When you are a teacher, you know that your role goes a lot further than just imparting knowledge to the next generation. You’ll know you are actually responsible (or at least partly responsible) for shaping that generation into good people who can contribute to society. This is why it’s crucial for teachers to develop additional skills that they can use to ensure this happens as much as possible. You’re not just there to ensure your students have academic success, but to give them a fully rounded education that includes many additional skills, and that might mean going back to school yourself to gain those skills if you don’t already have them (or if you want a formal qualification).
One such skill is how to teach your students important lessons through sports and physical activities. There is an entire program dedicated to this, and therefore if you are thinking about taking a social emotional learning through sports and physical education degree, here are some of the reasons why this is a good idea.
What is a Social Emotional Learning Through Sports and Physical Education Degree?
Before looking at why a social emotional learning through sports and physical education degree (SEL) is important, you need to know what it is, so here is a short summary to help you decide whether this is the right direction for you to take.
SEL is the process of developing skills that promote emotional wellbeing, good decision-making, and positive relationships, and it’s done through exercise in the classroom. By understanding that emotional development is just as important as gaining knowledge, it means that the entire person is taught, helping them gain important skills such as self-management, social awareness, and even self-awareness for the future.
Why is SEL Important?
Sports and physical education give each student the perfect opportunity to develop the social and personal skills mentioned above in a fun and interactive way. Plus, they’ll be exercising and therefore getting fit and healthy at the same time.
When playing team sports, for example, students will learn about teamwork, they will develop good communication skills, and they will even work on conflict resolution. There might also be games in the classroom that make learning a lot more fun and often the children won’t even realize they are learning anything at all—but they will actually come away with plenty of new knowledge about math, science, or life skills in general.
The Benefits of Taking an Online SEL Program
Taking an online SEL program to gain the appropriate qualifications in this subject is a great idea for teachers. It will give the teacher themselves the knowledge and therefore the confidence they need to design the right activities in their classroom to ensure that SEL is used in the right way.
On top of this, learning more about SEL online means that you’ll be able to make more informed decisions about designing your lesson plans, and you’ll be able to ensure that there is the right mix of physical education and classroom learning.
Image Credits: Taylor Flowe
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