"All Behavior is Communication": How Teacher SEL and Lived Experience Shape Inclusive Classroom Practice

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Disrupting Marginalization and Advancing Equity in Special Education

Abstract

Effective inclusive education requires more than pedagogical knowledge; it demands deep social and emotional competence, skills often underdeveloped in teacher preparation. This paper explores how in-service teachers’ social-emotional learning (SEL) and lived experiences shape their daily inclusive classroom practices. Drawing from a multiple-case study of four elementary educators, this research provides a rich, practice-based account of SEL in action. Findings illustrate how teachers translate emotional awareness into specific instructional adaptations and use relationship-building to foster student well-being. The study also reveals how teachers’ own life histories with diversity and disability create distinct pathways to developing an inclusive, equity-oriented mindset, arguing for teacher education that intentionally cultivates these essential relational competencies.

Author

• Kristen Smigielski, University at Buffalo - SUNY / CELaRAI