Why SEL Curriculum Matters: A Guide to Social-Emotional Learning
Why SEL Curriculum Matters: A Guide to Social-Emotional Learning
Nov 16, 2023
Updated Dec 1, 2025
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Summary
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) builds core life skills like emotional regulation, collaboration, and decision-making. A strong SEL curriculum improves academic performance, attendance, mental health, and long-term career outcomes. When paired with interest-based programs like esports, SEL becomes even more powerful; helping students practice teamwork, resilience, communication, digital citizenship, and real-world problem-solving.
What is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)?
An SEL (Social Emotional Learning) program is a systematic framework within schools designed to cultivate social and emotional competencies. It includes structured lessons, activities, and embedded practices throughout the school day, often supported by continuous professional development for educators.
SEL gives students the tools to understand themselves, manage emotions, build relationships, and make responsible decisions
An SEL curriculum weaves these skills into daily school activities through structured lessons and real-world applications. It focuses on five core competencies.
What Are The 5 Main Areas of SEL?
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) identifies five core competencies of SEL that help students develop essential life skills:
1. Self-awareness: Encouraging students to understand their emotions, strengths, and areas for growth.
2. Self-management: Equipping students with strategies to regulate their emotions, set goals, and make responsible decisions.
3. Social awareness: Fostering empathy and nurturing an understanding of diverse perspectives, cultures, and communities. Recognizing diverse perspectives, showing empathy, and understanding others.
4. Relationship skills: Teaching students effective communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution skills.
5. Responsible decision-making: Empowering students to think critically, evaluate consequences, and make ethical, constructive choices.
*Image inspired by CASEL
What Does Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Mean in a Curriculum?
In education, the SEL curriculum refers to incorporating these five competencies into the school curriculum. It involves teaching and facilitating activities that foster the development of these skills, creating an environment where students can practice and apply them in real life.
Implementing an Effective SEL Curriculum
SEL works best when it is woven into academic subjects, classroom norms, and extracurricular activities—not treated as a separate unit. Successful implementation of an SEL curriculum requires a comprehensive approach. In order to create an impactful SEL curriculum, the following components should be considered:
Teacher training and support: Providing educators with the necessary training, professional development, resources, and ongoing support to effectively deliver SEL instruction.
Integration into daily routines and lessons: Infusing SEL concepts and activities into regular classroom routines and academic subjects.
Creating a positive and inclusive classroom environment: Cultivating a safe and supportive space where students feel valued, respected, and encouraged to express themselves authentically.
Clear goals and objectives: Clearly define what students should achieve and the skills they should develop.
Age-appropriate content: Tailoring the curriculum to meet the developmental needs of students at different grade levels.
Engaging activities and exercises: Incorporating interactive and experiential learning opportunities to promote active student engagement.
Assessment and evaluation methods: Employing effective measures to gauge student progress and inform instructional strategies.
Benefits of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in Education
Implementing an SEL curriculum offers numerous benefits to students. These benefits include improved academic performance, enhanced social and emotional skills, better mental health, and reduced behavioral issues.
Studies¹ show that in the short term, SEL programs promote decreased emotional distress, improved test scores, grades, and attendance, and overall more positive social behavior.
In the long run², SEL programs can increase the likelihood of high school graduation, career success, better mental health, and engaged citizenship. Research¹ has found that SEL helps students do better in school, boosting their performance by about 11%. Furthermore, it encourages positive behaviors like being kind, sharing, and understanding others. Plus, it makes students like school more and feel less stressed or down.
A real-school example comes from The Menta Group. Their SEL infused esports program helped students improve emotional regulation, teamwork, and communication. Teachers saw more calm problem-solving, better peer interactions, and increased confidence during structured gameplay. Learn more about Menta's story in this video:
The Best Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum
Determining the "best" SEL curriculum depends on various factors like the school's context, student demographics, and specific needs. Effective SEL programs are often those that are evidence-based, culturally responsive, and incorporate continuous evaluation and improvement.
SEL Careers: Where Emotional Intelligence Meets Professional Success
Social-emotional skills open doors to a wide range of rewarding careers. SEL-aligned professions are not only fulfilling but also in demand as workplaces prioritize emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.
Students who excel in SEL competencies are primed for careers in:
Education: Teaching, school counseling, and instructional design.
Healthcare: Nursing, mental health counseling, and social work.
Technology: User experience design and human-computer interaction.
Business: Leadership roles, human resources, and team management.
