Social Literacy in
Education
Questions to
Ponder
1. Are you more of a listener or a talker? Which
social skill(s) do you think you need to develop?
How can you develop it/them?
2. How do teachers educate children on social
literacy nowadays? What specific content and
learning experiences are present in the
curriculum that develop social literacy?
Task Title: Developing a Lesson Plan on Social Issues
Objective: Your task is to create a detailed lesson plan
focusing on social literacy and addressing specific social
issues such as bullying, good manners, and right conduct.
Your lesson plan should demonstrate your understanding of
social literacy concepts and your ability to design engaging
and interactive activities to your chosen target class.
Social Literacy in
Education
Social Literacy
- the development of social skills to interact positively in
a defined environment. It deals with the development of
social skills, knowledge and positive human values.
- In turn, these factors fuel the desire and ability in human
beings to act positively and responsibly in a range of
complex, social settings.
Social skills- concerned itself with the development of social
skills, knowledge, and positive human values that enable human
beings to act positively and responsibly in range of complex social
settings.
It is the knowledge of how to behave and treat other people in a
way that is morally upright, just and equitable, with a view of
promoting positive and productive relations that are free from
unfair prejudices, hate, and discrimination.
Morally upright-thoughts, speech, actions, and
motivations that adhere to a standard of right and
wrong
Just- refers to speech, actions, and behaviors that are
in-line with a fixed standard of justice.
Justice- a system that promotes and rewards good and at
the same time punishes wrongdoing.
Equitable- are the speech, actions,
behaviors, and decisions that treat others
fairly, regardless of background or
circumstances
Social Skills range from the ability to
initiate, maintain, and end a
conversation to reading social signals to
more complex skills such as solving
problems and resolving conflicts
Greeting
Children develop relationship with peers by
interacting with them. The first step in social
interaction is greeting someone.
Words like “Hi”, “Hello”, or “How are you?
Facial expression, tone of voice and gestures.
Initiating Conversation
In order to initiate conversation, a child must be
able to initiate, maintain and close conversation
appropriately. It requires good listening and
attention skills, ability to take turns and probe for
missing information
Impulsive children have trouble knowing when to
talk and when to listen.
Understanding the listener
It is important to understand the audience one
is talking to. A socially adept child quickly and
unconsciously identifies and categorizes his
listener, measures what he/she has planned to
say against the anticipated response of the
listener, and then proceeds.
Empathizing
Empathy is more than perspective taking; it
means that one is able to feel what the other
person feels. It allows one to really connect with
other people, other children often thinks of
children who lack empathy as mean, unkind or
self-centered.
Reading Social Cues
Cues are the hints and signals that guide us to
the next thing to say or do. Social cues can be
verbal or nonverbal. Good detectives pay very
close attention to nonverbal cues.
Previewing or Planning
Conversation also require that one previews
or thinks about what effect the words or actions
may have on the listener before she says or does
them. If the impact will be negative, one can
adjust what she might say or do.
Apologizing
Everyone makes social mistakes at one time
or another. A person with good social skills is
confident enough to make a sincere apology for
her error. Apologizing is a sign of humble and
mature character where one commits mistakes.
Importance of
Social Literacy
• It improves students' positive behavior and
reduces negative behavior. While effectively
preventing a variety of problems such as
alcohol and drug use, violence, truancy, and
bullying, social skills learning promotes
students academic success, health, and overall
well-being.
Promoting Self-Awareness: Encourage
students to develop self-awareness by reflecting
on their own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
Help them recognize how their actions impact
others and how they can regulate their emotions
in different social situations.
Encouraging Diversity and Inclusion: Create
opportunities for students to learn about and
appreciate diverse perspectives, cultures, and
backgrounds. Teach them to value inclusivity
and respect differences, fostering a sense of
belonging for all students.
Conflict Resolution Skills: Teach students
effective strategies for resolving conflicts
peacefully and constructively. Encourage them
to listen actively, express their needs assertively,
and seek mutually beneficial solutions when
disagreements arise.
Building Relationships: Provide opportunities for
students to develop positive relationships with peers,
teachers, and other members of the school
community. Encourage activities that promote
teamwork, cooperation, and mutual support,
fostering a sense of community within the classroom
and beyond.
Critical Thinking about Social Media and Digital
Communication: Help students develop critical
thinking skills to navigate the complexities of social
media and digital communication responsibly. Teach
them to evaluate online information critically,
consider the potential consequences of their online
interactions, and practice digital citizenship.
Real-world Application: Connect social
literacy skills to real-world contexts and
experiences relevant to students' lives. This
could involve discussing current events,
community issues, or personal experiences to
help students understand how social literacy
skills apply outside the classroom.
Parent and Community Involvement: Engage
parents and the broader community in promoting
social literacy skills. Provide resources and
workshops for parents on fostering social-emotional
development at home and collaborate with
community organizations to reinforce social literacy
principles in various settings.
Assessment and Feedback: Develop methods
for assessing students' social literacy skills and
providing feedback for growth. This could
include self-assessment tools, peer evaluations,
and observations of students' social interactions,
allowing for targeted support and intervention as
needed.
By integrating social literacy into education, schools
can empower students with the skills and knowledge
they need to navigate the complexities of the social
world, foster positive relationships, and thrive both
academically and personally.
How Social
Literacy can be
taught?
Social Literacy can be taught
• from the perspective of the social-cultural theory, is
more than the ability to read and write, and more than
mastering literacy skills.
