BUILDING AND ENHANCING NEW LITERACIES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM(PED103)

CHAPTER III: SOCIAL LITERACY

SUMBITTED BY:

1.CYRA ANN ASUELO

2. CHRISTY ASDULO

3. JAY ANN SARMIENTO

4. FEICITY ANN SOROLLA

SUBMITTED TO: JO J. PENAFLOR, Ed., D.

DATE OF REPORT: FEBRUARY 8,2024

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

 develop understanding of the working definition of social literacy;

 explain the roles of parents and teachers in teaching social skills to children; and

 discuss and examine issues in social literacy.

Social literacy concerns 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 relation that are free from unfair prejudices, hate, and
discrimination. These three descriptions will be explained below.

By morally upright, we refer to thoughts, speech, actions, and motivation that adhere to a standard
of right and wrong. On the other hand, just refer to speech, actions, and behaviors that are in-line with a
fixed standard justice a system that promotes and rewards good and at the same time punishes
wrongdoing. Any system of justice, whether national, regional, or local requires a body of rules or laws by
which to measure and administer reward and punishment. Equitable are the speech, actions, behaviors,
and decision that treat others fairly, regardless of background or circumstances. Not to be confused with
equality, which connotes a fixed standard of treatment for all people, equity seeks the good of others, and
labors to find means by which everyone gets "what they need" rather than simply "everyone gets the same
thing in the same amount”.

Peers and schools play a formative role on the social skills development of children. These social
skills are often expressed as consisting of three inter-related components: social perception, social
cognition and social performance (Arthur, Davison, & Stow, 2000). Increasing emphasis has been placed
on the last component, particularly in terms of outcomes, Social skill is defined in literature as 'the ability to
interact with others in a given social context in specific ways that are socially acceptable or valued and at
the same time personally beneficial, mutually beneficial, or primarily beneficial to others.”

There are several types of social skills that must be mastered for a child to be socially adept.
These 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 conflict (Lawson, 2003). The following examples
represent some of the fundamental principles of relating well to others. Children with social skill deficits can
be taught these skills directly by parents, teachers. and/or professionals using the strategies of modeling,
role-playing, rehearsal and practice.

 Greeting - Children develop relationships with peers by interacting with them. The first step in a
social interaction is greeting someone Greeting others is done not only with words like "Hi!" or
"How are you?" but with facial expressions, tone of voice, and gestures such as a nod or a wave.
The nonverbal part of greeting someone is just as important as the words. It is not so much what
one says but how he/she says it that lets people know he/she is glad to see them.

 Initiating Conversation-In order to carry on a conversation, a child must be able to initiate, maintain
and close conversation appropriately. This requires good listening and attention skills, as well as
the ability to take turns and probe for missing information. Being a good conversationalist requires
turn-taking and reciprocity. Children have to listen as well as talk. If they do not show an interest in
what the other person has to say. they probably will not be interested in talking. Impulsive children
often have trouble knowing when to talk and when to listen.

 Understanding the listener - Once a conversation is initiated, it has to be maintained. In order to do

that, 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, alters, or avoids what she has
planned to say. He/she knows that talking to authority figures is not done in the same way when
talking to peers. A misread of the listener often leads to a misunderstood message and potential
social rejection. To converse in a socially appropriate manner, children must be able to take the
perspective or point of view of the other person, i.e., think the way they think. To do this a child
 must pretend that he/she is the listener and think about what he/she needs to hear to understand
what is being said.

 Empathizing - Empathy is more than perspective taking: it means that one is able to feel what the
other person feels. Empathy allows one to really connect with other people. Other children often
think of children who lack empathy as mean, unkind, or self-centered.

 Reading Social Cues- It is very important to read social cues in a conversation, Cues are the hints
and signals that guide us to the next thing to say or do. Social cues can be verbal or nonverbal.
Verbal cues are the words that the other person is saying. Tone of voice is an important part of
verbal cues. Good detectives pay very close attention to nonverbal cues.

