Chapter 18

Alex's Statements: “It’s important to provide responsive instruction and learning opportunities to help all students develop these essential social behaviors.”

-Developing social skills is an important part of a child’s education. If a student does not learn how to properly work with a group and develop appropriate social skills then they will not be successful when they have finished school. Teachers need to provide opportunities for students to grow in this area. School is where they spend most of their time, therefore teachers need to enforce collaboration between the peers.

“Stocking your classroom with well-chosen board games is a great way to use indoor recess or if-you-finish-early-time as skill-building time.”

-This statement stood out to me because I have never thought about how important it is to have well chosen board games in your classroom. Good games cannot only help with building knowledge, but they can also help with social skills.

“Rather than wait until they are ready, provide them with a safe place to make mistakes and learn from them, just as you do with academic skill.”

This was really interesting because it puts on emphasis on making mistakes outside of the educational realm. Giving them a safe place helps them learn how to react in social circumstances as well as how to fix their own mistakes. If they feel comfortable enough to mess up and fix it then they will be more ready for the real world. Social skills need to be taught in accordance to academic skills.

Tori's Statements:

• "There are many components to communication."
• The chapter was all about communication: receptive, expressive, social skills, and other types of language. I think the biggest way of communication between students and teachers is body language. One can say so much without saying anything at all. I am challenged by this chapter to speak in all aspects with positivity to show that I care about my students and their growth.
• 'The hidden curriculum  is a set of rules or guidelines for social interaction that are not typically directly taught because it is assumed that student already know them or that they will pick them up..."
• I think that this is a part of school that we fail in. Although I do believe in a moral code, I think we need to always teach students, and never assume they know. I believe that this is why there are so many little ticket item disciple problems. If we teach all rules up front, we would not have to address them as much on a day to day basis. 
• "The answer to supporting students who have trouble with any of these social skills to directly teach them the "hidden curriculum."
• We need to teach the students that do not get the "hidden curriculum" just that. I believe that it makes sense to teach the whole class the rules that way no one feels singled and everyone is made aware.

Tyler's Statements:
"One important way that communication and social skills are engaged is that, when effective, they lead to positive connections with others, reduction, in conflicts and misunderstandings, better advocacy for self and others, the achievement of goals, and friendship."
The way I would use this in the class is to encourage the students to talk to one another (not during instruction time) of course there would have to be volume rules as well. I would have my students seated in groups facing each other to help with this objective and this would also make group work easier because they would not have to move their desks.

 "Some students may need direct instruction in recognizing when others are no longer interested in the topic of conversation."
This is one of the skills that many of us take for granted. We as adults have had this skill for so long that we forget that some children do not know as much about being social as they need. most of the time students learns this skill on their own, however, some will need to be taught the social cues.

"Another low-tech example is cards for many different situations: break cards, choice cards, "all done" cards, and "I need help" cards. The student holds up the card to indicate his or her need to the teacher or classmates."
I really like this idea. it gives the students a chance show what the know without having to blurt out something. this is a great way to gauge where all of the students are at all at once.

Jenna's Statements

• "In general, remember that students with social-skill difficulties will not pick up on subtle cues or unspoken responses. It is important to be direct and to address fax pas right away."
• This is definitely something I need to keep in mind with students struggling with communication because social cues is something I never struggled with. I need to remember that it does not come easy to all students and teach directly how to better communicate.
• "One of the most important skills we need to help our children develop is to learn how to 'listen.' We do so by listening to our children as an example."
• Modeling good listening skills when students are talking is so important because they will reflect what they see. Just like the narrative in this chapter says, the answer to why being "because I said so" is over. Additionally, listening is more than just listening to words. I need to be aware of gestures, body motions, and technology in order to best listen to my student.
• "Social difficulty affects the whole community--whether that is the family or the classroom."
• This is why the social difficulties need to be addressed and taught how to redefine them. Ignoring the issues will not benefit anyone.