• Children can learn literacy through social interaction
between themselves and children and/or adults in or
outside school.
• Adults can use books, games, toys, conversations, field
trips, and stories to develop social skills.
Strategies to
promote Social
Literacy
In the classroom, social literacy is crucial for creating
a positive learning environment where students feel
valued, respected, and supported. It also helps
students develop critical life skills that are essential
for their personal and academic growth.
Strategies to promote social literacy in students
include:
Explicit Teaching: Incorporate lessons
and activities that explicitly teach social
skills such as active listening,
perspective-taking, empathy, and
respectful communication.
Modeling: Model positive social behaviors
and interactions for students to observe and
emulate. Teachers can demonstrate how to
engage in respectful dialogue, resolve
conflicts peacefully, and collaborate
effectively.
Role-playing and Scenarios: Use role-
playing exercises and real-life scenarios to
help students practice applying social skills
in different situations. This allows them to
develop problem-solving abilities and gain
confidence in their social interactions.
Group Work and Collaboration: Assign
collaborative projects and group activities
that require students to work together
towards a common goal. Encourage
communication, cooperation, and mutual
respect among group members.
Reflection and Feedback: Provide
opportunities for students to reflect on their
social interactions and receive feedback
from peers and teachers. This helps them
identify areas for improvement and
reinforces positive behaviors.
Cultivating a Positive Classroom Culture:
Foster a supportive and inclusive classroom
culture where all students feel accepted and
valued. Celebrate diversity, encourage
empathy, and address issues such as
bullying or exclusion promptly and
effectively.
Integration into Curriculum: Integrate
social literacy concepts and skills into
various subjects across the curriculum. For
example, discussing cultural perspectives in
social studies or practicing communication
skills through oral presentations in language
arts.
The Role of Parents
and Teachers in
Teaching Social Skills
to Children
• Parents typically play the major role in
teaching children social skills.
• Parents can directly teach social skills by
modeling, role-playing, and providing
opportunities for their child to rehearse
and practice new skills.
• Teachers usually step in only when
children are facing significant social
challenges with their peers.
• School is where children spend most of
their time interacting with their peers.
• Classroom social skills refer to the abilities
children develop to effectively interact with
their peers in a classroom setting. While
teachers may not have a formal curriculum for
teaching these skills, they can utilize every
opportunity to support children in enhancing
their social abilities.
• Teachers should remain vigilant for instances of
teasing and bullying, and they should be attentive to
children who are being rejected or ignored by their
peers.
• By addressing these behaviors promptly and
promoting inclusivity and empathy, teachers can
contribute to creating a positive and supportive
social environment within the classroom.
• The modern age calls for young professionals to
develop situational awareness and social
intelligence in both technological and traditional
communications to succeed in their academic and
career endeavor.
• Peers and schools play a formative role on the
social skills development of children.
ISSUES IN
TEACHING
SOCIAL LITERACY
1.Children learn through social practice,
both explicit and implicit, and become
human through social interaction.
*Children are disposed to the social before
they learn what sociability is all about.
2. Children learn about customs that serve as
guidelines for them to behave in ways that reduce
conflict.
*For example, a common custom among children
might be taking turns when playing with toys. This
practice helps minimize conflicts over possession
and promotes cooperation and fairness among them.
3. The social order among children is established through
both explicit and implicit agreements made by individuals
who seek to avoid the negative outcomes of their selfish
behaviors.
*For example, children might agree to take turns during a
game to prevent arguments and ensure everyone has a fair
chance to participate. They follow these rules not only
because it benefits them personally but also because it
maintains harmony within the group.
4. Children are convinced of the importance
of behaving socially by engaging
voluntarily with others, both within their
close circles like family and community, and
through participation in organizations like
church or clubs.
Teaching social literacy in schools is not
easy as it appears to be due subjective
standards of morality and inherent capacity
to judge and make excuses.
Subjective
standards of
Morality
• The natural outcome of postmodern philosophies is
that truth and morality are considered subjective
and open to individual interpretation.
• This can be seen in the current culture, where
actions and behavioral patterns that were once
considered bad have now become acceptable - so
much so that many now consider them to be even
good.
• When the definition of what's good and bad
shifts, it allows us to change our behavior too,
which can lead to various forms of abuse.
• This challenges efforts to achieve real justice
and fairness, as they depend on consistent
moral standards.
Human
Nature
• While we would all like to believe that
people are naturally good, our
experiences have shown us that relying on
the inherent goodness of humanity is, at
best, unreliable. Sometimes it exists, but
often it does not.
• We readily champion moral uprightness,
justice, and equity, yet hesitate when our
words and actions face scrutiny under these
principles. Essentially, we demand that others
adhere to a fixed moral standard, but resort to
a subjective one when our own behavior is
called into question.
• We demand justice when we perceive
ourselves to be victims of wrongdoing, but
we surround ourselves with excuses when we
do wrong. We insist that others treat us
equitably, but we are reluctant to treat others
with equity when it costs more than we
expected.
References:
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and academic achievement: Social-emotional learning in the classroom. Corwin
Press.
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2017).
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https://casel.org/what-is-sel/effective-sel-programs/.
Jones, S. M., & Bouffard, S. M. (2012). Social and emotional learning in schools:
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Greenberg, M. T., Weissberg, R. P., O'Brien, M. U., Zins, J. E., Fredericks, L.,
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development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning.
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