Social awareness--How to help students build strong relationships
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Module 4 (of 6) of the Learning to Get Along course for teachers and school staff everywhere. The focus of this module transitions from the emotional to the social, to the broad SEL skill area that enables people to build strong, healthy and lasting relationships.
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- 1. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Module 4 Social awareness – How to help students build strong relationships 1
- 2. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice “The emotions that we have about other people shape the way we feel about ourselves…our brain is embodied in an ocean of life that sustains and bolsters us.” −Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang Neuroscientist, psychologist and teacher 2
- 3. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Module 4 Objectives Upon completion of this module, you will be able to… Define social awareness and the skills it encompasses. Explain the connections between social awareness, emotional awareness and empathy. Explain how social awareness skills enhance personal wellbeing and academic achievement. 3
- 4. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Chea’s story Chea’s story is fictional but is based real incidents that that take place every day in schools around the world. As you listen, think about: Why Chea almost dropped out of school The role played by Chea’s science teacher How the football coach helped Whether this solution to a similar problem would work at your school 4
- 5. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice What is ‘social awareness’? Social awareness is the ability to: take the perspective of others understand and respect social norms within our own cultural context across cultures cultivate positive connections with others 5
- 6. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Why is social awareness important? Social awareness enables us to: build meaningful and sustained relationships know how to be a productive team player take a constructive role in problem solving engage in civil discourse develop and refine other SEL skills 6
- 7. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice What do the scientists say? Human beings are ‘hardwired’ to live in social groups and cooperate to benefit the group. The human brain is designed to (among others): create and use language create and using symbols feel and express empathy adapting to new circumstances 7
- 8. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice “Do not impose upon others that which you would not wish for yourselves.” And don’t forget the philosophers 8
- 9. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Classroom strategies to help young people build social awareness skills Create a supportive and welcoming classroom environment. Foster cooperation and teamwork. Make social awareness skills being taught explicit and purposeful. Encourage students to take more than one perspective on events and issues. 9
- 10. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice What are the key social awareness skills? Active listening and observing Thinking calmly and carefully Responding appropriately Cooperating to reach common goals Respecting social and cultural norms Negotiating interpersonal conflicts when they arise 10
- 11. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Seven strategies for active listening 1. Give full attention to the person who is speaking. 2. Show the speaker that you are listening. 3. Don’t interrupt. Wait until the speaker has fully completed a thought (or stream of thoughts) before responding. 4. Use appropriate ways to show empathy and understanding. 5. Tell the speaker what you understood. 6. Think. 7. Give your own thoughtful response. 11
- 12. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Tips for teaching social awareness skills Teacher modeling Building of classroom and school as a community of learning Positive reinforcement of pro- social behaviors Subject related SEL activities 12
- 13. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Learning environments matter Small group reading activity in rural Vietnam • The social dimension of a learning environment is created by... • teachers • school staff 13
- 14. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Examples of social skill building strategies from around the world Context Location Strategy Objective Pre-school Denmark Children learn together in social groups outdoors in ‘forest kindergartens’. Encourage mutual trust, protection and knowledge sharing. Lower primary Peru Introduction of age appropriate relationship-building and conflict resolution skills into daily classroom routines. Reduce incidences of school based violence. Upper primary Vietnam Integration of social awareness skills into combined life skills and STEM summer program. Promote personal well-being and improves academic performance. Secondary Nigeria Introduction of trust-building games and group problem- solving activities. Help children who have experienced trauma to heal and reestablish communication skills. 14
- 15. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice The Takeaway The ‘social’ component of SEL is interlinked with the emotional component. Being aware of and increasing our natural capacity for empathy helps us to build strong social awareness skills. Strong social awareness skills can lead to better and longer lasting personal relationships, higher academic achievement and success in the workplace. Teachers can help students build social awareness skills both implicitly and explicitly from early childhood up through adolescence and beyond. 15
- 16. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Self-Checkout 1. Why is it important to build students’ social awareness skills? o they help build meaningful and sustained relationships o they contribute to each individual’s personal well-being o they are essential to sustaining cohesive, peaceful and inclusive societies o all of the above 2. In ‘Chea’s Story’, the science teacher helped solve the problem by… o punishing the boys who were making fun of Chea o careful observation of the boys’ behavior o forcing Chea to explain what was troubling him o sending Chea to the principal’s office 16
