Critical SEL: Moving From ‘Competencies’ to ‘Culture’

Dr. Emma McMain's workshop challenged participants to move beyond checklist approaches to social-emotional learning toward more authentic, critical practice. As an assistant professor of qualitative research at the University of Arkansas, Dr. McMain brought an academic perspective informed by years of questioning SEL's implementation and underlying assumptions. The session explored the tension between valuing sociality and emotionality in education while critiquing how SEL has been co-opted by curriculum companies and used to avoid addressing systemic issues.

The workshop emphasized reflexivity over simple reflection—examining not just what we value but why we value it and how our positionality shapes those values. Through breakout discussions and critical analysis, participants grappled with fundamental questions: Can social and emotional aspects of human experience be curricularized? How do we avoid imposing our values while still socializing young people? What does it mean to be "mutually entangled" in learning rather than positioned as the authority who shapes others? The conversation highlighted how prescriptive SEL programs often teach students to "breathe through oppression" rather than address systemic injustices.

"If we are basically telling kids to breathe through oppression. That's not solving oppression." - Emma McMain

"To me, it's just how to human. And I think it doesn't... it doesn't matter how old you are, there's things that you can always learn how to have a conversation, how to be empathic." - Participant

• Dr. McMain distinguished between reflection (individual self-awareness) and reflexivity (awareness that includes understanding how we are socially constructed). How might this distinction change your approach to professional development or classroom practice? What would it mean to examine not just what you value, but why you value it and how your positionality shapes those values?
• The workshop questioned whether social and emotional aspects of life can or should be turned into curriculum. What are the benefits and risks of trying to systematically teach things like empathy, resilience, or conflict resolution? How do you navigate the tension between wanting to support students' social-emotional growth and potentially reducing complex human experiences to measurable competencies?
• Dr. McMain asked what it means to be "mutually entangled" in learning rather than positioned as the authority who shapes others. How might this shift your understanding of your role as an educator? What would classroom relationships look like if you truly embraced the idea that you are also being "raised" by your students?