Task Groups in the School Setting: Promoting Children's Social and Emotional Learning

Abstract

Through social and emotional learning (SEL), individuals develop skill in negotiating relationships successfully and expressing emotions appropriately. The socially and emotionally intelligent child reaps benefits in school and later life. Counselors are best qualified to promote children's SEL and the task group in the classroom provides an excellent opportunity for them to do so. In the task group, students can learn and practice crucial skills in vivo while they work together to complete a task. The counselor's strategic attention to promoting task completion while facilitating SEL can serve to highlight the benefits of group work in the school learning environment.

Keywords:

• schools
• social and emotional learning
• task groups

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Patricia Van Velsor

Patricia Van Velsor, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling at San Francisco State University.