Brain science and social-emotional learning

I am part of a team developing a curriculum to bring the fast-growing field of neuroscience into classrooms and youth programs. 

Youth learn how the brain works and changes throughout the lifespan, develop social-emotional skills and well-being practices that keep their brains healthy and thriving and explore neuroscience and related career pathways. 

As I dig into the new-to-me area of brain science, I am intrigued by the overlap between it and social-emotional learning (SEL), an area I've focused on for years.

First, scholars explain how emotionally safe learning environments contribute to brain development, how brain development depends on social experiences and how critical periods in brain development align with opportunities for learning and needed supports. 

So, brain science can inform how and why we create learning environments with a focus on SEL.

Second, teaching young people about their brains and how they work helps them understand their emotions, thoughts and behavior. Here are a few ways brain science and SEL intersect.

Risks and rewards

The brain matures from back to front. The more developed areas are reward centers—looking for pleasure and taking risks. Our prefrontal cortex—which develops later—helps us make decisions, form judgments and control impulses. Understanding this helps explain why teens may not always think before they act.

Growth mindset

It is important to understand that our brains can help us learn better. They can encourage us to believe in our capacity to improve our skills, and because our brains are malleable (neuroplasticity), we can break bad habits and learn new things.

Emotion management

Sometimes we think our heads and hearts are separate, but the brain plays a crucial role in regulating emotions. It’s helpful to understand that we can learn to remain calm in stressful situations and to control our impulses.

Social development

Neuroscientists have found that the adolescent brain is highly responsive to peer interactions. Collaboration with peers encourages communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills as youth navigate diverse opinions, work toward common goals and resolve conflicts.

Those who work with young people play a crucial role in creating supportive learning environments that foster positive risk-taking, encourage effort and growth, help youth understand and manage emotions, and value diverse perspectives and cooperative learning.

To help, search our curriculum library to find Social and Emotional Learning in Practice: A Toolkit of Practical Strategies and Resources, Social Emotional Wellbeing: A Guide to Support Youth Thriving, and Five-Point Scale: Social and Emotional Skills. And coming soon is our new brain science curriculum!