AMAZONAS CAROÇO: Creating SEL Strategies for the Amazon

• In Event: Localizing Social and Emotional Learning: Adapting SEL Kernels in International Contexts

Proposal

The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of social and emotional learning. Amidst disruptions, stress, and loss, school closures and limited social interactions have prompted educators to seek ways to support children's well-being. Social and emotional learning (SEL) has emerged as a valuable approach during the pandemic, offering benefits such as creating safe learning environments and teaching children communication, emotional processing, relationship-building, and adaptability.

The Amazonas region in Brazil, deeply impacted by the pandemic, possesses rich cultural diversity and potential. This unique context, coupled with pandemic-induced challenges, provides an opportunity to explore tailored SEL initiatives.

This paper showcases the efforts of Brazilian education professionals who worked to address the pressing social and emotional needs of the Amazonas. In collaboration with EASEL Lab researchers, the authorsadapted and co-developed SEL strategies that align with local assets and needs. When carrying out the Caroço Project in the municipality of Iranduba, located in the Metropolitan Region of the State of Amazonas, our goal was to cultivate an environment conducive to the development of social and emotional competencies. As we turned our attention to the communities residing in one of the most biodiverse biomes in the world, it became evident that the preservation of this environment is of crucial importance for our planet. In this sense, assuming the responsibility of contributing to the lives of these children through education has become a unique opportunity.

The task of nurturing the harmonious relationship between inhabitants of the Amazon and their ecosystem is a mission that we embrace with dedication. Social and emotional education emerges as the bridge to establish this vital connection with nature, investing in the continued sustenance of the forest, its priceless biodiversity and, consequently, the well-being of our planet as a whole.

We planted a seed with educators, whose roots are already in the fertile soil of a territory that understood the importance of looking at children, adolescents, young people and adults in their entirety, which begins with the challenge of thinking, experiencing and implementing in their daily lives simple activities that favor the growth of "leafy trees” in early childhood education and elementary school.

The paper shares focus group findings detailing the region's identified assets and needs, with insights categorized by age, geography, and social and cultural factors. The study encompasses various stakeholders, including education officials, teachers, and families. The presenter delves into the process of adapting, testing, understanding the systemic barriers, and implementing localized SEL strategies for early childhood learners and elementary students, emphasizing the utilization of tools for contextually relevant social and emotional learning resources. The authors will share findings from a pilot study of the adapted and co-developed SEL strategies in the Amazonas region.

In summary, this paper details how the Amazonas region's specific challenges led to the creation of tailored SEL strategies. It underscores the significance of adapting global resources to local contexts, ultimately contributing valuable insights to the field of social and emotional learning.

Authors

• ana colagrossi, Sedes Sapientiae Institute

• Adriana Maria Barbosa Guimas, Secretaria de Educação de Manaus

• Euzeni Araujo Trajano, Ministério da Educação