SOURCE:
INTRODUCTION
Social psychology is no longer an “infant education institution, as an educator, the social psychologist feels that he has much to offer to a world beset by ills
which are universally ascribed to difficulties of interpersonal relationships. As a responsible citizen of society, he is eager to apply the education ways of social psychology to a process of approaches and issues being raised in the primary schools in giving social psychology the support it needs for its further development and the application of a school-based social psychology to vital world problems and considers a good social psychologist and believes the essential facts and principles of human behavior on the basis of own experience in dealing with people. Unlike physics, psychology deals with problems that
are of immediate and important concern to all people. The impatience of people with psychology derives from a disappointment in what psychology seems to be able to offer in the face of pressing problems. Moreover their very impatience results in the refusal to support its attempts to know more as the social psychologist faces a dilemma, for it is in the nature that even in the initial stages he must do research in laboratories which are the neighborhood, the school and for this work he must have the acceptance and support of the man of affairs before he begins to turn out results.
In so far as social psychology attempts to gain an understanding of social thinking and behavior in primary schools and must perforce delve into the nature of basic goals of individuals involved in the school environment giving emphasis to social psychology as it is to uncover facts that are difficult for some people to take and may violate beliefs, approaches, interests and good issues in the process. Henceforth, education is a social science that encompasses teaching and learning specific knowledge, beliefs and skills within the primary schools. However, the most important factors involving teacher effectiveness – the social interaction with students and the teachers’ personality. The quality of their relationships provides the impetus for inspiration. The best teachers are able to translate good judgment, experience and wisdom into the art of communication that students find compelling. It is their ability to understand and overcome prejudices, generate passion and recognize potential that enable teachers to invigorate students with higher expectations of themselves and society as a whole. The goal of primary schools in the social psychology context is to give students conducive environment for learning as students transform into a complete functioning individual having the power of the mind and attitude to survive life and aids the growth of students so that they become productive members of the migratory society. An imparting of culture from generation to generation promotes a greater awareness and responsiveness through social maturity to the needs of a diversified global society.
DISCUSSIONS
The importance of primary school education is universal: primary school education is a fundamental ingredient for creating appropriate classroom development and growth. ( 1974, 1985) In developing countries, social returns to education are at least as high as any reasonable measures of the opportunity cost are greater for primary education than for secondary
and higher education (1989). Designing and implementing programs to ensure the completion of a quality primary education may be the important measure that can be taken to achieve continuing economic development, global competitiveness and well being. Education plays an important role in transforming students social structure as the structure of education has maintained “social domination of groups” ( 1998, p. 3) argues that when children’s school failure is explained almost exclusively by family and neighborhood characteristics, social responsibility is implicitly transferred from the school context and society to the individuals. She
asserts that disruptive behavior is often confused with poor academic achievement, resulting in grade repetition and eventual dropout. Intervention should therefore be based on psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of schooling, and should include the active participation of parents, teachers and students.
Monitoring teaching and learning, auditing pupils’ progress, reviewing patterns and trends in the school and the pupils’ achievements play a part in self-evaluation. Moreover, researchers argue that there is an increasing emphasis being placed on schools to concentrate on and evaluate the quality of teaching. Hence, an evidence-based approach to classroom practice-to teaching and learning-is now central to school improvement. Primary school children’s perceptions of learning are formative in shaping their achievements, thus it follows that it is important to take such perceptions into account on a regular, systematic basis. Moreover, experience shows that this information is of great interest to teachers and other members of staff. Teachers share their craft knowledge and understandings with one another and through mentoring, appraisal and coaching they teach one another. Such primary schools therefore resemble learning organizations in a given emphasis on pedagogy; these schools might be better described as teaching and learning schools. Continuous progress guarantees that no child fails prior to fourth grade. This is important because of the damaging effects of failure and or retention on children’s self-esteem and because of the high correlation of early retention and later dropout rates.
