Session 4
The Science-to-Practice Characteristics of Effective Social Skills Programs, and How to Choose Them
[Total Session Time: 49:27 minutes]
- Review of the Components of Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Self-Management
- Review of the Foundations to Social Skills Instruction
- The District-level Steps to Selecting the “Right” Social Skills Program
- The Characteristics of Effective Social Skills Programs
After reviewing the components of a science-to-practice system of effective school discipline and safety, classroom management and prosocial interactions, and student engagement and self-management, this session reviews the foundations of social skills instruction—specifically emphasizing (a) how this instruction must be sensitive to the developmental and cognitive skills of students at different age levels, and (b) what social skill success looks like in this same developmental context.
The recommended steps and decisions that districts should take and make, respectively, in selecting a social skills program then are outlined. Here, the importance of choosing a social skills program in the same way that districts choose a new reading curriculum is emphasized, along with a strong suggestion that all of the schools in a district that are teaching students at the same grade levels should use the same social skills curriculum, and that the same social skills program should be used for all students receiving services and supports at the Tier I, II, and III levels.
The session concludes by describing the seven characteristics of a high-quality social skills program, and by showing how the Stop & Think Social Skills Program demonstrates these characteristics.
Feature Presentation
Handout
2 4 Session 4 Characteristics of Eff SS Programs Handout 3 2022.pdf
Presentation Audio Only
Quiz
Quiz Answers
Resources
Knoff, H.M. (2005). Character education vs. social skills training: Comparing constructs vs. behavior. Little Rock, AR: Project ACHIEVE Press.
4 4 1 Social Skills vs. Character Education.pdf
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Homework
May 30, 2020 Blog (Knoff, H.M.): “Preparing NOW to Address our Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs Before They Transition Back to School”
4 4 2 Preparing to Address Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs.pdf
November 6, 2021 Blog (Knoff, H.M.): “The Current State of SEL in our Schools: The Frenzy, the Flaws, and the Fads”
4 4 3 The Current State of SEL in our Schools.pdf