5 Ways to Incorporate Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in Middle School Math Class

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an educational approach that nurtures students' social and emotional skills alongside academic learning. It focuses on self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Incorporating SEL into math class is crucial as it improves academic performance, reduces math anxiety, enhances collaboration, and promotes a growth mindset.

What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?

Social Emotional Learning (SEL), is an educational approach that nurtures students' social and emotional skills alongside academic learning. SEL focuses on five core competencies:

1. Self-Awareness: Recognizing one's emotions, values, and strengths.

2. Self-Management: Regulating emotions and behaviors effectively.

3. Social Awareness: Empathizing with others from diverse backgrounds.

4. Relationship Skills: Building healthy relationships through communication and cooperation.

5. Responsible Decision-Making: Making ethical and constructive choices.

Why Do We Need SEL in Math Class?

Math class often evokes a range of emotions. Some of my students feel giddy excitement while others feel deep anxiety. Integrating social emotional learning (SEL) into math instruction helps address these emotional responses, creating a more supportive and effective learning environment. SEL in math class can:

• Improve Academic Performance: Students who feel emotionally supported are more engaged and perform better academically.

• Reduce Math Anxiety: Teaching emotional regulation helps students manage stress and anxiety related to math.

• Enhance Collaboration: SEL fosters teamwork and communication skills, crucial for group projects and discussions.

• Promote a Growth Mindset: Encouraging resilience and perseverance helps students view challenges as opportunities for growth.here

Five Ways to Incorporate SEL in Math Class

1. SEL Ice Breaker Warm-Ups

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Starting the day with a morning meeting can set a positive tone and help students check in with their emotions. Incorporate math-related ice breakers combined with fun questions to engage students both academically and emotionally.

For my daily warm up routine (5 minutes), I always give students 3 problems. My secret is to use 2 math problems + 1 fun problem.

These simple icebreaker math activities warm up their math brains while also providing a moment for personal connection, aligning perfectly with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) principles.

Example: By asking them personal questions (e.g., "What is something you’re nervous about this week?", "What is your favorite video game?", "What quality do you think a good friend should possess?") or giving them a fun creative challenge (e.g., "Use your imagination to turn this squiggly line into a picture."), we encourage self-awareness and social awareness. This approach helps students open up, share their thoughts, and build empathy, fostering a supportive and inclusive classroom environment.

Click here to view a collection of warm-ups that blend math problems with fun check-in questions.

2. Build in Reflection Time and Self-Assessments

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Incorporating reflection and self-assessment into your lessons helps students develop self-awareness and self-management skills. Each of my doodle-style guided notes and icebreaker warm-ups includes a section for students to reflect on their learning and assess their own understanding.

Example: After a lesson on fractions, give students a few minutes to reflect on what they found challenging and what strategies helped them understand the concept. A reflection prompt might be: “What was the most difficult part of today’s lesson? How did you overcome it?” or “How confident are you in adding and subtracting fractions? Why?”.

This practice not only reinforces the math content but also helps students recognize their emotional responses and learning strategies.

3. Building a Growth Mindset in Math

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Encouraging a growth mindset is crucial for helping students view challenges as opportunities to grow rather than insurmountable obstacles. Offer opportunities for quiz retakes and emphasize that mistakes are part of the learning process.

Example: When returning graded quizzes, provide an option for students to retake them after reviewing their mistakes. I usually require students to complete a quiz corrections before a quiz retake (they can do it on their own or come to my office hour to do it together).  Celebrate the effort they put into improving their scores. You might praise them by saying, “I noticed many of you worked really hard to understand the problems you missed. That’s exactly how we get better at math—by learning from our mistakes.”

Click here to learn more about fostering growth mindset in the classroom.

4. Creating a Supportive Classroom Environment

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Fostering a classroom culture where students feel safe to express their emotions and opinions is key. Celebrate diverse holidays and invite students to share their cultural backgrounds if they feel comfortable.

Example: During a unit on statistics, incorporate data sets that reflect diverse cultures and traditions. Encourage students to share stories or traditions from their backgrounds. This not only enriches the math content but also builds social awareness and respect for diversity.

5. Role-Playing & Brainstorm Ideas for Conflict Resolutions

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Use role-playing activities to help students practice conflict resolution and perspective-taking. Address real incidents that occur on campus to make these exercises relevant and impactful.

Example: Once, I heard that students were being disrespectful to a new teacher struggling with classroom management. We took 10 minutes to brainstorm solutions. Students suggested thanking the teacher after class, picking up trash before leaving, and being mindful of their speaking volume. Although it didn’t completely solve the problem, it significantly improved the situation.

Want to Implement These Fun SEL + Math Activities?

Try a warm-up that incorporates the icebreaker questions and self assessments that we've discussed. It's perfect for a full year of engaging math starts!

Grab our Ice Breaker Warm Ups Bundle!

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