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Social-Emotional Learning, Self-Regulated Strategy Development, and Mobile Learning:
3 Strategies for Tackling Emotional or Behavioral Disorder in the Classroom
Kathe Morick
School of Professional Development, Stony Brook University
CEF 547: Principles and Practices of Special Education
Professor Egic & Professor Graziano
April 4, 2021
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Social-Emotional Learning, Self-Regulated Strategy Development, and Mobile Learning:
3 Strategies for Tackling Emotional or Behavioral Disorder in the Classroom
Emotional or behavioral disorder is widely accepted as including the following:
“behavior that goes to an extreme—not just slightly different from the usual, a problem that is
chronic—one that does not quickly disappear, and behavior that is unacceptable because of
social or cultural expectations” (Hallahan et al., 2019, p. 170).
Due to the complexity that so characterizes emotional or behavioral disorder, it is
necessary for educators to address its nuances by using effectively proven strategies and
methodologies in the classroom. Both tried and true practices as well as more innovative
methods such as social-emotional learning, self-regulated strategy development, and mobile
learning can be utilized for the benefit of our individual students, as well as better overall
classroom management.
Social-emotional learning (SEL) can be defined as “the process through which
individuals acquire the social and emotional competencies, both intrapersonal and interpersonal,
needed to function in a social world” (Domitrovich, Durlak, Staley, & Weissberg as qtd. in Trach
and Hymel 2017). Developed within the past three or so decades, SEL, has primarily been used
for addressing matters with individual students. However, there is reason to believe that SEL can
be utilized in the larger scheme of group dynamics in such a way that can aid students who
struggle with EBD. Testament to this is Bronfenbrenner’s 1979 socio-ecological model, which
shows us that human development occurs within the context of social relationships and is, in
many ways, the very product of such interactions and influences (Trach et al., 2017, p. 12). In
their 2017 article, A Social-Ecological Approach to Addressing Emotional and Behavioral
Problems in Schools: Focusing on Group Processes and Social Dynamics, Jessica Trach, MA,
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Matthew Lee, MA, and Shelley Hymel, PhD, discuss how preexisting SEL frameworks can by
utilized with group dynamics in mind. The authors focus on such intertwining SEL concepts as
teacher-student relations, skills instruction, and positive peer relationships.
Positive teacher-student relationships predict better peer relationships and academic
performance, partially due to the climate of classroom inclusivity that ensues. Teachers can
cultivate more meaningful relationships with students by utilizing Smith and Lambert’s
Two-by-Ten Strategy which involves the teacher “engaging the student in a personal conversation
about something of interest to the student for 2 min a day, over 10 consecutive days” (Trach et
al., 2017, p. 14). When dealing with the class as a whole, teachers ought to establish consistent
classroom routine, employ positive behavior management techniques (i.e. clear communication
of expectations and proactive disciplinary strategies), emphasize “student involvement in
decision making,” and make a point of giving “regular, positive feedback to students about their
social skills,” (Trach et al., 2017, p.. 13).
Direct SEL skills instruction is also another learning tool that can be incredibly beneficial
for students with EBD. Such activities as “skill modeling, role-play, and opportunities to practice
and receive feedback” (Gravesteijn et al.., 2011; Low et al., 2016; Pianta et al., 2012 as qtd. in
Trach et al., 2017, p. 14) are all examples of SEL skills instruction that have yielded positive
outcomes for individuals and peer groups.
In regards to strategies for assessing peer relationships among students, the authors
suggest utilizing the technique of social cognitive mapping which entails identifying the social
groupings of a classroom and marking down how many times a student is present in one or more
groups. This can help provide a teacher with useful information when assigning groups, partners
and creating seating arrangements (Trach et al., 2017, p. 15).
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Along with SEL, self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is another technique that
has been proven to help students with EBD. A technique that can be particularly helpful when it
comes to the writing process, self-regulated strategy not only provides students with a set of
strategies to utilize, but also provides educators with a teaching framework that allows students
to take ownership of their learning. One of the biggest hurdles for many students with EBD is
learned helplessness: “a tendency to give up and expect the worst because they think that no
matter how hard, they will fail” (Hallahan et al., 2019, p. 122). It is therefore important to help
students cultivate positive self beliefs regarding their academic abilities by teaching them how to
autonomously achieve in the classroom.
SRSD aids students via six instructional stages that conveniently complement the various
stages of the writing process. The six stages are as follows: 1) developing background
knowledge, 2) discussing the strategy, 3) modeling the strategy components, 4) memorizing the
steps of the strategy, 5) supporting the students’ acquisition of the strategy, and lastly, 6)
independent performance (Bak & Asaro-Saddler, 2013, p. 47).
