By: Morgan Macklin
Social awareness is an essential competency to learn when it comes to gaining an understanding of others that goes beyond the surface level. This is a key pillar that upholds social-emotional learning which is proven to create positive attitudes toward school, prosocial behaviour, and academic success among students. With the range of positive benefits associated with SEL, it is pertinent that educators familiarize themselves with each competency and how to deliver them to their students. Therefore, this blog will define social awareness and provide practices that can be used to teach it in the classroom.
what is social awareness, and why does it matter?
Social awareness alludes to the ability to empathize with others regardless of background, culture, gender, and any other context that may differentiate an individual. This includes the capacity to be compassionate, understand just and unjust social norms across various scenarios, and recognize both resources and support. Through socialization, and exposing one to a range of varying contexts, individuals can build social awareness which in turn heightens their competencies of relationship building and decision making. With this enhanced awareness, individuals can better connect with the increasingly globalized world.
Social awareness is an important competency to build on as it plays a sufficient role in emotional well-being. Building social awareness can align with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs regarding love and belonging. When practicing socialization, a person learns to become a member of a group, or community, therefore, gaining compassion and empathy for others and fulfilling a sense of belonging.
social awareness practices to use in the classroom
social awareness practices to use in the classroom
classroom service project
To gain empathy, allow students to understand various living situations and consequences, and gain a greater sense of purpose, service activities can be integrated into the curriculum. This is an interactive, fun, yet meaningful way for students to become more in touch with the world around them. This heightens their sense of purpose and fulfillment by recognizing how their own situation differs from others, therefore using their privileges to give back to others who may not face the same circumstances.
Service activities do not have to be a daunting task that takes precious time out of the course schedule. It can be as easy as picking up 3 pieces of garbage at recess, taking shifts running recycling out, or even making a presentation for a local charity. If more involvement is desired, holding a food drive for those in need, visiting a local nursing home, or volunteering for an afternoon with a non-profit can be potential avenues. Whether you implement a large or small project, any little bit can help immensely in the long run.
listening circles
Active listening coincides with social awareness as it is designed to encourage respect and understanding through gaining both information and perspective. A listening circle creates an opportunity for students to share their voices by responding to prompts in a safe environment. This includes engagement from all participants in which active listening is utilized to truly practice social awareness.
When it comes to developing prompts for students, strive for questions that allow a wide scope of answers with room for diversity and differing perspectives to surface. These questions could look like:
Today I am feeling _______.
How would your best friend describe you?
Name a time when you learned something that truly mattered to you?
What makes you feel the happiest?
Who is your biggest role model and why?
Educators should take note during this discussion to gain a better understanding of students and practice social awareness themselves. However, to encourage true active listening among students, get them to share something they learned about a class member following the discussion.
practice gratitude
Gratitude also goes hand in hand with social awareness by definition. It can be simplified by the means of being thankful, the capacity to show appreciation, and the ability to return kindness to others. This is important to teach as studies show that students who practice expressing feelings of gratitude have increased optimism, higher life satisfaction, and decreased negative feelings.
One experiential SEL activity that builds on social awareness is a gratitude tower. Teachers can provide small groups of students with a stack of index cards to write things they are thankful for. Have them brainstorm and sketch how they will build a tower with index cards and allow them to start building. The more things students become aware that they are grateful for, the taller their tower will be. This helps students become mindful of the opportunities that allow them to thrive in life and strive to help others reach their goals as well.
closing
Social awareness is an essential tool to help students become aware of how they play a role in society. By gaining a better understanding of others and how they think and behave, they gain a greater sense of empathy. By exposing one to varying contexts, they can develop the skills to foster more successful relationships and make educated well-rounded decisions.
join the heroes journey
At Impact Society, we deliver the Heroes program as an SEL resource for teachers, educators, caregivers, and communities to build resilient youth who are equipped with the skills it takes to live a flourishing life. As part of our Heroes curriculum, we focus on social awareness by placing importance on giving back. We strive to teach youth the meaning of contentment and how to give more than one takes. This is huge for building the capacity to be socially aware. To learn more about how you can further increase social awareness in your classroom, book a discovery call today!