Social and Emotional Learning for Adult Multilingual Learners

If you have any school-aged children in your life, whether they be your own or part of your extended family or friend network, you have probably noticed that they are getting Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons at school. They may be learning skills to manage their emotions, empathize with others and build healthy relationships. And if you’re like me, you may have learned some of these SEL skills through the child in your life, as they bring those lessons home from school. 

SEL is not just for kids! The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center saw the value in making sure adult multilingual learners also have the opportunity to learn SEL skills in their adult education classrooms. So, they created the Social and Emotional Learning for Adult Multilingual Learners Toolkit. The toolkit does the following:

• Defines and describes social and emotional learning
• Explains how SEL connects with adult learning and multilingual learner instruction
• Provides SEL activities for adult English Language Learners
• Lists additional SEL resources 

Here’s a sampling of some of the ideas and resources found in the activities:

• Emotional check-Ins
• Growth mindset prompts
• Empathy task cards
• Mindfulness activities

While it was designed with multilingual learners in mind, the ideas and strategies can be used with native-English-speaking adults as well. Whether you have been doing SEL without even knowing it, or it’s a new idea to you, the toolkit is a great resource to find some fresh ideas or to get started with SEL. 

For questions or comments about this tutor tip, contact Tutor Training Coordinator, Meghan Boyle at mboyle@literacymn.org.