- 17. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Self-Checkout (continued) 3. Through the creation and use of symbols, humans are uniquely able to… o survive natural disasters. o reproduce. o share knowledge and ideas. o control their impulses. 4. To empathize with another person means to… o cooperate with that person to solve a problem. o feel sorry for someone. o understand how the person feels. o communicate clearly and respectfully. 17
- 18. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Self-Checkout (continued) 5. One strategy for building social awareness skills is to… o encourage cooperation and collaboration at all levels o encourage competition in the classroom o focus exclusively on children’s cognitive development o enforce strict disciplinary rules 6. Which of the following should an active listener try NOT to do? o give the person who is speaking your full attention o show the speaker that you are listening o interrupt with examples from your own experience o tell the speaker what you understood 18
- 19. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice Think like a TEACHER Describe a strategy that you would like to try out in your class, school or other learning environment to improve the social climate. What is the objective of the strategy, and what are the first three steps you would take. Strategy Objective (What will students be enabled to do?) What are the first steps? 1. 2. 3. 19
- 20. Learning to Get Along How to Integrate Social and Emotional Learning into Your Teaching Practice What’s next? This module completes the discussion the foundational SEL concepts and broad skill areas that form the core of Learning to Get Along. Module 5 transitions to address the question of how the development and reinforcement of SEL skills can transform learning communities by making them more inclusive and equitable. Learning is for everyone–How to make your classroom and school more inclusive 20
Editor's Notes
- Welcome to Module 4, which begins the second half of the Learning to Get Along course. By now, you should have collected some new activities for your SEL toolkit based on the ideas presented in Modules 1,2, and 3. Some of these may be adaptations of the examples from around the world, and perhaps others were inspired by what the scientists say or perhaps others were locally originated activities shared with you by your colleagues. In this module, we transition from self awareness to social awareness, which is the core skill area that enables people to build strong and healthy relationships at school, at work and throughout their lives. As you now know, this is not an isolated skill, but is closely intertwined with emotional self awareness and is related to the capacity to experience empathy, to be able to know and feel the emotions of others, to walk in their shoes.
- Chea is a 15-year-old school boy with a big heart and a winning smile. Because he was born with one leg shorter than the other, he cannot run as fast as the other boys, but he loves sports just the same. Chea has always been a good student, but a few months ago he started to feel sad and depressed, but no one knew…not even his parents. Whenever anyone asked how he was doing, he smiled and said ‘fine’, even though he felt terrible inside. It would be shameful, he thought, to let his emotions show. One day, Chea suddenly told his parents that wanted to quit school and sell fish in the market. “What?” said his father, but Chea just hung his head and refused to explain. The next day, Chea’s father marched to the school and asked to talk to the principal. The principal greeted him politely. “What is going on with my son?” asked his father. “He was doing very well in all his classes, but especially at science and math. His heart was set on becoming a pilot.” “Well,” said the principal, ‘it’s not unusual for boys Chea’s age to become discouraged. Let me call his teacher in to see if she can shed some light on what is troubling him. ” “I’ve tried to talk to him, reported Mrs. Sampang, the science teacher, but he is too embarrassed to tell me what’s wrong. He just looks away and says, ‘nothing’. But I’ve observed that the other boys make fun of him outside of class. He’s smaller than all of them, he walks with a limp and his voice has not changed yet. They make fun of him and order him to bring them water at football practice, but never allow him to join in the play. They say he is too small and too weak to play on the school team.” “Well, that behavior is going to stop immediately,” said the principal firmly. And so the principal marched out to the field where the boys were playing and sat them down in a circle on the grass. “In our culture”, he began, “it is wrong to be hurtful to another person, even if it is only with words.” The boys hung their heads. “How would you like to be treated the way you have been acting toward your classmate, Chea? Go home and think about it. Then come back to me tomorrow with your plan for including him on your team.” The next day, the boys had indeed cooked up a plan with the help of their coach, Mr. Sompong. He was stern man, but he also had a kind heart. “The principal right, he told the boys, If you continue being unkind to Chea, you will suffer even worse unkindness from others sometime in your life. It is very simple. Here’s an idea: Why don’t we make him my assistant? He can help with equipment and organizing the matches, but not only that. He will learn the rules of the game so well that over time, he can become qualified as an official referee.” The boys nodded their heads in silent agreement with plan. Both the principal and Chea’s father approved, and When the players on the team politely approached Chea to invite him to become the coach’s assistant, he was overjoyed. He not only learned the rules very quickly, but also learned how to take charge when there were violations and how to settle disputes. Even though he is still small, all of the students in the school now look up to him and want to be his friends.
