Part 3: Why focus on homework and not promote play?
In my series ‘ Why focus on homework and not promote play?’ I promised to write on the 21 st Century skills in part 3 of the final article on this subject. I came across this wonderful article on SEL , which stands for social and emotional learning. It is the process through which students acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions ( CASEL [1] ). The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning is helping make evidence-based social and emotional learning an integral part of education from preschool through high school. In this article, I would like to focus on the SEL and CASEL as necessary skills for the 21 st Century. Catholic schools on St. Maarten teach those skills through some evidenced based Skill for Life programs from Partnerships for Childre