Emotions Matter: Social-Emotional Learning & The RULER Approach

Preparing students for the future remains the principal purpose of a child’s school career, even as curricula and educational practices evolve. Teachers and staff at The Willows provide students with the necessary knowledge and tools to succeed, focusing on the humanities (language arts, social studies) and S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) to create a well-balanced educational program. However, The Willows sets itself apart from many other schools due to our commitment to Social Emotional Learning (SEL), aimed at developing each child’s emotional intelligence and well-being. In conjunction with The Willows core curriculum, SEL serves to elicit engaging learning experiences and transform them into valuable and pragmatic life skills. We believe emotions matter and are vital to effective learning, academic growth, development, and maturation.

Our commitment to SEL is further enhanced by our adoption, 8 years ago, of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence RULER approach, developed by its Director, Marc Brackett. RULER is an acronym, representing the five skills of emotional intelligence. They are as follows:

Recognizing emotions in oneself and others

Understanding the causes and consequences of emotions

Labeling emotions with a nuanced vocabulary

Expressing emotions in accordance with cultural norms and social context

Regulating emotions with helpful strategies

The five skills of the RULER framework are not just exclusive to developing emotional intelligence in children, but in adults as well. Willows faculty and staff have participated in numerous RULER trainings & workshops, to transform the research-based curriculum into tangible learning activities. These give students the opportunity to consider and reflect upon their own emotions, as well as the emotions of others, in creative and interactive ways. The aforementioned workshops also emphasize the importance of regulating emotions for faculty and staff. When adults are able to explain, and most importantly, model healthy emotional practices, they are able to build stronger connections with students and create a more engaging classroom experience.  

With all this said, you may still be wondering how the adoption of SEL and RULER benefit in the short term, especially in relation to academic activities. Studies focusing on the impact of the RULER curriculum have shown that students tend to build stronger bonds with their classmates and teachers, engage more and perform better in their classes, and create healthier work habits. The main intention of RULER is to provide students with effective strategies to help regulate their emotions, however, its effect ends up being twofold, as students that emotionally self-regulate, are able to spend more time and attention on their academics.

While each skill of the RULER approach holds value in regulating and managing one’s emotions, being able to accurately label emotions with a nuanced vocabulary is especially crucial to each of the other four skills. One of the main RULER strategies Willows educators use is the Feeling Words curriculum, a diverse set of vocabulary that gives students the ability to determine the specific emotion they are feeling at a given moment. An example of the Feeling Words in action is the 2021-22 seventh-grade art classes creation of Abstract Feeling Words, a set of art pieces in which students observed how a single element of art can be used to convey an emotion. They extended this idea by utilizing shape and color to represent a feeling word from the RULER curriculum. Each constructed geometric and organic shapes using tissue paper and collaged them strategically to create expressive, abstract compositions. Finally, to share the intention behind their piece, each student wrote an artist’s statement, explaining their choice of color, shape, and composition.

 

 

 

 

 

Our focus on SEL & the RULER Approach is just one example of many that demonstrates The Willows’ approach to developing the whole child, preparing them to become adults who value empathy, make sound decisions, and practice ethical behavior. Considering our demanding progressive curriculum rooted in engaging learning experiences, and all that comes with maturing and growing up, we believe that emotions matter, and being able to recognize, express, and regulate one’s emotions is not only essential for social-emotional development, but also for academics too. It is clear how SEL & RULER integrate with The Willows, seamlessly supporting our mission to foster capable and confident individuals who demonstrate character, engagement, and a joyful passion for creative inquiry across a lifetime.  

Learn more about SEL and RULER HERE.