Integrating SEL, UDL in Math During Changing Contexts: Cases from Lebanon, Ghana, and Guatemala

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

The global COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated feelings of isolation, stress, loss, and more among children, young people, adults, families, and entire communities. With so much trauma and so many unknowns, the short and long-term effects of the pandemic have been detrimental to students’ learning and cognitive and socioemotional development, especially for the most vulnerable children and youth. In this context, there is a greater need for social and emotional learning (SEL) and universal design for learning (UDL) to be integrated into children and youth’s schooling. Evidence shows that curriculum and instruction that are intentional about giving students the chance to develop core social and emotional competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making significantly increase academic achievement, improve attitudes and behaviors, decrease negative behaviors and discipline problems, and reduce emotional distress. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) effective mathematics instruction builds upon these competencies to drive student learning and engagement. For example, SEL can foster a growth mindset and undermine math anxiety.

In addition, incorporating UDL principles into curriculum design or educational planning has also been shown to improve access and outcomes for learners in a variety of situations and across multiple subjects areas, including mathematics. UDL has become increasingly important as instruction has shifted to distance learning modalities, and as most children and youth are returning to school across the world, the reality is that a hybrid model might still be needed in most regions that are still facing low levels of vaccination against COVID-19.

To address the need to support children and youth as they grapple with lower academic achievements, especially in core subject areas, programs need to integrate SEL and UDL into mathematics instruction This integration has become more common in education projects worldwide, and it is frequently associated particularly with language arts classes. In this interactive group panel, panelists will share the work that they have done in Lebanon, Ghana, and Guatemala in integrated UDL and SEL activities into numeracy and math classes at primary and secondary levels. Questions that will be addressed during the event include:

• Where and when during a math class are there opportunities to implicitly practice SEL skills?
• How can SEL or UDL integrate into all parts of the instructional day?
• How can you frame SEL or UDL to convince a skeptical stakeholder of its importance?

The panel will also feature adaptation that projects have been done to explicitly address COVID-19 related challenges, especially in delivering activities through distance learning modalities, and will discuss lessons learned for the future.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Laura Conrad, DDI Center for Education, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Individual Presentations

• Integrating social and emotional (SEL) learning into pre-service mathematics teacher education: lessons from a formative study in Guatemala - Fernanda Soares, FHI360; Alejandra De Freitas, FHI 360

• Supporting and embedding universal design for learning (UDL) principles in early grade literacy and numeracy instruction in Ghana - Hayley Niad, Inclusive Development Partners

• Transitioning from face to face to online learning: Basic Math Concepts and SEL integration in the Lebanese context - Rola Bayram, World Learning Inc.; Garene Kaloustian, World Learning

Discussant

• Kara McBride, World Learning