The Importance of Supporting the Social-Emotional Skills of Teacher Educators in the Post-COVID Era

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic affected education on all fronts. Most troubling was the effect on students' social emotional learning (SEL) across all education sectors. The implications are yet to be fully understood; however, ongoing research points to further exploration. This chapter supports the redesigning of educator preparation programs (EPPs) to include courses dedicated to exploring SEL. In a post-COVID-19 era, it will be essential to integrate SEL in the EPP curriculum to build awareness of these needed skills in future educators, to build capacity to support students during challenging times. This chapter also encourages universities to consider the addition of SEL development for their EPPs. The authors developed specific action steps for EPPs to use in incorporating SEL within their curriculum. These steps include integrating SEL across coursework, recognizing challenges and stressors, practicing collaboration, encouraging independent practice and critical thinking, using pre and post-assessments to measure SEL improvement, and incorporating mindfulness and emotional regulation.