Written by: Ms Thenmoley Krishnan
Photos by: Ms Thenmoley Krishnan
Presenters: Ms Cheng Peak Har, Ms Chong Jia Xin, Ms Maheswari and Ms Thenmoley.

    The primary objective of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in the classroom is to foster a holistic learning environment where students acquire the skills to manage their emotions, set positive goals, demonstrate empathy, maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. SEL also improves academic performance, reduces negative behaviours such as bullying, and promotes overall well-being.

Key Objectives and Core Competencies

Social-Emotional Learning aims to develop five key competencies defined by CASEL:

Self-Awareness: Helping students recognise their emotions, strengths, limitations, and values.
Self-Management: Empowering students to manage stress, control impulses, and remain motivated to achieve their goals.
Social Awareness: Developing empathy and the ability to understand perspectives from diverse backgrounds.
Relationship Skills: Teaching students to build and maintain healthy relationships, communicate clearly, and resolve conflict.
Responsible Decision-Making: Enabling students to make constructive choices about behaviours and social interactions based on safety, ethics, and consequences.

    This training session primarily helped teachers teach students to manage their emotions, build positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Moreover, teachers who attended this SEL training benefited from learning strategies for managing students’ emotions when dealing with students involved in disciplinary issues. Teachers also gained exposure to many effective secondary school social-emotional learning (SEL) activities focused on self-awareness, empathy, and stress management, often incorporating technology, art, and real-world scenarios.

    The training session was organised by the English Department on 8 May 2026 (Friday). The training was conducted in the meeting room from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The training began with a briefing session by Ms Maheswari. This was followed by a sharing session by Ms Chong Jia Xin, where she shared an insightful case study from her classroom. Then, Ms Thenmoley spoke about effective activities that teachers can integrate into their classrooms. Finally, Ms Cheng Peak Har concluded the training by focusing on various case studies related to SEL. The teachers involved in the training participated in a group activity and presented their outcomes. Overall, the training session was highly insightful, engaging, and successful, providing teachers with practical strategies to foster students’ social-emotional development.