Teach social awareness by providing students with ways to:
learn how to listen,
to relate to the experiences of their classmates,
and to provide feedback to them
Giving as a way of receiving:
Arranging for students to give to others, respect differences, and help in school or community will help them become more socially aware. When doing this type of activity an important aspect is the feedback students get about being helpful and making a difference, this will make them more inclined to help more
A simple strategy for discussion
Sentence frames teach students how to discuss topics in a kind way, allowing for differences in opinion
Cruise the room to listen for kind and respectful talk
Think-and-Feel Alouds:
The teacher expresses predictions, understanding, and conclusions drawn from a social interaction. You do this while reading text aloud to students
Walk into class with all your different tags on you and your different roles. Students will instantly ask questions and look at you funny and try to take one off. Discuss how each of the tags is a label that is part of who you are.
Students have roles that they step into and discuss their roles. Give them masking tape or labels to write their own labels.
Greeting Fellow Students by Name:
Have students call each other by name. It is a direct line to another person's feelings of belonging, a sense of connection
Body Language: Gestures and Other Body Movements
Using gestures makes learning more memorable
Talk about body language at any grade level, and what it is and does.
Accentuate the body language that you use when teaching and ask your students to watch and translate what those movements are “saying” to them. Challenge them to use body language and observe it in others.
People Watching: Facial Expressions
How people express certain feelings on their faces depends on the individual
We recognize facial expressions in an instant and draw conclusions
Can be done in any content and asking students to speculate in cases where the answer isn't clear
Social Media:
Faceless messages can be dangerous
is an area of increasing importance for SEL
how many of you have misinterpreted an email or text?
Without information from facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language it is easy to misinterpret a message
Students need to be taught social norms for social media
If we have taught empathic behavior, fewer situations will occur, but students need frequent reminders that it is not meant as a means to provide power but to interact socially with friends, learn more about the world
Listening to Understand and Show Respect
We can help student hone their abilities to be respectful and actively listen through explicit instruction and practice.
Ask questions that link social awareness and listening skills
Did I listen actively to the person who was talking?
Was I distracted by something?
Did I understand the message of the conversation?
Think, Pair, Share:
Has many variations and we can add some clear social awareness targets as our students discuss content together.
Include a specific prompt or talking point when initiating conversations that include SEL strategies
Think - keep in mind your feelings on the topic and the feelings of your partner
Pair - You may find yourself with a parent who has a different perspective on the content. Be respectful
Share - Be sure that each of you has equal time to share information
Discussion Tasks:
class or group discussions that employ critical thinking and higher-level thinking. Allow students to use content knowledge and social awareness skills to deepen learning.
Demonstrate SA skills by listening, being respectful of others' time and ideas, looking at information from another’s perspective, and working collaboratively