Educators in Serbia Share Social-Emotional Learning Practices at National Conference
Teachers taking part in Childhood Education International’s Social and Emotional Character Development (SECD) in Serbian Primary Schools: A Community of Practice Framework project recently presented about best practices in social-emotional learning at a national conference.
Stakeholders from schools, universities, and ministries across Serbia and other European countries came together and presented at a national conference entitled “Education and Upbringing: Using Values as a Guidepost.” CE International attended the conference alongside the Center for Interactive Pedagogy (CIP) and project researchers from the Faculty of Philosophy and the Department of Pedagogy & Andragogy at the University of Belgrade.
Students in a classroom in Serbia work together on a social-emotional learning project.
Best Practices in Social-Emotional Learning
Teachers and school staff from all five schools participating in the SECD project, along with University of Belgrade faculty, facilitated a session on ways to integrate SECD in schools to support children’s growth and wellbeing.
They also shared students’ results on social-emotional learning assessments from the project schools and discussed ways that others can use similar assessments in their education settings. In another conference session, attendees learned about our use of photo-voicing as an evaluation tool with students and how other schools can conduct it to evaluate student belonging and inclusion.
School Visits
CE International and CIP recently visited the schools taking part in the project, observing SECD-embedded lessons in the classroom and discussing with teachers the importance of such methods with their students.
“It’s wonderful to see how students are growing in their social-emotional competencies and overall wellbeing through the increased use of SEL schoolwide,” said Katherine Tek, Practice Area Lead at CE International.
During the visit, students shared the importance of social-emotional learning in their growth and wellbeing.
“I was delighted to hear the children saying that now they talk about their feelings with teachers and that they feel less stressed in school and find it easier to learn,” said Boris Spasic, Executive Director of CIP.
A poster created by a student, sharing details about why they love their school.
Next Steps
The project will support schools in assessing outcomes as they close the school year and prepare for greater SECD integration in the upcoming school year, while also encouraging parent engagement alongside teachers and school staff.
CE International looks forward to collaborating with CIP, the University of Belgrade, and the school partners as they assess, evaluate, and provide advisement on SECD schoolwide over the next several months.