Creative Industries: Media production, storytelling, and design thinking.
SEL and Esports Curriculums: A Natural Partnership
SEL does not have designed and set subjects such as math, geography, or literature. The best approach would be to ensure incorporation of SEL to as many areas as possible. That's why esports creates the most ideal environment.
At first glance, it might make you wonder how these two realms support each other. Here’s how:
1. Teamwork and Collaboration: SEL emphasizes the development of relationship skills and social awareness. In Esports, players must work together as a team, communicating effectively to strategize and win. This fosters cooperative skills and the ability to work in diverse groups. You may support teamwork and collaboration through group activities, game reviews, collective strategizing, and more.
2. Emotional Regulation and Stress Management: SEL teaches students how to manage emotions, especially under stress or challenges. Esports players often face high-pressure situations that require emotional control. A way to help students develop these skills is through a performance training curriculum, which contains lessons on maximizing gaming performance through mindset, wellness, motivation, and more.
3. Strategic Thinking and Decision Making: Responsible decision-making is a key component of SEL, where students learn to make ethical and constructive choices. Esports involves critical thinking and making quick decisions during gameplay. Therefore, both areas cultivate the ability to assess situations and make informed decisions rapidly. Our curriculum at Gameplan supports strategic thinking and decision-making through scenario review and analysis and group discussions about performance and gameplay approach and beyond. Here is an example:
4. Digital Citizenship and Online Interactions: The SEL curriculum includes understanding and navigating digital interactions ethically. Esports is predominantly an online activity where players interact with a global community. Both disciplines teach students how to engage positively and responsibly in digital spaces. When students interact with each other through esports education, they practice digital citizenship, positive online interactions, personal data management, and respect and tolerance for a diversity of ideas.
Education Beyond Academics
By teaching emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration, and ethical decision-making, schools create safer, more connected, and more effective learning environments. When paired with high-engagement programs like esports, SEL becomes even more impactful.
If you want to integrate SEL through esports or curriculum-aligned digital learning tools, schedule a meeting here. We’re here to help you build a future-ready school.
Sources:
1 - Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., & Schellinger, K.B. (2011). "The impact of enhancing students' social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions." Child Development, 82, pp.405-432.
3 - https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/
What is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)?
An SEL (Social Emotional Learning) program is a systematic framework within schools designed to cultivate social and emotional competencies. It includes structured lessons, activities, and embedded practices throughout the school day, often supported by continuous professional development for educators.
SEL gives students the tools to understand themselves, manage emotions, build relationships, and make responsible decisions
An SEL curriculum weaves these skills into daily school activities through structured lessons and real-world applications. It focuses on five core competencies.
What Are The 5 Main Areas of SEL?
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) identifies five core competencies of SEL that help students develop essential life skills:
1. Self-awareness: Encouraging students to understand their emotions, strengths, and areas for growth.
2. Self-management: Equipping students with strategies to regulate their emotions, set goals, and make responsible decisions.
3. Social awareness: Fostering empathy and nurturing an understanding of diverse perspectives, cultures, and communities. Recognizing diverse perspectives, showing empathy, and understanding others.
4. Relationship skills: Teaching students effective communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution skills.
5. Responsible decision-making: Empowering students to think critically, evaluate consequences, and make ethical, constructive choices.
*Image inspired by CASEL
What Does Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Mean in a Curriculum?
In education, the SEL curriculum refers to incorporating these five competencies into the school curriculum. It involves teaching and facilitating activities that foster the development of these skills, creating an environment where students can practice and apply them in real life.
Implementing an Effective SEL Curriculum
SEL works best when it is woven into academic subjects, classroom norms, and extracurricular activities—not treated as a separate unit. Successful implementation of an SEL curriculum requires a comprehensive approach. In order to create an impactful SEL curriculum, the following components should be considered:
Teacher training and support: Providing educators with the necessary training, professional development, resources, and ongoing support to effectively deliver SEL instruction.
Integration into daily routines and lessons: Infusing SEL concepts and activities into regular classroom routines and academic subjects.
Creating a positive and inclusive classroom environment: Cultivating a safe and supportive space where students feel valued, respected, and encouraged to express themselves authentically.
Clear goals and objectives: Clearly define what students should achieve and the skills they should develop.
Age-appropriate content: Tailoring the curriculum to meet the developmental needs of students at different grade levels.
Engaging activities and exercises: Incorporating interactive and experiential learning opportunities to promote active student engagement.