 Previewing or Planning - Conversations 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,

 Problem-Solving Problems and conflict are often a part of social interactions. Someone may not
agree, get angry, insult, or become aggressive at something that one says. How one reacts to
these conflicts depends on how good her problem-solving skills are, Conflicts cannot be avoided
and are often necessary to "clear the air." Turning a conflict from a "win-lose" situation to a "win-
win" situation is the best way to resolve conflict. This requires negotiation and compromise, give
and take that results in a situation where all parties can live with and help maintain friendships.

 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. This is a courageous act and is
the quickest and easiest way to correct a social blunder. In reality, other people usually have a
higher opinion of someone who apologizes for making a mistake. Apologizing is a sign of humble
and matured character when one commits mistake.

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 children to rehearse and practice
new skills. They should encourage and praise the child for successfully using a new skill. Professionals
typically intervene only when children are having substantial social difficulty with peers. These individuals
can implement structured, guided, and effective programs that often involve group work with peers,
Children must then generalize the skills they learn in the group to school and other personal social
situations,

School is the place where children spend the majority of their time with peers. It is, therefore, a
natural and perfect setting for children to team and practice social skills. While teachers do not have to
teach a class in social skills, they can take advantage of every opportunity to help children improve their
social skills. They should be alert to teasing and bullying and aware of children that are rejected or ignored
by their peers. They should work cooperatively with the children's parents to prevent the humiliation,
embarrassment, and distress that befall these children. Pairing a socially inept child with a socially adept
one. involving children in cooperative instead of competitive learning exercises. identifying and
acknowledging the strengths of all children, understanding social weaknesses, and creating an
environment in which diversity is accepted and celebrated can greatly enhance all children's social abilities,
sense of belongingness, and self-esteem, not just in the classroom but in life as well.
 Issues in Teaching Social Literacy

How children develop their social literacy is intrinsically a contextual matter and is not something
that can be easily traced in a linear or developmental fashion. The acquisition of social literacy is a complex
process that is historically and culturally conditioned and context-specific. Children learn through social
practices, both explicit and implicit, and become human through social Interaction. Nevertheless, it is also
the case that children engage in social activity before they are taught it; in other words, children are
disposed to be social before they learn what sociability is all about.

There are two distinct ways of answering the question on how children learn to live socially with
each other and with adults. The first view is normative and communal. From their culture, children learn
customs that provide them with a guide to act in ways that minimize conflict. The second view is pragmatic
and individualistic. The social order of children is created by explicit and implicit agreements entered into by
self-seeking individuals to avert the worst consequences of their selfish instincts (Arthur, Davison. & Stow,
2000). In this last view, social order is dependent on sanctions and formal agreements. Rules are obeyed
because they confer personal advantage on a child. In the normative view, children are persuaded of the
moral force of acting socially through their voluntary associations with others, both in their immediate circle,
such as the family, and in the wider community, for example, through membership of a church or club. The
child in this normative view will not only know the correct behavior but will perform the role without any
need for regular, conscious reference to the rules governing it.
 Teaching social literacy in schools is not as easy as it appears to be due to subjective standards of
morality and inherent human 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 standard of measure between good and bad changes, this
gives us license to change as well and opens the gates to all kinds of abuse. This, in effect, pulls the rug
out from under any and all attempts at true justice and equitability, since they themselves rely on a fixed
moral standard.

Interestingly, many of those who insist on a subjective moral standard will be the first to demand for
a fixed moral standard when they themselves fall victim to a subjective morality's inevitable outcome.

Human Nature

While we would all like to believe that people are inherently good. experience has taught us that
the inherent goodness of humanity is, at best. unreliable: Sometimes it is there, often it is not. We are quick
to champion the cause of moral uprightness, justice, and equity, but balk when our words and actions come
under their scrutiny, in other words, we insist that others be judged according to a fixed moral standard, but
invoke a subjective one when our own behavior is questioned. 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 are reluctant when treating others with equity costs more than we
expected.
 Today's students have grown up with the Internet that they have become inseparable from their
gadgets. Blake (2017) offers helpful reminders to young professionals in terms of social skills in the modern
age. This situation underscores the importance of educating students in what could be called social literacy
to ensure their academic and career success.

