Social and Emotional Learning through Immersive Experiences for Students with Disabilities

Abstract

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and Autism participate in social and emotional learning (SEL) instruction to gain appropriate self-regulation and interpersonal skills [9]. These students often struggle to manage their emotions, make connections to each other, and engage in responsible decision making. Even when students with EBD and Autism learn SEL concepts and skills, they have difficulty transferring learning from specific contexts to novel situations. This iLEAD practitioner contribution project aims to use a shared immersive learning format to engage students in meaningful, highly engaging SEL lessons connected to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework and the five interrelated competencies referred to as the CASEL 5 [4]. At a specialized school for students with disabilities, students experience immersive content to receive social skills instruction, develop self and social awareness, practice conversational skills, advance problem solving skills, and learn coping skills. The realism of the immersive environment facilitates students’ engagement and the transfer of skills to real-world situations. Preliminary teacher and student feedback regarding the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of shared immersive learning as an intervention to influence SEL outcomes support shared immersive learning as a powerful instructional tool to engage learners with disabilities. Implications for future practice and research are discussed.