Assessment and evaluation methods: Employing effective measures to gauge student progress and inform instructional strategies.
Benefits of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in Education
Implementing an SEL curriculum offers numerous benefits to students. These benefits include improved academic performance, enhanced social and emotional skills, better mental health, and reduced behavioral issues.
Studies¹ show that in the short term, SEL programs promote decreased emotional distress, improved test scores, grades, and attendance, and overall more positive social behavior.
In the long run², SEL programs can increase the likelihood of high school graduation, career success, better mental health, and engaged citizenship. Research¹ has found that SEL helps students do better in school, boosting their performance by about 11%. Furthermore, it encourages positive behaviors like being kind, sharing, and understanding others. Plus, it makes students like school more and feel less stressed or down.
A real-school example comes from The Menta Group. Their SEL infused esports program helped students improve emotional regulation, teamwork, and communication. Teachers saw more calm problem-solving, better peer interactions, and increased confidence during structured gameplay. Learn more about Menta's story in this video:
The Best Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum
Determining the "best" SEL curriculum depends on various factors like the school's context, student demographics, and specific needs. Effective SEL programs are often those that are evidence-based, culturally responsive, and incorporate continuous evaluation and improvement.
SEL Careers: Where Emotional Intelligence Meets Professional Success
Social-emotional skills open doors to a wide range of rewarding careers. SEL-aligned professions are not only fulfilling but also in demand as workplaces prioritize emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.
Students who excel in SEL competencies are primed for careers in:
Education: Teaching, school counseling, and instructional design.
Healthcare: Nursing, mental health counseling, and social work.
Technology: User experience design and human-computer interaction.
Business: Leadership roles, human resources, and team management.
Creative Industries: Media production, storytelling, and design thinking.
SEL and Esports Curriculums: A Natural Partnership
SEL does not have designed and set subjects such as math, geography, or literature. The best approach would be to ensure incorporation of SEL to as many areas as possible. That's why esports creates the most ideal environment.
At first glance, it might make you wonder how these two realms support each other. Here’s how:
1. Teamwork and Collaboration: SEL emphasizes the development of relationship skills and social awareness. In Esports, players must work together as a team, communicating effectively to strategize and win. This fosters cooperative skills and the ability to work in diverse groups. You may support teamwork and collaboration through group activities, game reviews, collective strategizing, and more.
2. Emotional Regulation and Stress Management: SEL teaches students how to manage emotions, especially under stress or challenges. Esports players often face high-pressure situations that require emotional control. A way to help students develop these skills is through a performance training curriculum, which contains lessons on maximizing gaming performance through mindset, wellness, motivation, and more.
3. Strategic Thinking and Decision Making: Responsible decision-making is a key component of SEL, where students learn to make ethical and constructive choices. Esports involves critical thinking and making quick decisions during gameplay. Therefore, both areas cultivate the ability to assess situations and make informed decisions rapidly. Our curriculum at Gameplan supports strategic thinking and decision-making through scenario review and analysis and group discussions about performance and gameplay approach and beyond. Here is an example:
4. Digital Citizenship and Online Interactions: The SEL curriculum includes understanding and navigating digital interactions ethically. Esports is predominantly an online activity where players interact with a global community. Both disciplines teach students how to engage positively and responsibly in digital spaces. When students interact with each other through esports education, they practice digital citizenship, positive online interactions, personal data management, and respect and tolerance for a diversity of ideas.
Education Beyond Academics
By teaching emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration, and ethical decision-making, schools create safer, more connected, and more effective learning environments. When paired with high-engagement programs like esports, SEL becomes even more impactful.
If you want to integrate SEL through esports or curriculum-aligned digital learning tools, schedule a meeting here. We’re here to help you build a future-ready school.
Sources:
1 - Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., & Schellinger, K.B. (2011). "The impact of enhancing students' social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions." Child Development, 82, pp.405-432.
3 - https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/
Written by
Victoria Lang
Victoria Lang is a Partnership Manager at Gameplan. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and, as an upper elementary and middle school educator, disrupted traditional teaching methods by connecting instruction to students’ interests to drive engagement. She transitioned into education technology sales to continue supporting students in a new way—focusing on improving student outcomes, building pathways, and advancing workforce readiness. Her career reflects a commitment to bridging education with real-world opportunities while creating meaningful impact for schools and districts. Family-oriented at heart, Victoria enjoys playing video games with her children, blending fun with learning even outside the classroom.
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