Thursday, January 18, 2018

Teachable Moments - Social Skills

I love teaching social skills in the middle of an activity when the opportunity arises.  The other day, I was playing a board game with a small group of students.  After a few minutes, they began to disagree about the rules.  The kids weren't upset, but could not agree.  I decided it was the perfect opportunity for a social skills lesson.


While the kids continued to argue, I shoved the game board off of the table, sending pieces flying everywhere.  (Classic kid move.) . The kids stopped mid-argument and stared at me in disbelief.   I asked them several questions:  How did that make you feel?  Was my reaction appropriate?  Do you want to play games with someone who reacts the way I did?  When you are in a similar situation and feeling frustrated, how can you make a better choice?

At the end of the conversation, the students really seemed to get the idea.  My teaching assistant returned to class and the students were excited to tell her that I made a giant mess with the game.  One student explained the situation to her like this:  "She's Miley Cyrus!  She came in like a wrecking ball!""

We talk about this incidence often.  The kids like to refer back to it because I was the one who learned a lesson.  What are some of your favorite teachable moments?

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1 comment

  1. I try this sometimes! It really does get their attention! But I do have one little imp who loves the idea of showing everyone what NOT to do, and he'll do the wrong thing over and over in the spirit of "teaching" his friends!

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