Highlighting Social Emotional Learning as a Part of Education for Sustainable Development Praxis

The Capstone team’s research focused on the integration of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), a learning dimension, into UNESCO’s global framework for advancing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Compared to the other two dimensions identified by UNESCO, cognitive and behavioral learning, SEL remains comparatively underdeveloped and less effectively implemented. The team’s methodology included conducting literature reviews on current community and operationalization practices of SEL frameworks in international spaces and meeting with experts and stakeholders across SEL, educational, and climate justice sectors. The Capstone team traveled to UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France to meet directly with the ESD team to discuss crucial areas of research. They also met with students of the Learning Planet Institute to discuss their research on the integration of SEL into learning systems. From the collection of these insights, the team organized and hosted a webinar to convene an international dialogue around how SEL is interpreted through the lens of spirituality, religion, and Indigenous practices and integrated in nonformal, education environmental spaces.

The Capstone team’s research report argued that effectively bridging SEL and ESD efforts requires educational stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, policymakers, multilateral organizations, and nonprofits, to move beyond formal education systems and Global North approaches to SEL and climate education by embracing more locally grounded, community-based definitions and practices. The report further emphasized that stakeholders in formal education spaces can strengthen these efforts by collaborating with, supporting, and resourcing nonformal organizations, such as spiritual and religious communities, that are already integrating SEL and climate justice education within their cultural and community contexts.