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Social-emotional learning

Through social and emotional learning (SEL), students build skills that help them at school, at work and in everyday life. These skills include understanding and managing emotions, showing self-control, and building positive relationships with others.

Social-emotional competence

Social and emotional learning (SEL) helps students manage everyday challenges. It also supports learning, wellbeing and positive relationships.

SEL helps students:

  • develop a positive sense of self
  • build respectful relationships
  • manage emotions, behaviour and interactions with others.

ACARA Personal and Social Capability framework

The Personal and Social Capability framework (ACARA, 2020) helps students understand and manage their thoughts, emotions and behaviours. These skills are taught across all learning areas and through everyday school experiences.

Understanding ourselves and reflecting on learning. This includes:

  • personal awareness – recognising strengths and areas for growth
  • emotional awareness – understanding emotions and how they affect behaviour
  • reflective practice – using feedback and reflection to improve learning.

Managing behaviour, emotions and goals. This includes:

  • goal setting – planning and working towards goals
  • emotional regulation – managing and expressing emotions appropriately
  • perseverance and adaptability – staying focused and adjusting when challenges arise.

Understanding other people and the wider community. This includes:

  • empathy – recognising and responding to the feelings and needs of others
  • relational awareness – building positive and respectful relationships
  • community awareness – understanding how we contribute to our community.

Working and interacting effectively with others. This includes:

  • communication – expressing ideas clearly and listening to others
  • collaboration – working positively with others
  • leadership –supporting and guiding others
  • decision-making – making thoughtful and responsible choices
  • conflict resolution – resolving disagreements in a respectful way.

CASEL framework: Five broad skill areas

The CASEL framework supports the ACARA Personal and social capability framework. It provides a well-known model for understanding social and emotional learning.

Like the ACARA framework, these skills can be taught through everyday interactions and explicit teaching across all learning areas.

The five broad skill areas include:

  • Self-awareness - recognising and understanding our feelings and our strengths.
  • Self-management - managing and expressing our emotions appropriately.
  • Social awareness - understanding other people’s feelings and perspectives.
  • Relationship skills - building and maintaining healthy relationships and seeking help when needed.
  • Responsible decision-making - understanding how choices affect ourselves and others.

How these frameworks connect

The ACARA and CASEL frameworks are closely aligned.

Both:

  • develop self-awareness, self-management and social understanding
  • support positive relationships
  • help students make responsible decisions
  • are embedded across learning and everyday school life.

Together, they provide a consistent and practical approach to supporting student wellbeing, behaviour and learning.

Supporting SEL in practice

Schools support SEL through a range of evidence-based approaches across the care continuum.

These may include:

  • social skills programs that support cooperation, peer relationships and emotional regulation
  • classroom management strategies that strengthen teacher-student relationships and support positive behaviour
  • mindfulness and cognitive-behavioural strategies that support wellbeing and emotional regulation
  • programs that build skills such as problem-solving, conflict resolution, self-esteem, and responsible decision-making.

Teaching and classroom practice resources

Resources to support students in developing social and emotional skills.

A range of resources to support explicit teaching and classroom management.

Resources include:

  • Explainers (high expectations, routines, rules)
  • Practice guides (routines, transitions, gaining attention)
  • Teaching strategies (praise, communication, non-verbal correction, scanning)

Access these resources through the URH:

Professional learning

Face-to-face workshops (2 hours, school-delivered) that support schools to strengthen behaviour support practices using evidence-based strategies.

The workshops use the explicit teaching model: plan, model, guided and independent practice, with interactive workshop activities. They include:

  • Explicit teaching for behaviour (classroom routines)
  • Explicit teaching for behaviour (social and emotional learning)
  • Explicit teaching for behaviour (individual students).

Schools need to contact their Team Around a School to arrange for these courses to be facilitated.

CASEL provides a 60 minute online course that introduces the foundations of SEL and how supports relationships and wellbeing.

Access link: An Introduction to Social and Emotional Learning (External link)

Be You has modules in the Learning resilience domain that help staff understand and intentionally teach SEL skills. The modules contribute to one hour of NSW Education Standards Authority registered professional learning.

Access link: Learning Resilience (External link)

More information

Australian Curriculum Personal and Social Capabilities (External link)

Information, resources and professional learning on Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (External link) website.

The Restorative Practices website provides more information about co-operative learning.

The Wellbeing Framework for Schools outlines how schools create supportive learning environments that promote student wellbeing across the social, emotional, cognitive, physical and spiritual domains. The Social wellbeing and Emotional wellbeing strategies webpages provide practical information and strategies to help schools support these areas of wellbeing.

Be You Programs Directory (External link) can help you find the right evidence based program to support social and emotional learning and promote positive mental health.

The Student Wellbeing external programs catalogue ensures schools can easily access quality assured student wellbeing programs that contribute to improved learning, wellbeing and life outcomes for students.

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Category:

  • DoE

Business Unit:

  • Inclusion and Wellbeing
Page details

Last modified date
01/06/2026
Business unit contact email
studentbehaviour@det.nsw.edu.au
Executive director
Laura Milkins
Executive director’s business unit
Teaching Learning&Student Wellbeing
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