Social Thinking
Workshop 1 : Learning Emotions and Thoughts
Students will be taught to continuously consider their own and others’ thoughts and feelings. This requires executive functioning, perspective-taking and self-awareness to interpret and understand the social situation and what behaviours are expected. In writing, applying the right tone and vocabulary relies on reading contextual clues. The aim is to devise individual styles in order to present writing that is less cliched.
Workshop 2: Identifying Types of Communication (Verbal and Non-Verbal Cues)
Based on their understanding of the results of their social thinking, students will be taught to identify verbal and non-verbal cues used in social interactions. In descriptive writing, the application of language devices – figurative language and imagery- serves to enrich mental representation in all forms of writing. Concepts such as ‘show don’t tell’ will be covered.
Workshop 3: Defining Perspective Taking
To understand persuasive techniques in writing, students will be taught the four (4) steps of perspective taking of the audience. Students will explore how societal expectations and differences like gender/age/status can affect perspectives. In written communication, the presentation of a logical sequence largely depends on understanding the reader’s perspective. Students will also learn to apply the right tone in order to be compelling when addressing each specific audience.
