All About Social Thinking
The type of thinking your brain does about other people is called:
Social Thinking
Use your social thinking to figure what each person is communicating (library picture, page 30)
The boys at the door are excited about their new comic book.
The librarian wants the students to be quiet.
A. A kid is standing in the middle of the kitchen floor yelling, "Get me a drink!" to his father who is cooking dinner.
B. A kid is watching his dad cook dinner. He says, "Hey dad, can I get a juice box from the fridge?"
B.
The kid notices his dad is busy cooking and knows this means he'll need to get his own drink.
We can use social thinking to try to figure out what someone is planning to do next.
Your friend walks over to you at recess. He is smiling and holding a basketball. He is probably planning:
To ask you to play basketball.
Use your social thinking to figure what each person is communicating (bike picture, age 30)
The girl fell off her bike and got hurt. She is upset.
The mom is comforting her.
A. A group of students is calmly and quietly walking down the hallway following the teacher.
B. A group of students is walking down the hallway in a line following the teacher. Two of the students are running next to the line and tossing a ball back and forth.
A.
The students are using their social thinking to consider how others will feel about their behavior.
We can use social thinking to figure out how someone may be feeling. If my friend has a smile on their face and they are jumping up and down, they are probably feeling:
Excited
Use your social thinking to figure what each person is communicating (dinner table, page 31)
The dad is enjoying his meal.
The kids are arguing over the last piece of chicken.
The mom is annoyed that the kids are arguing.
A. Two students are talking to each other while seated at their desks while the teacher is trying to explain a math problem.
B. The teacher is in front of the class explaining a math problem. One student says something to her friend. Her friend shows her the quiet sign and says, "we can talk at lunch."
B.
The student is thinking about how the teacher and other students will feel about them talking and helps her friend follow the expectations.
We can use social thinking to try to figure out what we are supposed to do or say.
Imagine you left the classroom to go to the bathroom. When you come back, all of the other students are sitting on the rug, looking at the teacher. You can use social thinking to figure out that you should:
Go sit on the rug and look at the teacher.
Use your social thinking to figure what each person is communicating (classroom picture, page 31)
The kids and teacher are bored, distracted/disappointed about the weather, can't go out for recess.
A. The teacher is talking to another teacher. A student walks up and interrupts their conversation.
B. A teacher is talking to another teacher. A student raises his hand and waits at his desk until the teacher calls on him.
B.
This student used his social thinking to notice that his teacher was busy and that he would have to wait.