The Social Thinking® Methodology and its practical concepts and strategies are being used in schools around the world. Social Thinking was originally developed for individuals with social emotional learning differences. More recently, however, the value of the frameworks, concepts, and strategies is being recognized on a wider scale and adopted as part of social-emotional learning programs for all students. In this course, we will explore how individuals, schools, and systems can implement Social Thinking in a systematic, effective, and sustainable way.

While many programs are designed to teach basic “social skills” or simply ways to teach children to “behave,” Social Thinking teaches the underlying why we use social skills and the deeper metacognitive connection to the process of social interpretation and problem solving. Tools and materials support teaching self- awareness, self-regulation, executive functioning, and perspective taking—competencies the social mind has to access across the school day.

The same social thinking required to relate effectively to people around us is also essential for success in academics. Students use social thinking constantly at school, to work effectively as part of a group, stay on task, figure out the expected times to talk in class, and share space well with others in the classroom, cafeteria, and on the playground. Social thinking is also critical for individualized academic tasks, such as reading comprehension, writing a paper, or presenting work to others.

Throughout many years, Social Thinking has collaborated with a variety of schools. From large to small, public to independent, this workshop day will share our collective work in elementary schools. Ideas on how we age the concepts up to secondary school will also be included.

We’ll provide practical examples and stories of how schools have implemented Social Thinking to support social competencies. When classroom teachers, specialists, and caregivers share the same language and strategies, it creates more cohesive learning environments. We will explore how the Social Thinking Vocabulary can be used across social landscapes (all aspects of home, school, and community) to build a bridge between environments and people.

Ideas and inspiration on setting up classrooms and other social learning spaces using visual supports will be featured. We will provide example lesson plans, including ways to teach social observation, support daily transition times, and set expectations. Through video clips, administrators, classroom teachers, specialists, and support staff will share their experiences with implementing the Social Thinking Methodology. We will share lessons learned, challenges tackled, and advice for the journey.