Social Skills – Teacher Workshop

Workshop members:

• Stephen Bowman-Jones (UK)
• Paula Brunetta (Italy)
• Terhi Nihtila (Finland)
• Tünde (Hungary)
• Jenny Rütten (Germany)
• Imke Witzleben (Germany) 

What social skills do pupils need or how to become a good citizen?

•           Self-awareness/self-acceptance

•         Respect for other people, their opinions, culture, race, religion, sexuality, ability.

•         Tolerance/Accepting differences.

•         Communicate effectively verbally and non-verbally (conflict resolution/use correct language (no swear words)/problem solving/decision-making))

•         Interpersonal skills/cooperation with others/be able to work with others

•         Responsibility for their own actions/respect other peoples property

•         Willingness to learn

•         Awareness of wider community (e.g. country, Europe, World)

What are we already doing?

•         Finland:  Human Relations Course (voluntary not compulsory) - Separate residential group discussion leading to self-awareness, psychology teacher.  Older students (16+).  Also considered by subject teachers.  International links with Tanzania.  Citizenship a compulsory course (short-term)

•         Hungary: 2 school psychologists.  2 lessons per week for first year students (14/15) „Getting to know myself“.  Qualified teachers (special training).  Student council.

•         Germany:  (Bocholt) Not a separate subject, covered in normal lessons.  Small, collaborative projects.  Certain students have special 1 week course when they start school.  Taught by teachers with additional training. (Mulheim) Social educationalist available to students.  Links with outside institutions such as old peoples homes (voluntary courses). 14.  Subject teachers grade students on social skills using specific criteria.  Short report given.  (Cologne) 1 psychologist and 2 social workers, open hours for students.  Social training for new school students, 2 hours per week for a half term – social workers work together with class teachers (integrated process).  Conflict management course, once a week for a school year.  Older students have special training to work with younger students, mentoring/mediation.  Teachers also specially trained.  Student council.

•         Italy:  Counselling service psychologist, specially trained teachers.  Group projects (1 session per week) organised around topics such as health, drugs, smoking etc.  Teachers also have their own training projects.  Citizenship/new starters/intercultural projects.  Social skills also dealt with in normal lessons.  Student council

•         UK:  PSHE lessons, 1 hour per week for every year.  Form tutors to cover topics such as drugs, health, learning, anger management etc.  Citizenship very important.  Covered by all subject teachers in their lessons (no special training given).  Special centre for pupils who need extra help, one on one training, group activities, circle-time, counselling, someone who is not a teacher, but has been specially trained.  Links with Cambodia, fundraising, raising awareness etc.  Student council.  Year 7 (new starter) team building trip, residential visit to national park.

•         Spain:  Tutors work with students on various issues.  Various trips/projects, students are encouraged to help organise and take responsibility for these trips.  1 hour of curriculum time each week.  No requirement for subject teachers to deliver social skills in lessons.  Student council.

Our Vision: In an ideal European school…

•         Teaching social skills should be a national requirement (not just up to individual schools).

•         Education departments should not only recognise and support schools in teaching social skills, e.g. funding, teaching loads, and smaller class sizes.

•         Every school to have several social workers/psychologists for counselling and special training given to teachers.  Social workers and teachers should work together to have collective responsibility for social skills.

•         Social skills should have separate curriculum time devoted to it (to work on specific topics or skills such as self-expression), as well as consideration given in all subject lessons.

•         Teacher should take into account students various learning styles with a focus on developing social skills (e.g. working in pairs, individual learning, peer learning etc.

•         Measuring results over the long term not just on 1 day.  Students should self-evaluate and reflect on their own development.  Final reports/evaluations should be a requirement when students leave school to give a broader view of education, not just exam results.

•         Involve and engage and encourage parents to take an active role in teaching their children social skills.    Ongoing and regular meeting/workshops for parents given by social workers.  Non-judgemental.  Voluntary.

•         Every child matters.  Teachers should try to open-minded and give second-chances.  Be more student-centred.

Presentation outline

 
Drama (1 teacher, students, “go-go” person).

Need tables, chairs, board.

Begin with general classroom scene.

Respect:   “Please John will you read from page 22”

            Pupil begins to read, the rest of the class are not taking any notice.

Cooperation: Students are trying to share a book.  They argue, pulling the book between them, “there is no way I’m sharing with him!”

Dealing with conflict:    Fight over an object, “I want that!”  A fight begins, pupil’s punch/push/call each other names.

Tolerance:     Teacher asks everyone what is their favourite sport.  “I like golf.”  “What?!?  You don’t like football?” Everyone makes fun.

Responsibility:  Pupil throws paper on the floor.  When asked to pick it up he replies: “Why should I?  It’s not my job!”

Respect:  “When I read people don’t listen to me, I feel like I’m invisible.  I’d like people to show me some respect”

Cooperation:  “I want to learn to be able to work with others”.

Dealing with conflict:  “I want to able to sort out my problems without using violence”.

Tolerance:     “I want other people to accept me for who I am.”

Responsibility:  “I want to feel that I am part of the community.”

“I need more attention from my teachers”

“I need more affection from my parents”

“I want to know who I am”

“I need to be able to talk to adults I can trust”

“I need to feel that I am important”

Teacher:  “To give you this I also need training, I need time, I need to work in partnership with a social worker and I need to help too!”

Go-go girl sign, “scene change”

“Hi, I’m a psychologist and I offer regular counselling for parents and for teachers.”´

“I am a parent and I have problems with all my children.  I will accept this offer of help.”

“Hello, I am a social worker and I am here to help you and listen to you, and to try and understand your problems.”

“Hello, I am also a social worker and I offer to help the students with communication training.”

“I am an older student and I will help you to integrate and feel part of the school community.”

“I am a director of an old people’s home and I offer you volunteer work to give you new experiences.”

“I am the headmaster.  I like these ideas, it is important for me too but we need more teachers, we need smaller classes, we need more social workers, we need psychologists, we need time and we need support…how will we do this?  We cannot afford it!”

“I am the education minister.  I think your ideas are wonderful, so we will provide the money for everything we need to build the ideal European school.  Let us start right now!

Change of scene

Back to the classroom.

Respect:  “I can now read and people respect and listen to me”

Cooperation:  “Now we can share a book.  We can work together”

Dealing with conflict:  “Now we can sort out our problems by talking, not fighting.”

Tolerance:  “Now I am not afraid to be different, other people accept what I do.  I am able to respect different opinions.”

Responsibility:  “Now I feel responsible for the community because I now feel part of it.”

“I feel great because my teachers and my parents have more time for me.”

“Now when I feel angry I can control it because I understand who I am.”

“Now when I have a problem there is a social worker I can talk to.”

“I worked in the old people’s home and I felt important because they needed me.”

Positive ending:

Teacher:  “I feel better prepared and more motivates to work in this school.”

All move to stand at the front

“This is our vision on an ideal European school.”

ALL:  “Do you like it?”

Applause (hopefully!)