CHAPTER 3: SOCIAL

LITERACY
Social Skills
 Concerned itself with the development of social skills knowledge 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 motivation and
adhere to a standard of right and wrong.

 Just – refers to speech, actions and behavior that are in-line with a
fixed standard or justice.

 Equitable – are the speech, actions, behaviors and decisions that

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.

 Greetings
Children develop relationship with peers by interacting with them.
The first step in social interaction is greeting someone.

Worlds like” Hi”,” Hello” or “How are you”

Facial expressions, tone of voice and gestures.
 Initiating Conversation
In order to iniatiate conversation, a child must be able to
initiate, maintain and close conversation appropriately. It requires
good listening and attention skills, ability to take turnand 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 unconciously identifies and categorizes his
listener, measured what he/ she has planned to say against the anticipated
response of the listener, and then proceeds.

 Emphatizing
- Emphaty is more than perpective taking. It means that one is able to
feel what other persons feels. It allows one really to 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 or signals that guides us to the next thing to
say or do. Social Cues can be verbal or nonverbal. Good detectives pay
very close to attention to nonverbal cues.

 Previewing or Planning- conversation also require that one previews

or thinks about what effects of words, 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 common mistake.
THE ROLE OF PARENTS AND
TEACHER IN TEACHING SOCIAL
SKILLS TO CHILDREN
Prepare 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.

 Professional typically intervene only when children are having

substantial social difficulty with peers.


 The modern age calls for young professional to develop situational
awareness and social intelligence in both technological and traditional
communications to suceed in their academic and career endeavour.
 Peers and schools play a formative role on the social skills development
of children

 While teacher do not have to teach a class social skill, 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 peers.
ISSUES IN TEACHING SOCIAL
LITERACY
 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 customs that provide them with a guide to act in ways that minimize
conflict.
3. 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.
* Rules are obeyed because they confer personal advantaging on a child.
4. Children are persuaded of the moral force of acting socially throught their
voluntary associations with others, both in their immediate circle such as the family
and community.
* Through membership of the church or club.

Teachinv social literacy in schools is not easy as it appears to be due subjective

standars of morality and inherent capacity to judge and make excuses.
Subjective standards of Morality

 The natural outcomes of postmodern philosophies is that Truth and morality are
considered subjective and open individual interpretation.
• This can be seen in the current culture, were actions and behavioural 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 change, this gives us license
to change as well and opens the gates to all kind 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 standards.
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 behaviour is questioned. We demand Justice when
we perceive ourselves to be victims of wrongdoing., but we sorround 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.