1. KEY 6: SOCIAL SKILLS Kagan COOPERATIVE LEARNING I don't even have any good skills... You know, like nunchuk skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills... Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.

2. WHY SOCIAL SKILLS? Cooperative teams most likely fail for one of two reasons: 1.The members lack the will to work together. Overcome by teambuilding at the beginning and throughout their time together. 2.The members lack the skill to work together. Overcome by development of social skills.

3. 57 SOCIAL SKILLS NEEDED FOR & DEVELOPED BY COOPERATIVE LEARNING 3 Basic Types of Social Skills 1.Group forming skills 2.Basic group functioning skills 3.Idea exchange skills

4. TEACHING SOCIAL SKILLS Teach social skills as its own curriculum. Embed social skills in daily instruction. – Students develop and strengthen their social skills through daily use while in cooperative groups. – “A social skills curriculum is embedded in cooperative learning structures.” (Kagan, 2009, p. 11.3)

5. 5 STRATEGIES FOR FOSTERING SOCIAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 1.Structures and Structuring 2.Roles and Gambits 3.Modeling 4.Reinforcement 5.Reflection and Planning

6. 1. STRUCTURES AND STRUCTURING Social skill are built into the steps of many structures. – Authentic practice of structures – Transfers to unstructured interactions Structuring Within a Structure – Highlight the embedded social skills within a structure. – Name, Model, Remind, Reinforce Structuring for Accountability for a Social Skill – Hold students accountable for using particular skills.

7. 2. Roles and Gambits Roles –assigned actions or tasks for students to fulfill Gambits – what students say or do to fulfill their roles – Gambits should always be positive.

8. 12 Social Roles RoleSocial SkillDescriptionGambit Example 1. EncouragerEncouraging, Motivating Encourage teammates to participate and do well. “Let’s listen to Kip.” 2. PraiserPraising, Complimenting Show appreciation for teammates’ ideas and contributions. “Great idea.” 3. CheerleaderCelebrating accomplishments Lead the team in celebrating individual accomplishments. “Let’s all give Pedro a pat on the back.” “Smart! Smart! Smart! Brilliant!” 4. GatekeeperEqualizing participation Make sure everyone is participating about equally. “That is very interesting, Rico. Deb, what’s your opinion?” 5. CoachHelpingCoach teammates on solving a problem. “Remember rule 2.” “Check number 5 again.” 6. Question Commander Checking for questionsCheck if any teammates have a question.

9. 12 Social Roles RoleSocial SkillDescriptionGambit Example 7. CheckerChecking for understanding Check to make sure everyone has learned the material. “Let’s do one problem each while the team watches to make sure we all have it.” 8. Focus KeeperStaying on taskKeep the team focused and on task. “We haven’t done problem 3 yet.” 9. RecorderRecording ideasRecord the team’s answers or ideas, or make sure they get recorded. 10.ReflectorReflecting on group progress Lead the team in looking back on how well they worked together. “How well did we stay on task? Did everyone participate?” 11. Quiet CaptainUsing quiet voicesKeep the team’s volume level down. “We’re getting too loud, let’s use our team voices.” 12. Materials MonitorDistributing materialsGet and return team supplies. Lead the team clean-up

10. 3. MODELING Communicates to students exactly what a social skill looks like and sounds like Teacher modeling Model groups Student model Role-plays and simulations

11. 4. REINFORCEMENT Positive Reinforcement vs. Negative Reinforcement and Punishment – Using positive reinforcement creates a more positive learning environment. Use positive reinforcement liberally and negative reinforcement and punishment sparingly.

12. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Types of Positive Reinforcement – Intrinsic rewards (feeling of pride, etc.) – Intangible extrinsic rewards (praise, attention, etc.) Praise should be genuine – Tangible extrinsic rewards (prizes) Reinforcement should be frequent and immediate to be most effective.

13. 5. REFLECTION AND PLANNING Should occur about 1/3 of the way through the lesson, not at the end. Types of reflection and planning – Teacher reflection questions – Team self-monitoring – Teacher observations – Teammate observer – Class observers – Team observers – Reflection forms – Reflection review and planning