Thus, communication based training could include visits to successful primary schools to talk with principals; use of teacher evaluation instruments that reflect the critical attributes of a primary program; peer coaching sessions to provide support as principals complete their teacher evaluations; networking sessions for principals to discuss difficult issues such as scheduling of special classes or parent misconceptions; Providing thorough ongoing teacher training to implement sound programs that incorporate developmentally appropriate practices and authentic assessment; include visits to quality programs in successful schools. provide ongoing training that emphasizes feedback as well as focusing efforts on parent understanding and involvement. Strong support from administrators is needed to design assessment systems that document children’s progress more descriptively than letter grades; assure parents that children are learning the basics and invite parents to become true partners with teachers and administrators in the learning in the social learning process. The transition to elementary school is a major developmental milestone in the life of a child. It has been estimated that a significant number of children experience academic, social-emotional or behavioral difficulties as they adapt to the challenges of formal schooling between the social context of early schooling within the features of classroom and school environment as well as children’s adjustment.
A relative understanding of early school adjustment fills an important gap and provides direction as children embark on their first years of formal schooling; they face the complex task of adapting to the varied and evolving demands of the socially oriented classroom during a time period of tremendous developmental change (, 1996; 1998). Successful adaptation to school is marked by the demonstration of a wide array of academic, social-emotional and behavioral competencies. Among many competencies, children are expected to build intellectual skills of literacy and numeracy, develop motivation to learn, interact appropriately with peers, and ultimately forge a positive identity as student. How well children handle the transition to early schooling has been described as formative in laying a foundation for future academic, social-emotional and behavioral development ( 1988). How do children learn to deal effectively with their feelings, maintain self-control in stressful situations, and communicate assertively? Is it really important? Indeed, growing evidence suggests that social and emotional learning (SEL) is critical to success in school and the workplace, and to sustaining healthy relationships with family and friends. If children are not aware of their feelings, they will find it difficult to make reasoned decisions, control impulsive actions, or say what they really mean.
For example, in the vignette above, Mark probably had several conflicting feelings. He might like Dave and want Dave to like him, he might be feeling insecure and unsure of what to do, he might be fearful of getting into trouble with his parents if he does what Dave wants him to do, and he might be excited about doing something “risky and grown-up.” The situation is likely to generate considerable anxiety, fear, and excitement. As parents and adults, we might hope that fear will limit risky behavior, but chances are that early adolescents will be swayed by their need to be like others and to belong. They need to know how to say “no” assertively while maintaining positive social relationships. We want children to be able to deal with these types of stressful situations armed with awareness of their feelings and a variety of skills for making good choices. “Going along” is one way of coping, but we want them to realize that doing something harmful to themselves is not the smartest choice available to them. There are a variety of constructive techniques for dealing with their feelings in these situations. The concept is appropriate for promoting social and emotional health. When children know how to sort out their feelings, react non-impulsively to stress, and communicate effectively with others, they have a chance to respond to difficult social situations in thoughtful, responsible, and healthy ways and avoid the kinds of decisions that result in unhealthy outcomes.
In 1997, members of the Collaborative to Advance Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), identified several essential social and emotional skills: 1) communicating effectively; 2) ability to work cooperatively with others; 3) emotional self-control and appropriate expression; 4) empathy and perspective taking; 5) optimism, humor, and self-awareness, including strengths; 6) ability to plan and set goals; 7) solving problems and resolving conflicts thoughtfully and nonviolently; and 8) bringing a reflective, learning-to-learn approach to all domains of life.[8,9] How can students or adults pursue a life of health, achievement, and social success without these skills? Clearly, they cannot. The very nature of school-based learning is relational and a sound social and emotional skills development framework allows a school or district to accomplish its educational mission. At the same time SEL reinforces and supports efforts to prevent alcohol, tobacco, steroid and other drug use, violence, premature sexual behavior, school disaffection and drop out, and other problem behaviors that act as barriers to learning. Social and emotional skills are essential for building and sustaining learning relationships necessary for academic success, a safe and civilized classroom, and inclusive communities. CASEL outlined the elements needed at the classroom, school building, and district level for social and emotional skill development in Promoting Social and Emotional Learning: Guidelines for Educators.
