By Sheryl Bone

This blog post discusses how college writing courses can support student writers using social emotional learning (SEL) strategies. It challenges instructors to grow their teaching practices, learn about SEL, and incorporate SEL into their classrooms.  Resources are included to help instructors understand the importance of SEL, how they can utilize SEL strategies in their teaching, and how SEL can benefit student writers.

College writing courses teach students the value of effective communication. Students learn to express themselves, respect different points of view, and show compassion for themselves and others. This provides college writing courses a unique opportunity to incorporate social emotional learning (SEL).

In 1995, New York Times science reporter Daniel Goleman published Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Goleman refutes popular opinions of the time by asserting that skills that enable students to build character can be taught (2005). The concept of teaching soft skills such as self-awareness, problem-solving, and empathy has not always been valued, particularly in higher education. Ironically, college students face greater social-emotional challenges today than ever before. Financial difficulties, time management issues, and mental and physical health challenges are issues facing today’s college students. Add academic pressure and an uncertain job market, and you have a perfect storm. Many students find themselves unprepared to manage the obstacles they meet on the path to a college degree. SEL can help prepare students to face these challenges.

The Collaboration for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines SEL as “the process through which young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions” (2025, para. 1). It is easy to see why SEL skills are invaluable to help students become effective, compassionate global citizens. Collaboration, communication, and solid decision-making are essential to future professional success.

In today’s college writing classroom, students learn more than grammar, sentence structure, and paragraph development. College writing courses teach students the value of effective communication. Students learn to express themselves and share information. Understanding audience and purpose – who you are writing for, why you write, and how to meet readers’ needs – is also essential to college writing. What role does SEL play in the college writing classroom? Many students arrive in writing courses full of anxiety. Ask any college writing instructor to name the biggest obstacle to success for students in an entry-level writing course. The answer is almost certainly themselves. Students bring their negative academic experience, self-doubt, and preconceived notions of what ‘real’ writing looks like to the college writing classroom. Writing instructors face the challenge of providing opportunities for students to prove themselves wrong and experience success as writers.

Gallagher and Stocker contend that “targeting the wellbeing of our students implicitly benefits their academic endeavors in higher education” (2018, para. 2). This is where SEL can impact students as writers, future professionals, and global citizens. According to Gallagher and Stocker, “embracing SEL is about understanding that effective education is not just about the content, but is also about the social and emotional conditions under which students are learning. Increasing social and emotional capabilities leads to improved academic achievement” (2018, para. 5). To communicate effectively, an author must put their thoughts into words and words onto paper. It is impossible to share your thoughts without sharing a piece of yourself. Regardless of the purpose for writing, writing is a discipline that requires an emotional investment. This makes the writing classroom a unique learning space where students can develop the skills they need to develop emotional competency. Dussault and Thompson agree, stating that “…emotional regulation and wellbeing are prerequisites for key areas of academic and intellectual functioning” (2024, para. 2). Increased emotional competency allows for reduced anxiety, increased self-awareness, and stronger academic skills.

This may sound like a heavy lift for a composition instructor. With a large student roster, increasing academic demands, and a never-ending pile of papers to grade, how can a writing instructor incorporate SEL into their already crowded teaching agenda? Luckily, there are innumerable resources to help college writing instructors incorporate SEL into an existing curriculum. A small step can make a big impact on the success students experience. By the very nature of a writing course, journaling is an easy way to start students on a path to self-awareness, empathy, and greater self-compassion.

Incorporating SEL strategies into classrooms and curriculum can be done gradually as writing instructors develop their understanding. Resources are readily available to support anyone in understanding the impact of SEL on academic, professional, and personal success. The following articles and sites offer journal prompts, ideas, and activities to help writing instructors learn more about SEL, integrate SEL strategies into their teaching, and use writing to help students develop communication skills, empathy, self-compassion, and thoughtful curiosity about the world around them.

General Information about SEL

American Institutes for Research: https://www.air.org/our-work/education/social-and-emotional-learning

CASEL: https://casel.org/

National Education Association (NEA): https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/truth-about-sel-it-works

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/what-you-need-know-about-social-and-emotional-learning

Writing and the College Classroom

European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology, and Education: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8314289/

Faculty Focus: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/equality-inclusion-and-diversity/building-a-social-and-emotional-learning-community-for-our-students/

Harvard Office for Advances in Learning: https://www.vpal.harvard.edu/socialsupport

Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/rethinking-research/2023/08/22/college-students-need-social-emotional-learning-too

Inside SEL: https://nova-edu.org/2023/03/08/sel-in-higher-education-an-overview/

National Writing Project: https://teach.nwp.org/teaching-writing-to-support-social-emotional-learning/

Write the World: https://blog.writetheworld.org/the-sel-benefits-of-peer-review-for-students

Journaling

CASEL:  https://everydayspeech.com/sel-implementation/journey-to-emotional-intelligence-empowering-journal-prompts-for-social-emotional-learning/

Everyday Speech:  https://everydayspeech.com/sel-implementation/journey-to-emotional-intelligence-empowering-journal-prompts-for-social-emotional-learning/

Greater Good in Action: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/#filters=

Positive Psychology:  https://positivepsychology.com/journaling-prompts/

Psych Central: https://psychcentral.com/blog/ready-set-journal-64-journaling-prompts-for-self-discovery

Although SEL is gaining traction in higher education, a deeper understanding of its value is essential, especially in writing instruction. When incorporated in college writing courses, SEL provides students with the skills necessary to counter negative thinking about their writing skills, express their thoughts, and communicate ideas. SEL empowers students to identify their fears and take steps to face them, so when personal or academic challenges arise, they will have the skills they need to persist. 

References

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL]. (2025). Fundamentals of SEL. https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/

Dussault, M. & Thompson, R. B. (2024). Fundamental themes in social–emotional learning: A theoretical framework for inclusivity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(4), 506. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21040506

Gallagher, K. & Stocker, S. (2018). A guide to incorporating social-emotional learning in the college classroom: Busting anxiety, boosting ability. Society for the Teaching of Psychology.

Goleman, D. (2005). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ (10th ed.). Bantam Books.