The first stage begins with direct instruction, as the teacher helps students Develop
Background Knowledge, and the second stage focuses on Discussing the Strategy. In stage one,
the teacher activates prior knowledge, clarifies purpose, presents a model paper and deconstructs
its elements. A stage one SRSD tool to help guide student writing is mnemonic devices such as
POW (Pick my idea; Organize my notes; Write and say more), among many others that can
easily be found online for varying age groups and writing activities. (Bak & Asaro-Saddler,
2013, p. 48). The second stage, Discuss It, has the teacher break down the elements of the
mnemonic devices with a student, and ask students to help in the deconstruction of a piece of
writing using the elements delineated in the mnemonic device. This can then be plugged into a
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graphic organizer. The teacher uses a written piece of the student’s work to establish their
baseline and future writing goals with them on a graph so that the student may hold him or
herself accountable. All in all, the main role of the teacher is to help set students up so that they
will eventually be able to commence with the work on their own.
The last four stages consist of Model It, Memorize It, Support It and Independent
Performance. The teacher thinks and works out loud for the class, demonstrating how to plan,
draft, and edit a piece of their own writing, making sure to utilize the graphic organizer and
mnemonic devices. An important part of this process is modeling how to deal with roadblocks
through positive self talk. The fourth stage consists of the teacher making sure each student has
the mnemonic memorized. The fifth stage, Support It, sees the teacher fading scaffolding and
encouraging students to use positive self talk to work through frustration. The final stage sees
students embark on the writing process by themselves (Bak & Asaro-Saddler, 2013, pp. 48-50).
Through explicit instruction, these six stages help students engage in self-management, aiding
EBD students in taking ownership of their work and building their confidence as writers.
While SEL, SRSD and other evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral
Intervention (CBI) and Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) have been around for some
time, each can be reimagined with technology. The benefits of mobile learning (MLearning) can
aid greatly with academic instruction as well as classroom management. Nowadays, many
students have their own smartphones and iPads which can be utilized in the classroom. Schools
have also increasingly been supplying students with devices, and most applications are free or of
relatively low cost. Using apps like Replaynote, lessons can be recorded and made available for
children to watch again for clarification or if absent, electronic response cards such as iResponse
can be used to maintain student engagement with ease, and electronic token economies and
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specific praise apps such as GoalTracker and iPraiseU can be incorporated into reinforcement
systems, all bolstering EBD supports (Cumming, 2013, pp. 24-27).
MLearning can also increase efficiency of practices such as Cognitive Behavioral
Interventions and Functional Behavior Assessment. CBI “combines elements of behavior
therapy” with cognitive approaches such as self-monitoring among many others, “to teach
individuals to recognize difficult situations and think of possible solutions” (National
Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2010, as qtd. in Cumming, 2013, p. 27).
There are a number of apps, such as Mobile Therapy, that can aid in the emotional regulation of
students with EBD who struggle with externalizing behaviors. “Students can monitor their own
behavior and track their progress” by using apps such as KeepInMind, which “allows the user to
create an individualized behavior plan” and saves the data, which can be very useful for
educators in assessing student progress (Cumming, 2013, p. 27).
Functional Behavioral Assessment shares a similar symbiotic relationship with
MLearning. Given that FBA is a data-based assessment, applications hold the potential to make
the process much easier. As Cumming (2013) mentions on page 28, collecting data is time
consuming and generally requires at least a few tools such as a stopwatch, loose papers, and
clipboard which can be cumbersome or attention-grabbing. All of this is eliminated with use of
an app such as Behavior Tracker Pro which also converts data to a graph. These apps not only
assist in data collection, but also aid in data analysis so that teachers may make smart and holistic
decisions when developing a behavior intervention plan (Cumming, 2013, p. 28).
Through the use of proven strategies and the reimagining of evidence-based practices,
educators can forge innovative approaches for aiding students with EBD in the classroom. By
shifting the focus of the social-emotional learning process onto group dynamics rather than the
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solely the individual, utilizing the practices of self-regulated strategy development within the
context of the writing process, and incorporating mobile learning into evidence-based practices,
EBD classroom strategies can be updated to be as efficient and productive as possible.
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References
Bak, N., & Asaro-Saddler, K. (2013). Self-Regulated Strategy Development for Students with
Emotional Behavioral Disorders. Beyond Behavior, 22(3), 46-53.
doi:10.1177/107429561302200307
Cumming, T. M. (2013). Mobile Learning as a Tool for Students with Emotional and
Behavioral Disorders: Combining Evidence-Based Practice with New Technology. Beyond
Behavior, 23(1), 23-29. doi:10.1177/107429561302300104
Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (2019). Chapter 8: Learners with Emotional
or Behavioral Disorders. Exceptional learners: An introduction to special education. NY,
NY: Pearson.
Trach, J., Lee, M., & Hymel, S. (2017). A Social-Ecological Approach to Addressing
Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Schools: Focusing on Group Processes and Social
Dynamics. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 26(1), 11-20.
doi:10.1177/1063426617742346