There were guidelines that reflect the collaborative work of action-researchers, educators, and child advocates with many years of experience in problem prevention and competence promotion. The first guideline suggests that educators at all levels: elementary, middle, and high school need explicit plans to help students become knowledgeable, responsible and caring. Programs must be grounded in the latest findings regarding effective ways to teach skills to students and how to create environments in which those skills will become reinforced and generalized. There should also be continuity between primary prevention efforts, protocols for intervention and referral, and various levels of treatment within or linked to schools. Lessons should focus on four major domains:
Ø Life Skills and Social Competencies
Ø Health Promotion and Problem Behavior Prevention Skills
Ø Coping Skills, Conflict Resolution, and Social Support for Transitions and Crises
Ø Positive, Contributory Service
Most curriculum-based approaches to SEL include structured opportunities for skill instruction and practice. Such approaches: 1) identify a skill and create/discuss a rationale for its use in children’s lives; 2) model/teach components of the skill and their integration; 3) provide students with activities for practice and opportunity for feedback; and 4) establish prompts and cues that can help students use the skills outside the instructional setting. The prompts and cues help students apply the skill, when real life trigger situations occur, or prior to some difficult choice or conflict. The goal is to build students’ ability to self-monitor and regulate their emotional reactions. Sequences of lessons should build on existing skills. Role play simulations are critical. Students not role playing are assigned different components of a skill to observe, and then asked to give feedback. Self-monitoring via journals and checklists are used frequently. Worksheets help students learn to reflect on their application of these skills in daily situations. Journal entries kept in student portfolios assess the degree to which students are able to transfer these skills to common trigger situations. Finally, plans for promoting skill application are as important as the lessons. Without this element, research has found that the teaching fades. A shared language throughout the school is a key element for promoting generalization of skills to diverse situations.
In other words, children need the four C’s: Confidence, Competencies, Chances, and Caring. They need adults around them to inspire them with confidence that they can learn, accomplish, and interact successfully in a range of situations. They need experiences that will impart the competencies needed for academic and social successes, to back up their confidence. Children need to learn and use their skills in the protected and supervised arena of the school so they will be less at risk in the relatively unsupervised and unscripted world in which they interact. Children need all this to occur in the context of caring relationships, where they know there is genuine concern for them, their needs, their accomplishments, and their physical and mental well-being. Educators who communicate caring in their teaching inspire students to identify with them as well as to feel hopeful about their ability to succeed. This emotional attachment to teachers and school is a vital link in academic success. Equally important, caring school communities can foster students’ abilities to form and maintain mutually supportive relationships, the single most important protection against all manner of social, emotional, physical, and academic problems. Conducted in this way, classrooms become microcosms of the larger community, giving students opportunities to try out and develop the social skills that elicit caring and support.
The curriculum-based approach promotes students’ social competence and life skills with the aim of preventing violence, substance abuse, and related problem behavior. Within a social decision making skills framework, a variety of applications are embedded, including interventions for high-risk youth and those receiving special education services. Like most research-based SEL programs, the program addresses two of the national education goals: preparing students for responsible citizenship and achievement and assuring safe, disciplined, and alcohol and drug-free schools. Thus, readiness targets self-control and self-calming skills such as listening, following directions, resisting provocations, avoiding provoking others and group participation and social awareness skills like how to select friends, show caring. Students learn and practice social decision making strategies in diverse, developmentally appropriate, and salient contexts so when they are under pressure and/or not under adult supervision, they will use their readiness skills. Eights steps comprise the decision making process: 1) Notice feelings in oneself and others; 2) Identify issues 3) Determine and select goals; 4) Generate alternative solutions; 5) Envision possible consequences; 6) Select your best solution; 7) Plan your actions and make a final check for obstacles; and 8) Notice what happened and use the information for future decision making and problem solving.
Students apply skills in everyday and academic situations, including community service, riding the school bus, critically viewing media, examining stereotypes and prejudice, and developing cultural competency, classroom and school decorum. For example, in the area of current events, students at the elementary level are shown how to look at each issue as a problem to be solved, based on decisions made by the various people involved. They learn to identify the different points of view in common problems, such as events in the Middle East, and learn how to think of alternative solutions, consider consequences, and plan a desirable course of action. At the middle school level, students apply the same basic approach at a more sophisticated level. They are taught to understand how newspaper articles are created and how to create their own current events articles on issues important to them, their school, and their community. Teachers have found that asking students to write stories about alcohol, drugs, health, conflict, and violence has led them to begin to be able to take new perspectives on these issues. Moreover, much is gained when adults are in the role of catalyst, guiding children’s problem solving, rather than serving as expert or information provider in these sensitive but critical life skills areas.
