. Social in addition to emotional skills are crucial for a child’s powerfulness to thrive inwards complex, interconnected in addition to highly various environments inwards in addition to exterior of school. Additionally, the OECD’s ain operate has shown that these skills are crucial assets for the working environments of the 21^st  century.

We should thought migration flows non solely equally a challenge, but also equally an opportunity. If nosotros operate together to back upwards our teachers in addition to principals spell having an opened upwards mind, a bold in addition to ambitious heart, in addition to a form in addition to welcoming spirit, nosotros tin reshape our schools in addition to conform our classrooms – in addition to ourselves – to improve encounter the needs of today’s children in addition to tomorrow’s citizens.

As a resultant of the unique challenges immigrant in addition to refugee children face, many choose distinct social in addition to emotional needs. For example, closed to students may choose experienced trauma fleeing war-torn countries during their migration. Others may choose been separated from their immediate or extended family, leaving them alongside feelings of guilt in addition to shame nearly loved ones left behind. Community ties were broken for all children who choose experienced migration,  and the resulting stress tin choose a lasting bear upon on their socio-emotional development. Even when parents are present, they powerfulness live overwhelmed past times their ain experience of displacement,leaving them unable to back upwards their children’s social in addition to emotional development.

Migrant children choose to negotiate novel roles in addition to identities inwards an unfamiliar cultural context. Some are called to demonstrate allegiance to their native or host province when choosing which linguistic communication to speak, which sport to practice, which music to hear to, or which social grouping to join. They also choose to juggle the attitudes in addition to stereotypes of numerous dissimilar social groups in addition to discovery where they represent in. Adjusting to their novel environs tin live a long bumpy road, but through the back upwards of teachers, schoolhouse principals, other instruction professionals in addition to communities migrant children tin navigate the hard transition.

Diversity tin live an chance for students without an immigrant background to prepare social in addition to emotional skills.

At the same time, variety tin also live an chance for students without an immigrant background to prepare social in addition to emotional skills. This includes self-awareness  of their ain attitudes, stereotypes in addition to emotions; social awareness, which enables them to sympathise alongside others from various environments; the capacity to create do various social relationships past times making constructive choices nearly how to human activeness in addition to behavior inwards social interactions; in addition to social engagement, which reflects their want to contribute to the well-being of their schoolhouse in addition to community.

In an endeavor to address these challenges, the Department of Education in addition to Early Childhood Development of New Brunswick inwards Canada, the Directorate for Education in addition to Skills at the OECD in addition to the Council of Education Ministers inwards Canada choose organised a policy forum on the theme: “Social Emotional Learning to Foster a Sense of Belonging for Immigrant in addition to Refugee Learners”.  On May 31^st in addition to June 1^st, a grouping of international experts, practitioners, schoolhouse leaders, teachers in addition to policy makers volition convene inwards Fredericton, Canada to catch how learning from past times practices could aid modify the hereafter of instruction in addition to back upwards the social in addition to emotional learning of migrant in addition to refugee children.

In the spirit of the OECD’s Strength through Diversity initiative, international in addition to Canadian participants volition bring  a broad attain of perspectives to this forum, given their various roles, responsibilities in addition to backgrounds. The aim is non solely to advance our agreement of what has happened in addition to then far in addition to speak over what may come upwards next; nosotros also promise to create an international community that promotes effective schoolhouse policies in addition to practices to back upwards migrant in addition to refugee learners.

This forum volition live the quaternary inwards a serial organised past times the OECD’s Strength through Diversity project. Speakers volition innovate substitution themes during minor grouping discussions in addition to exercises, equally good equally roundtables in addition to panel discussions. The coming together volition comprehend 5 substitution themes:

• The purpose of instruction inwards social in addition to emotional learning in addition to sense of belonging; 
• Language for social cohesion; 
• Culturally responsive teaching practices;
• Retention of immigrant children in addition to instruction for global citizens; 
• Whether ICT in addition to digital technologies are tools for fostering or threatening integration. 

The programme will, for the origin fourth dimension inwards the series, include schoolhouse visits,  in addition to on the origin evening, participants volition choose the chance to encounter community leaders, community organisers, in addition to students from immigrant or refugee backgrounds, at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery reception.

The keynote address volition live given past times Dean Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Wasserman Dean at the Graduate School of Education in addition to Information Services, University of California – Los Angeles. Other speakers volition include:

• Stefaan Hermans, Director for Policy Strategy in addition to Evaluation inwards the European Commission's Directorate for Education Youth Sports in addition to Culture 
• Professor Veronica Boix Mansilla, Harvard University 
• Professor Benedicta Egbo,University of Windsor 
• Professor Stacey Wilson-Forsberg, Wilfrid Laurier University 
• Dr. Angelica Galante, University of Toronto  
• Letitia Zwickert, high schoolhouse teacher, Fulbright Specialist inwards Education in addition to founder of MENTEE.

Lessons arising from the coming together volition live shared inwards a proceedings document published on the Strength through Diversity website. We encourage all to read the proceedings when they are published, in addition to nosotros invite everyone to follow the coming together through alive broadcasts on May 31^st (13:00 GMT to 23:00 GMT) in addition to June 1^st (17:00 GMT).

In the spirit of the motto “stronger together”, nosotros wishing a productive forum in addition to insightful discussions to all those who volition locomote to Fredricton. And to those joining us remotely: taste the show!


Read more: 

• Strength through Diversity - 4th Policy Forum, 31 May-1 June 2018