As we gradually emerge from the pandemic, it is important to stay mindful about how individuals’ mental health might still be seriously charged. In the proposed paper, the authors will share about various ways to support teacher candidates’ wellbeing when they enroll in teacher preparation programs. Some strategies are discussed: one is to provide instructional accommodations to support teacher candidates’ various needs. For example, colleague instructors might consider providing 1-2 rounds of grace periods in the middle, and toward the end of an academic term, to allow teacher candidates extra time and flexibility to catch up with any late work. The other is to embed an optional social-emotional learning (SEL) weekly or biweekly module, to raise the awareness of the importance of self-care, and provide additional support and guidance along with required course materials. Social-emotional learning is composed of a series of competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. It is particularly relevant and helpful for teacher candidates enrolling in educational psychology and human development courses. In addition to supporting teacher candidates’ own needs, the SEL materials are also beneficial for their student teaching. The goals of the above-mentioned strategies are to nurture teacher candidate’s social-emotional wellbeing, and prepare them to meet the challenges of future teaching, through integrating SEL into academic teaching.

Authors:
Xiaopeng Gong, Western Oregon University, United States
Yanjun Zhou, GuangXi College for Preschool Education, China

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Xiaopeng Gong is a full professor at Western Oregon University, the United States. Her research focuses on family's impact on adolescents' social and emotional development.

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