We are a group of friends, educators, and scholars (but hopefully not the gate-keeping kind) who use podcasting to speak critically, honestly, and open-mindedly about the excitements and concerns we have about social and emotional learning (SEL). What happens when sociality and emotionality, two things that have always been a part of learning, become seen as measurable in a world of marketized and self-managed education? How can we bust SEL out of any boxed-in definitions, and how might we unpack its complexity? Join us in asking questions without easy answers and taking the time to peel back layers of education that are often left undisturbed.
Contact us at: unboxingselpodcast@gmail.com
Publisher
Melvin Chan, Emma McMain, Tonje Molyneux, Adishi Gupta, Jinan El Sabbagh
The hosts reflect on the podcast's journey, revisit key social and emotional learning themes, and contemplate the future of the podcast and the field.
3 Dec 2025
Embodying Empathy: Performing Arts and SEL - With Sharmila Miller
Sharmila Miller discusses her experience using drama and performing arts to teach empathy, perspective-taking, and conflict resolution skills in education and anti-racism work in this interview.
27 Nov 2025
Interconnected: Bringing an Ecological Perspective to SEL - With Drs. Shannon Wanless and Renee Owen
Drs. Shannon Wanless and Renee Owen discuss the importance of ecological perspectives in social and emotional learning to address inequity and climate justice, in this interview.
20 Nov 2025
In Conversation with the Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma - With Xavier Graves and Traci Gardner
Xavier Graves and Traci Gardner from the Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma explore restorative justice as a process for achieving just and equitable futures, in this interview.
13 Nov 2025
Educational Support and SEL - With Michaela Brain
Michaela Brain discusses her experiences with social and emotional learning instruction across diverse educational settings and adapting programs for students with disabilities in this interview.
6 Nov 2025
Restoring the Humanity of Social and Emotional Learning - With Chris McNutt
Chris McNutt, Executive Director, discusses restoring humanity to social and emotional learning through empathetic interviews with youth, offering insights for schools to engage with students' wisdom in this interview.
30 Oct 2025
Season 2 Kickoff: The Past, Present, and Future of Unboxing Social and Emotional Learning
The hosts reflect on the podcast's origins, discuss the current political tensions surrounding social and emotional learning, and consider its potential to dismantle oppressive systems.
5 Mar 2025
SEL and More-Than-Human Entanglements
Gut bacteria, viruses, microbes, sand and soil…in this episode, we acknowledge how sociality and emotionality are always embedded within human-nonhuman entanglements. How can SEL be extended to recognize and nurture these entanglements? If SEL is to move from a humanist to a “posthumanist” stance, one that knocks humans off the top of the species hierarchy and aims to learn with rather than about other species, important questions must be asked. What happens when human-nonhuman relationships ...
5 Mar 2025
SEL and Politics
Let’s talk politics! As SEL becomes increasingly situated in the midst of educational “culture wars” between the political left and right, we decided to devote an entire episode to discussing how this polarization has happened and what it means. Is SEL a “Trojan Horse for Critical Race Theory,” as some conservative groups argue? Is it an innocently “apolitical” phenomenon supported by an entirely objective research base? Tune in to follow our discussion about political non-negotiables, open-m...
5 Mar 2025
SEL and Cultural Appropriation: Mindfulness and Yoga
Drawing on our own experiences and associations with yoga and meditative practices, we investigate the rise of mindfulness and yoga in SEL programs. Substantial research touts the benefits of these practices across age groups, and yet we wonder what pieces get lost or left behind as these practices are imported into the Western colonial landscape of SEL. How can we in the SEL community be responsible and respectful toward practices that are situated in specific historical contexts and evolvin...
4 Mar 2025
SEL and Settler Colonialism
Sequoia leads us through grounding activities to open and close our discussion about the settler-colonial underpinnings of social and emotional learning (SEL). Together, we grapple with critical questions about how and whether SEL can truly become culturally responsive, sustaining, or revitalizing. Where do issues of cultural appropriation crop up, and how can SEL push against an expectation of eternal “self-improvement” to hold space for balance, presence, and acceptance? SEL certainly needs...
4 Mar 2025
SEL and the Social
Our last episode was all about the self, and now we turn to the social. SEL not only focuses on promoting “self” regulation and “self” awareness--it also emphasizes expressing emotion to others, recognizing emotion in others, and building relationships. As per usual, we ask a lot of questions: How are private aspects of the self measured, verbalized, and made social through SEL? Is it wrong to try to measure concepts like joy or wellbeing? Is it always important to name, discuss, and control ...
27 Feb 2025
SEL and the Self
To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom, says Socrates. Self-awareness and self-management appear as central components of most SEL programs, and self-improvement, self-help, and self-care are buzzwords in our daily lives. We devote this episode to contemplating what exactly is the self? What kind of “self” does SEL seek to develop, and what understandings of self might be left behind? What can we learn from examining how self is understood across cultures and contexts, from more individua...
27 Feb 2025
Starting the Conversation: Critical Dialogue Around Social and Emotional Learning
Welcome to the inaugural episode of our podcast series, “Unboxing SEL!” We come together as a group of friends, educators, and scholars to discuss social and emotional learning in ways that do not frequently occur in K-12 and higher education. Join us in this episode as we introduce ourselves, talk through our goals, and share initial thoughts/concerns/possibilities for an education that tends to sociality and emotionality. Why SEL? Why podcasting? Why us? Why now? Participants: ...
27 Feb 2025
SEL and Neoliberalism
Neo-what? We’re back with our third episode to discuss how SEL is entangled with the for-profit world of marketization and self-surveillance in some pretty concerning ways. We make space to discuss what we actually mean when we use words like “critical,” “capitalism,” and “neoliberalism,” and we contemplate SEL’s strong emphases on individual responsibility and self-discipline. We also welcome the question of what we would like to see being done in the name of social and emotional learning (t...
27 Feb 2025
SEL and Social Crisis…Who and What is the Problem?
The sky is always falling! Or is it? SEL is often positioned as the response to a message of “society in crisis,” “children in crisis,” “schools in crisis,” or all of the above. In this message, SEL is usually framed as the solution, and sometimes in saviorist or surefire-cure ways. Building on Episode 1, we continue to unpack the social, political, and historical context behind SEL, considering how our deepest societal fears and desires can manifest in our educational practices. As educator-...
Who has been a guest on Unboxing Social and Emotional Learning
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Sharmila Miller
Shannon Wanless
Renee Owen
Xavier Graves
Traci Gardner
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 12 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
23
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
0
Host of Unboxing Social and Emotional Learning?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