Parents are encouraged to adopt these principles and incorporate them into their parenting and encourage their development in their children, both at home and in school. The specific, simple techniques involved are rooted in household routines. They draw potency from their potential to lead to small, positive changes in parent-child relationships as they are repeated day after day. The techniques reflect emotional intelligence theory and tremendous advances in understanding how the human brain works and the role of emotion in learning and memory. First, communities are beginning to realize that students’ social and emotional needs cannot be ignored. Rates of many student problem behaviors that interfere with learning are not declining. Knowledge not linked to constructive application must be reconsidered, as parents and business leaders wonder about the benefits of schools turning out students who might test better but who do not demonstrate basic social skills and cannot step into productive social roles. Misdirection of education is what happens when test scores are emphasized as ends, rather than as one of many indicators about children. In addition, evidence is growing that SEL and related primary prevention programs lead to beneficial outcomes. Finally, a growing network of schools have implemented SEL and primary prevention efforts amidst multiple school reform initiatives, crowded curricula, and frequent testing, and have done so with success and satisfaction.
The importance of addressing social and emotional skills for youth has been well documented within the literature. These skills are becoming increasingly critical as young people face difficult challenges at school and in their personal lives. Research also indicates that psychologically competent young people are more likely to avoid high-risk activities that can have dangerous consequences for their health and well-being. Schools have the potential to reach students with these important life lessons, and school psychologists can provide the leadership to enhance these educational experiences. This article reviews the literature on school-based social and emotional skill development and examines the relevance of this area to the work of the school psychologist. Suggestions are made for ways in which school psychologists can improve the social and emotional climates of their schools in areas such as prevention and health promotion, professional development and collaboration with professionals and organizations ( 1984). The increasing recognition of a need to incorporate social and emotional learning/emotional intelligence (SEL) into the regular instructional program provides an exciting opportunity for school psychologists to redefine their roles.
For example, the ability to form and maintain healthy relationships is a critical component of SEL and involves many of the skills described above. The importance of peer relationships in childhood has long been recognized in the psychological literature as one of the primary aspects of a child’s development (1993). In fact, studies on the significance of peer relationships in childhood have appeared within the psychological literature since the 1930s ( 1990). There are clear indications that a lack of peer acceptance in childhood is significantly related to a variety of high-risk and maladaptive behaviors ( 1985). Children who are unpopular or rejected by their peer group perceive themselves to be less socially competent, have less positive expectations for social success, feel more depressed, and report more social anxiety and social avoidance than their peers (, 1993). The primary skills necessary for success in these areas include: noticing and understanding feelings, determining and selecting goals, generating alternative solutions, selecting appropriate solutions, and reflecting on the process ( 1996).
Social and emotional learning can be directed toward the reduction, elimination, or mitigation of risk factors by intervening before the problem occurs (, 1997). For example, skills in areas such as social interaction, conflict resolution, stress management, and assertiveness are all associated with lower levels of interpersonal violence ( 1997). The promotion of pro-social, caring behaviors and the associated prevention of negative and destructive behaviors is a critical component in the development of social and emotional competence for youth. Goals 2000 emphasizes the priority of providing students with skills to prepare them for responsible citizenship, productive employment, and the avoidance of drugs and violence. Goals 2000 also reflects the recent shift in emphasis from the teaching of traditional basic skills to instruction that recognizes the relevance of higher cognitive processes, including problem solving, analytical thinking, and decision making ( , 1997). The assumption implicit in these reform movements is that a clear and definite link exists among education, social issues, and health (1997). The individuals involved in the development of the standards, a cross-section of educators, parents, and business and community leaders, acknowledged the importance of addressing the student as a whole person, due to the link between intellectual growth and emotional health. The standards further state that teachers, administrators, and others in the community have a responsibility to develop the values and skills young people need to succeed both academically and socially (, 1997).
