Social Skills for Teaching

We believe that when making decisions about which social skills to teach, it is essential to consider the needs of our students as well as identify the skills that will support and develop our school's vision and circle of courage. In discussion with staff, we select social skills that we feel will benefit all of our students and assist us to achieve our school aims. Each class teacher also identifies skills specific to his/her class to teach and reinforce. To help us with our selection of social skills for teaching, we have drawn from the suggestion of social skills in Bennett, Rolheiser and Stevhan's Co-operative Learning: Where Heart Meets Mind (1991). A sample of these social skills include:

• Active listening
• Using quiet voices
• Taking turns (equally)
• Asking for help
• Praising
• Giving compliments
• Receiving compliments
• Moving quietly around the school
• Expressing support – no “put-downs”
• Staying on task
• Being gentle
• Saying kind things
• Checking for understanding
• Encouraging others
• Criticising ideas, not people
• Disagreeing in non-hurtful ways
• Saying please and thank you
• Occupying the same place co-operatively
• Controlling anger
• Ignoring distractions
• Negotiating
• Being responsible
• Accepting differences
• Being assertive in acceptable ways
• Being a good support
• Resolving conflicts
• Reaching agreement/consensus
• Acknowledging worth of others
• Following through
• Following directions
• Being organised
• Being confident
• Showing persistence
• Getting along
• Asking questions
• Summarising
• Including others
• Expressing non-verbal support/encouragement
• Celebrating success
• Being self-controlled (keeping hands and feet to yourself)
• Making eye contact
• Being positive
• Respecting personal space
• Playing fairly
• Being a good winner
• Being a good loser
• Appropriate tone of voice
• Suggesting (not bossing)
• Offering help

What can you add?