Situational Awareness in the Workplace

While casual office attire has become the norm in many offices, job Interviews typically require
more formal dress and behavior to demonstrate a level of respect. Stories prevail of young adults showing
up to interviews in casual clothing, texting, or using phones during job interviews or even bringing their
parents with them. Such behavior demonstrates a lack of situational awareness about what is appropriate
to do in different social circumstances. While college classrooms or the actual office atmosphere may allow
for a more casual dress code, students need to be taught what is socially acceptable in terms of dress or
behavior for them to stand out above their colleagues. An ability to read social situations illustrates strength
to employers-quickly picking up on a client's mood or expectations in various business or cross-cultural
situations can be the difference between success and failure.
Social Intelligence in Technological Communication

Text-speak and technology use have affected many young people's ability to communicate. While
email has deformalized much of the communication process, students still need to ensure their writing
denotes respect and provides enough context for professors (or future employers) to readily respond. In
addition, text-speak has reduced students' ability to communicate using correct grammar. Through studying
particular communication genres and what they demand, students can learn more about what individual
situations demand in terms of the formality of communication, For example, if a professor signs an email
with "Dr. Smith," this is a fairly good indication that he expects to be addressed as such and not informally
by his first name.

Social Intelligence in Traditional Communication

While email has taken over as the primary method of communication. traditional modes of
discourse still exist. For example, many employers still expect cover letters in addition to resumes, and the
lack of a thank-you note for a gift is often perceived as more than a simple social oversight. An ability to
craft these types of documents illustrates an understanding of social expectations and denotes a level of
respect or appreciation. While not related to the traditional educational canon, learning to properly write a
cover letter or business letter or a thank-you card not only teaches students that these documents exist and
are often necessary but also shows them how to craft such documents, saving them time and energy in the
future.

Wrap Up

 Social literacy concerns 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.

 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 conflict.

SUMMARY

Social literacy concerns 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 relation that are free from unfair prejudices, hate, and
discrimination. These three descriptions will be explained below. There are several types of social skills that
must be mastered for a child to be socially adept.

Greeting - Children develop relationships with peers by interacting with them.

Initiating Conversation-In order to carry on a conversation, a child must be able to initiate, maintain and
close conversation appropriately.

Understanding the listener - Once a conversation is initiated, it has to be maintained. In order to do that, it
is important to understand the audience one is talking to.

Empathizing - Empathy is more than perspective taking: it means that one is able to feel what the other
person feels.

Reading Social Cues- It is very important to read social cues in a conversation, Cues are the hints and
signals that guide us to the next thing to say or do.

Previewing or Planning - Conversations 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.

Problem-Solving Problems and conflict are often a part of social interactions. Someone may not agree, get
angry, insult, or become aggressive at something that one says.

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.

School is the place where children spend the majority of their time with peers. It is, therefore, a
natural and perfect setting for children to team and practice social skills. While teachers do not have to
teach a class in social skills, they can take advantage of every opportunity to help children improve their
social skills. They should be alert to teasing and bullying and aware of children that are rejected or ignored
by their peers. They should work cooperatively with the children's parents to prevent the humiliation,
embarrassment, and distress that befall these children. Pairing a socially inept child with a socially adept
one. involving children in cooperative instead of competitive learning exercises. identifying and
acknowledging the strengths of all children, understanding social weaknesses, and creating an
environment in which diversity is accepted and celebrated can greatly enhance all children's social abilities,
sense of belongingness, and self-esteem, not just in the classroom but in life as well.

Subjective Standards of Morality - The natural outcome of postmodern philosophies is that truth and
morality are considered subjective and open to individual interpretation.

Human Nature- While we would all like to believe that people are inherently good. experience has taught us
that the inherent goodness of humanity is, at best. unreliable: Sometimes it is there, often it is not.
REFERENCES:

 Andreotti, V. (2006). Scott versus critical global citizenship education. Policy and practice: A
development Education Review, 3(Autumn), 40-51. Accessed on May 30, 2016 at http://www.
Developmenteducationreview.com/issue3-focus4?page=show.

 Arthur, j., Davison, j., & Stow, W. (2000). Social literacy, citizenship education, and the national
curriculum. London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.