Teacher education traditionally prioritizes disciplinary and pedagogical content knowledge. However, the complex realities of 21st-century classrooms, marked by diversity, uncertainty, and ethical tensions, demand a paradigm shift. Proceeding from the premise that teaching is fundamentally a relational profession, this panel challenges the view of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) as a peripheral add-on or static "soft skills." Instead, we posit SEL as a core professional competence constituted in the dynamic resonance, rupture, and repair of interaction. To operationalize this vision, we ground our approach in Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Theory. We demonstrate how immersive environments, ranging from human role-play to tailor-made educational simulations, serve as "concrete experiences" that, following Korthagen (2017), trigger deep reflection and the active reconstruction of professional identity. The session features three integrated presentations. The first presentation, titled 'The Theoretical Shift: Grounding SEL in Experiential Learning and Reflective Practice', delineates the move from theory-based instruction (e.g., traditional text-based learning) to experiential pedagogy. The second presentation, titled 'Reimagining Practice through Human Interaction: Cultivating a Cultural Diversity Mindset and Enhancing Social Perception to Decode Complex Classroom Realities', examines decoding diverse social cues in simulated contexts. Finally, the third presentation, titled 'Reimagining Practice through Crisis-Based Interdisciplinary Simulations: Strengthening SEL for Safer School Climates', applies these strategies to high-stakes safety environments. Collectively, this panel offers a comprehensive framework for designing curricula that produce resilient, relationship-ready educators capable of bridging the gap between educational theory and practice.

Authors:
Ronen Kasperski, Gordon College of Education, Israel
Merav Hemi, Gordon college of Education, Israel
María Laura Angelini, Valencia Catholic University Saint Vincent Martyr, Spain
Dorota Chimicz, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Poland

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Ronen Kasperski is the head of the M.Ed. program in Inclusive Education at Gordon College of Education, Israel, and a special education pedagogical instructor at Shaanan College of Education, Israel

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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