- Social awareness is, very simply, the ability to relate to others. This means being able to take another person’s perspective, to understand and respect social norms, for example being polite and respectful in the way we communicate, sharing the things we have and know with others, and taking action to help others when needed. Social norms are established within the cultural contexts in which we are born and grow up, and differ greatly from culture to culture. That is why when people from different cultural traditions and different languages come together in a place of learning or any other context, they have to work harder than usual to cultivate positive connections–to listen, to observe, to respect difference, in other words–to ‘learn to get along’,
- Cultivating social awareness in children and young people is important for many reasons; not only for the well-being of individuals but for the well-being of whole societies. Cultivating social awareness in learning spaces has lifelong benefits. It enables us to have meaningful and sustained relationships, know how to be a productive team player, whether at sports, work, or life. At school, social awareness enables us to take a constructive role in problem solving, engage in civil discourse as well as develop and refine other SEL skills–for example by listening carefully, respecting the viewpoints of others, resolving differences and negotiating conflicts. What could be more important?
- We humans are social animals. That is, our predisposition to live and thrive in groups reflects the influence of physical and psychological predispositions that helped our ancestors not only to survive and reproduce, but to invent technologies that make instantaneous communication and travel possible even to the moon. In other words, we are ‘hardwired’ or predisposed to behave in certain ways in order to ensure our continued survival and development. What distinguishes human societies is that our brains are designed to: create and use language, create and use symbols (such as pictures and writing systems to share knowledge and ideas), feel and express empathy, and adapt to new circumstances (e.g. to learn new languages and technologies, navigate among diverse social groups and expand our views of the world around us).
- Throughout human history, religious leaders and philosophers have been the main conveyers of wisdom and ethical codes for how people should behave toward each other. Most world religions have a version of the ‘Golden Rule’ such as this one expressed by the (Chinese philosopher known in the West as Confucius, who lived and taught some 2,500 years ago. (“Do not impose upon others what you would not wish for yourself”). Personal actions and social rules for behavior grounded in the ability to feel empathy is highly valued in most of the world’s diverse cultures, especially from the perspectives of philosophy and faith. In some African philosophical traditions, the very concept of self is determined by others, as in the Ubuntu expression, “I am because we are.” What is your culture or religion’s version of the Golden Rule?
- So (now that we’ve heard from scientists and philosophers), educators know from experience that in the process of developing strong social awareness skills, children become more engaged, happier and more confident learners. SEL classroom strategies stress the importance of cooperation and collaboration at all levels. These include, for example (read from slide).