An understanding of school settings is a critical area of expertise for the competent school psychologist. Implicit in the mindset of school psychology is the belief that psychological issues are best addressed within the client’s natural environment ( 1984). As a member of the school system, school psychologists develop a thorough, first- hand understanding of the child’s natural environment. This understanding is also a critical component of working with adults in the school, such as teachers and administrators. Assessing the needs of educators and administrators with respect to professional development and training is a natural extension of those skills that addresses the “higher calling” of school psychologists to begin creating healthy environmental systems ( 1995). Accordingly, school psychologists are the best trained mental health and educational specialists in the schools today and should be the primary facilitators of organizational change and strategic planning processes ( 1995, p.211). When children enter the school system, they are expected to have certain skills and experiences that will enable them to negotiate the academic and social task demands of the school environment. For example, students are expected to have exposure to print, adequate expressive and receptive language skills, the ability to follow directions and comply with basic requests, problem-solving skills, and a variety of interpersonal skills ( 1983; 2002; 1992).
It appears, then, that teaching socially competent peers to initiate pro-social interactions is an important factor in inclusion classrooms. One recent study compared the effects of three different intervention approaches on social competence for preschoolers with disabilities; the greatest and most sustained effect was found when typically developing peers were taught to initiate positive interactions with the children who had disabilities (, 1999). In inclusive early childhood classrooms, young children who are not disabled may not immediately recognize those differences that make the child with disabilities unique, particularly when the disabilities are cognitive in nature. However, maturation, combined with ongoing social experiences in the classroom, eventually will enable most children to distinguish differences between children who are not disabled and those who are. As they grow older, even children with disabilities will begin to see the differences. As a result, older children with disabilities may view themselves as less competent in both academic and social areas ( 1999). Since most of these experiences occur in school settings, the classroom teacher becomes a primary force in determining how children in inclusive settings view themselves and their peer relationships (, 1998).
Teachers encourage independence in the classroom by assigning individual tasks and assignments, allowing children to make choices, providing free time for children to work independently, and teaching children to set personal goals and monitor their own progress. Children with low cognitive functioning, for example, may have a goal of writing two sentences a day in a journal, whereas other children may have a goal of writing at least one-page journal entries each day. Some children may set weekly or daily goals, whereas others may do better when goals are set in increments of hours, or even less time. Whatever the duration, and however simple or complex the goal, each student needs to evaluate his or her own progress toward meeting it. Whether it be a written paragraph or a one-sentence oral statement, self-evaluation is a powerful way for children to learn self-management. Social learning theorists maintain that self-evaluation is more powerful than external rewards or punishments in supporting self-regulation; when children develop and meet their own performance standards, they reward themselves with feelings of self-efficacy (, 2000). (2000) caution, however, that the curriculum should not overemphasize individual work, but also should include goals of interdependence and collaboration, which tend to be more highly valued in non-European American cultures. Thus, children can set personal goals for cooperative skills during group work, and group goals for cooperative assignments.
The process of helping children verbalize their feelings and showing them that their feelings are understood can lead to discussions on the best way to handle those feelings. If a child feels that no one listens to him, his frustration could lead to inappropriate coping behaviors that range from becoming passive and withdrawn to acting out in drastic ways for attention. The sensitive teacher can find time to listen attentively to the child, and can take proactive measures such as providing structured opportunities for the child to express and share his or her ideas, such as writing and sending a letter, designing a bumper sticker or a poster for display, or preparing and giving a short speech. The teacher can help empower all students in the class by soliciting their ideas, particularly those that involve changes in the school or classroom, and then involving the children in implementing agreed-upon actions (, 1998; , 1999).
CONCLUSION
Basic social skills training will always be necessary for young children; the levels of successful acquisition will vary form strong, meaningful friendships and have social skills. In general, teachers who consistently set a good example through conscious modeling and express genuine affection for all students, while at the same time verbally explaining or commenting on what is happening in the environment, are positively influencing social behavior in any classroom (I, 1998). Students benefit when schools make clear the essential role of social and emotional skills in learning and life success and implement comprehensive, coordinated, and rigorous programs likely to have a genuine impact. Implementation has been accomplished in a growing number of schools, despite the simultaneous challenge of improving academic standards, crowded school schedules and competing approaches to school reform.
REFERENCES
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment