New Resources Offer Educators in Serbia Guidelines and Exercises to Promote Social-Emotional Learning
A new guide and handbook offer educators and parents in Serbia information, recommendations, and exercises they can use as the foundation of growing social-emotional learning in their schools.
These documents were developed as part of Childhood Education International’s Social Emotional Character Development in Serbian Primary Schools project. Both were developed by CE International and our partner, the Center for Interactive Pedagogy (CIP Centar).
The guide is available in Serbian and English. The handbook is currently only available in Serbian, but we hope to have an English translation available soon.
Improving Student & Educator Wellbeing, Learning, and Community
Social-emotional learning (SEL), also called social-emotional character development (SECD), involves acquiring skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes that contribute to ensuring wellbeing and success both in school and in life. It includes five key competencies: self-awareness, self-regulation, awareness of others/social awareness, skills in establishing and maintaining relationships, and responsible decision-making.
Through SEL/SECD, the wellbeing and learning of students and educators can be enhanced, positively impacting the broader school community, home life, and the community as a whole.
A Conceptual Framework
The guide provides a conceptual framework for SEL/SECD integration in schools. It highlights the importance of SEL/SECD and notes the commitment of the Serbian government to advancing SEL/SECD. It also highlights the benefits of SEL/SECD for children, parents, teachers, schools, and communities.
Additionally, the guide presents recommendations for schools implementing SEL/SECD, including a pathway to achieving SEL/SECD schoolwide, suggestions for improving teachers’ competencies in SEL/SECD, and recommendations for integration of SEL/SECD into daily practices.
SEL/SECD Topics & Activities
The handbook provides actionable items for families to use to support children in their SEL/SECD growth. It highlights topics such as self-regulation, awareness of others, relationship-building, decision-making, and more.
The handbook also provides SEL/SECD activities that can be done with children. Activities such as “Dictionary of Feelings,” “Decision-Making Rocket,” and “A Win-Win Solution” provide families with opportunities to guide students through SEL/SECD concepts and build their competencies.
Explore the Resources
The Serbian- and English-language resources are available in CE International’s Open Educational Library, along with more than 60 other free professional development materials in seven languages.