What’s the best way to prevent bullying in our schools? Well, a new approach to bully prevention is being implemented in schools across the country with successful results. As we enter National Bullying Prevention Month, Mobile Ed is focusing on how social-emotional learning (SEL) and mindfulness in classrooms can help address and prevent bullying in schools. 

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the educational approach that helps students learn important social and emotional skills. In other words, SEL helps develop the correct skills in order to:

• • Create self-awareness
  • Manage emotions
  • Achieve goals
  • Learn empathy
  • Develop and maintain healthy relationships 
  • Make smart decisions 

Teaching SEL in schools has immense benefits for students both inside and outside of the classroom. Among other personal benefits including increasing academic performance and improving mental health, it’s also proven that implementing SEL standards reduces levels of bullying in schools. SEL works to prevent bullying by: 

• • Improving peer relationships and relationship skills
  • Strengthening emotional awareness
  • Improving social problem-solving ability 
  • Creating empathy skills
  • Cultivating a positive classroom culture

One of the main goals of SEL is to develop a strong self-awareness. Mindfulness is the ability to explore and know one’s own self. When implementing SEL in our classrooms, mindfulness can be considered an effective tool to meet these goals. A Harvard study shows that mindfulness education in classrooms can reduce the adverse effects of stress, improve focus and communication skills, and help prevent behavior issues. 

When SEL and mindfulness are both incorporated into our classrooms, they work collectively to develop emotionally-prepared students with a strong sense of self and the ability to flourish in a variety of situations. Combining both of these efforts will no doubt benefit your students and your overall classroom environment. Mobile Ed has a few simple ways you can combine SEL and mindfulness in your classroom to prevent bullying: 

• • Take Breaks. Breaktime is important when students are working hard for hours at a time. Breaks show students that their well-being is just as important as their lessons. As well as a chance to relax for a moment, this can also be a time for students to process information and become ready to focus on the next lesson.

• • Teach SEL-Related Vocabulary. Can we expect students to ask for help if they don’t know how to express what they’re feeling? Integrating SEL vocabulary into new or current lessons is a great place to start teaching students normal emotions equipping them to better communicate. 

• • Check-In often. Practicing check-ins with students facilitates the ability to understand and recognize emotions, why they may be feeling them, and how to communicate them. It also emphasizes the power of vulnerability and safe communities. 

• • Prioritize Diversity. Learning about other people’s experiences is how we learn empathy. Empathy is a strong connector in our relationships and an effective tool in problem-solving. Whether this is done through books, movies, show-and-tell, or another method, there is immense value in sharing and learning diverse stories. 

• • Set Intentions. Setting intentions before the day or before an assignment is a simple way to help students become mindful of how they complete tasks. This makes room for learning about personal values and aspirations. Setting intentions can lead to more self-awareness and more productivity throughout the day. 

• • Practice Box-Breathing. This simple exercise is great at the start of the day, end of the day, or in the middle of a challenging lesson. Box-breathing exercises can lower blood pressure, provide a feeling of calmness, and can be a great way for students to learn emotional regulation and healthy coping mechanisms. 

• • Allow Time for Talking. Though we need to meet curriculum requirements with only a certain amount of hours in the day, a lot of learning can happen in the time between classes or between subjects. If feasible, provide a few times a day when students are welcome to socialize and interact with other students. 

• • Integrate Reflective Writing. Writing is a great place to start with helping students understand and process how they’re feeling and why. Similar to a journal or diary, reflective writing describes an experience but then goes a step further to analyze the impact of it. 

CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, is the most widely used SEL standard in schools nationwide. Over half of schools across the country have adopted CASEL standards to guide social-emotional learning in their schools. For more information about incorporating SEL into your school or classroom, visit CASEL.org.

Mobile Ed has recently developed a school assembly designed to help educators teach social-emotional learning skills in an effort to reduce bullying in our schools. In Quest for Kindness, students become adventurers as they go on an exciting quest in search of the Key to Kindness! This “legendary treasure" will unlock what it means to be kind to the people around us. With audience participation, interactive challenges, and a visit from our virtual assistant Ed Venture, students won’t want this adventure to end! 

Quest for Kindness includes information about: 

• Identifying emotions
• Empathy
• Respect 
• Problem-solving
• Stress management
• Bullying and cyberbullying prevention 
• Bystanders v. upstanders

Contact Mobile Ed for more information.