- As discussed in Module 2, a positive school social climate provides a space that is conducive in developing certain key social awareness skills. On this list among these are (read from slide):
- Of the key social awareness skills, perhaps the most fundamental is that of listening. An African proverb advises young people that ‘listening is the most difficult skill to learn and the most important to have’. Most classroom strategies for listening stress that there is a difference between ‘active’ and ‘passive’ listening. Active face-to-face listening requires giving full attention to the speaker and trying to understand what the speaker is saying. When introducing active listening strategies in your classroom or learning space, explain that this kind of listening requires concentration, effort and practice. Over time, consider how you can design activities that help students learn these seven strategies. Give full attention to the person who is speaking. Show the speaker that you are listening. Be aware of the effect of your eyes, your facial expression and your body posture. Look at the person with a kind, patient and welcoming expression. Don’t fidget, look at your watch or give the impression that you are bored. Try not to interrupt, even if there may be moments of silence that seem uncomfortably long. Be aware that you do not have to fill the silent spaces. Instead, try to become attuned to the natural rhythms of the person’s speech and take the person’s emotional state into account as you decide how and when to respond. You may, for example, use nonverbal signals or simple expressions like ‘I see,’ or ‘I understand’ to indicate that you are actively listening. Use culturally and socially appropriate ways to show that speaker that you respect and care about what he or she is saying. Timing is important. When it is clear that the speaker has finished and is waiting for your response, summarize what you heard and ask if your understanding is correct. This is also a good time to ask for clarification or further details, but in a non-judgmental way. Think. Actually, you have already been thinking for some time about how you might respond. A lot depends on the purpose of your whole exchange. Has the person approached you for help with a problem? Is the exchange part of a learning activity such as a small group discussion or presentation? Whatever the purpose, it is only at this point that the role of the listener begins to transition and you decide thoughtfully and with full awareness what, if anything, you are going to say. As you become experienced at active listening, you also become more thoughtful and empathetic as a responder. Most people already have a reserve of favorite responses-–a personal story, an alternate view of the same subject, a joke , a heartfelt consolation, and so on. Sometimes, however, the best response may be simply to remain in quiet contemplation, suggest a quiet walk, or show the person something he or she may not be aware of--a way to do something, a news report, poem, or quotation that affirms what has been said or offers a different point of view.
- Classrooms and learning spaces are places where people gather to work toward a common goal—to become educated. Being educated, though, means more than being able to read, write and acquire academic knowledge, however. It means being able to get along with others in both private and public life. It means being able to communicate and work with others to solve problems. In this way, the classroom, lab or athletic field all become a place where skills for social awareness are practiced, reinforced and learned. Some of the ways teachers and schools can do this is through: Teacher modeling (demonstrating respectful speech and demeanor, never ridicule or ‘put down’ even when showing disapproval). Building of classroom and school as a ‘community of learning’, where community members are like family, willing and able to help and support one another Positive reinforcement of ‘pro-social’ behaviors– this means acknowledging members of the classroom and school community, when they have done something, no matter how small, to make the social environment of the school more inclusive, welcoming and supportive Encourage social and emotional learning related to specific subjects, such as science, math or language both in and out of the classroom. For example, a language teacher might advise a school drama club to write and perform a play that illustrates how problems of social exclusion, conflict or bullying can be confronted and resolved.
- A learning environment is more than walls, windows, desks, and textbooks, although it is those things, too. Classrooms are, some theorists say, like living cells that must be nourished and protected in order to grow and thrive. What makes a learning environment ‘good’? The answer most often lies in the set of psychosocial conditions as described in Module 2, and those factors are created largely by teachers and school staff---they are alive. When students have strong, mutually supportive relationships with their teachers and peers, they are more likely to become well adjusted, curious and successful lifelong learners.
- Many school systems together with parents and schools have recognized the need to build children’s social skills. These examples show a wide range of strategies and programs from very different cultural contexts but with a common objective to build the kinds of attitudes, behaviors and skills that strengthen children and young peoples ability to cope with problematic issues such as school violence, exclusion, gender inequality and individual trauma.
- (add to point 1) …so much that the boundaries are often indistinguishable. That is partly because our perception of the way others see us shapes the way we see ourselves.
- As in the first three modules, choose the best response to items 1 through six. Make a note of your choices, and if possible, discuss with your colleagues. Pause the video if you need more time. You can check your answers at the end of the presentation.
- Self checkout answers: all of the above careful observation of the boys’ behavior share knowledge and ideas understand how the person feels encourage cooperation and collaboration at all levels interrupt with examples from your own experience
- Reflect on the ideas and insights into the ‘S’ in SEL; that is, into the skill area we know as ‘social awareness’. Then describe a strategy you would like to try out in your class, school or other learning environment for the specific purpose of improving the social climate at your school. What is the objective of the strategy, and what are the first steps you would take to implement it? Over the longer term, think about and discuss your ideas with colleagues as you begin to take steps to elaborate on a more detailed, comprehensive plan.