Social-Emotional Learning Through a Culturally Responsive Lens

Research has revealed that many students increasingly exhibit disruptive behavior in the classroom. These disruptive behaviors can hinder the classroom environment and impede the academic school day. The occurrence of disruptive behavior – especially in early childhood – is on the rise, putting many children at risk for conflictual teacher-student relationships and academic difficulties that follow (Rosati & Lynch, 2023). Teachers report students displaying more anger, anxiety, lack of impulse control, and oppositional defiance (Aksoy, 2020). Educators face the challenge of meeting the diverse social-emotional needs of children in order to provide them with a safe, responsive environment where holistic learning can take place. Many educators feel stressed, burnt out, and lack the support, training, and skills needed to address disruptive behaviors. This project examines contributing factors, preventative measures, and potential interventions for disruptive behavior in a school setting while also exploring the relationship between social-emotional learning and culturally responsive teaching. The purpose of this project is to guide educators through professional learning that will provide strategies to help them best support children and families in and outside of the classroom. This project aims to equip teachers with knowledge and resources to build positive relationships with students and their families, establish home-school connections, and infuse social-emotional learning and culturally responsive teaching strategies into the classroom and home environments in order to mitigate disruptive behaviors.