Physical Education, SEL, and Leadership: A Call to Action

The Big Idea: There has been a flood of research confirming the benefits of social and emotional learning (SEL) for developing the whole child - including the enhancement of academic skills and the ability to make better decisions. The emerging connection between SEL and leadership coupled with the leadership development opportunities students experience in PE present Physical Education Teachers with a unique opportunity to take the lead in their schools and districts. 

According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), good SEL skills can be developed in schools and classrooms in a number of ways, including the intentional design and development of leadership experiences. This comes at a time when leaders in education and the business community do not think we are doing enough to provide kids with experiences that foster the development of skills they need to take the lead in their lives and work.

CASEL and other researchers have found that providing opportunities for students to take the lead in their schoolwork, activities, and interactions helps them to develop individual and social skills that are increasingly in demand - for good reason. In the workplace, SEL has proven to be far more predictive than IQ for every marker of success studied.  Developing core competencies for SEL including the foundational elements of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making are beneficial for students in school now and over time as they move beyond their formal education to work.

The Case for Taking the Lead: This article outlines the case for an important new role for the physical educator in taking the lead in developing SEL and leadership and makes the case for more physical education and active play in our educational system. The nation's response to the Covid-19 pandemic is significantly impacting tax revenues and putting additional pressure on an already strapped education system. Administrators will be forced further to make tough choices which will inevitably lead to further cutbacks in programming deemed non-essential to improving academic performance.

In many school districts physical education has been a target of cutbacks. One approach to ensuring physical education survives and thrives is to leverage the unique role PE and PE teachers play in the lives of students through the intentional development of SEL and leadership and the integration of leadership language, process, and skills in everyday PE activities. Providing the context and connection, students can further apply their skills learned in PE to their work in other classes, at home, and in their community.  

An Opportunity: Schools tend to lack a coordinated plan for integrating SEL and leadership development across classes, grades, departments, and districts. As such, teachers who step up with a comprehensive understanding, concrete strategies, and tactics for moving forward, and a willingness to serve as a resource to their colleagues are positioned to make a significant contribution and will be highly valued. Having seen this approach at work firsthand, I believe physical educators are ideally positioned to take the lead in this important role. It is a natural fit.

The Benefits of Leadership:  When students are provided with opportunities to develop skills and to frame challenges as opportunities to take the lead, they experience greater agency and initiative. The experience of taking the lead instills confidence and connects children to the skills they are developing to solve problems creatively and collaboratively across classes, subjects, and grades. As their confidence in their ability to take positive and productive action to make things happen grows and develops over time, they build the responsibility, resilience, and resourcefulness they need to take the lead in their own lives and in their work.

While you may not find the word leadership in the early learning standards, many states have addressed leadership in their standards in the social-emotional section. Key phrases that relate to leadership are “self-confidence”, “problem solving”, “pro-social,” and “makes independent decisions and choices.” For example, early learning standards for social and emotional development skills for children include “know and state independent thoughts and feelings” and “participate in new experiences with confidence and independence”.

START Leadership: Laurie Bodine the founder of START-Leadership  a San Francisco based education and leadership training company has shown that when teachers work with students to intentionally develop what she calls the leadership mindset, students demonstrate gains in every metric of preparedness and wellbeing. She states

"In our primary research and that of scores of others, we find that the kids who fare best in preparedness and well-being have had parents and teachers who create the time, space, guidance, and opportunities for them to discover, practice, and intentionally develop their leadership skills and abilities in many areas over many years."

With this approach, students become mentally primed and able to approach and take on challenges, respond productively to feedback, adopt effective problem-solving strategies, be diligent and persistent in seeking to accomplish goals, increase their competence, and engage in deep-level learning strategies. They are also more adaptable, able to cooperate, and have been shown to perform at a higher level.

A Call to Action: According to the research from experts in every field, the debate about whether leaders are born or made is over. All children are born with the potential to develop a wide range of leadership skills over a lifetime. As adults, we have the opportunity to model, teach and reinforce the development of skills kids need to take the lead in their work and to assume leadership roles - now and in the future.  If you’ve stayed with me on this and see the potential this opportunity presents to you in your school, district, or region, I invite you to connect and to learn more about how you can take the lead in implementing and championing this work.