1. Its impact on the social and academic success of students
Perspective Taking
Its impact on the social and academic success of students

2. Today’s Learning Outcomes
To understand the complexities of perspective taking and the implications it has on a student’s ability to thrive both socially and academically
To gather practical ideas and resources for supporting the growth and development of perspective taking skills

3. Overview Of The Day Introductions/ice breaker/initial thoughts
Define perspective taking qualities
What is the social and academic impact on students who lack the ability to take perspective?
Break (15 minutes)
How do we support growth and development of perspective taking skills?
Closing thoughts and questions

4. Introductions
Introduce yourself to a partner and tell them three things about yourself
You and your partner will take turns introducing each other to the class

5. Ocean Ice Breaker What words come to mind when you think of the ocean?
Think of what you might see, hear, smell or feel
Write your thoughts on the cards provided
15 minutes
Give the participants 2 minutes to get their ideas written down
Take two minutes to share your ideas with a partner. Why are your answers different or the same?
Have a willing participant share his or her ideas
Ask a second person with different ideas to share their thoughts
Have each person share what experiences brought them to these perceptions of the ocean
Conclude with the idea that a persons life experiences greatly influences their perspective. Perspective is not an issue of right and wrong but an understanding that life experience influences each perspective differently?
While you listen others perspective of the ocean, you have an understanding of how they feel about it and you respond in a way that is appropriate.

6. What is perspective taking?
“Perspective taking refers to our ability to relate to others. It is our ability to perceive someone else’s thoughts, feelings, and motivations. In other words it refers to our ability to empathize with someone else and see things from their perspective.”

7. Continued…
“Most people can intuitively tell how someone else feels in a conversation. When they speak to someone who’s looking around and not paying attention, they perceive the person is not interested in the conversation or is distracted for some reason. They know if they see tears in the person’s eyes that the person is upset (Isa Marrs, 2014).”

8. What is Theory of Mind?
“Theory of Mind is the ability to not only understand that people have different beliefs, motivations, knowledge and moods but also understand how that effects their actions and behavior as well as our own. Theory of Mind is a necessary component of perspective taking. (Isa Marrs, 2014).”

9. Is it possible to teach perspective taking?

10. Three Steps to Perspective Taking
When you come into my space I have a thought about you and you have a thought about me
Step 2
I understand you have thoughts and feelings different from mine

11. Continued…
Step Three
I can adjust my thinking and actions based on others thoughts and feelings. To keep you thinking about me the way I would like you to think about me

12. What makes us good perspective takers?
Recognizing each person as an individual
Recognizing each person has his or her own feelings and emotions
Understanding each person has their own motives desires and intentions
Adapted from Michelle Garcia Winner, 2007
Try to give an example to make these qualities more concrete and easy to understand.

13. Continued…
Recognizing social conventions in specific social environments
Understanding social conventions are specific to setting
Using eye contact to remain aware Knowing how to inquire about another person’s interests
Realizing individuals have their own personality

14. Continued…
Having an innate desire to learn about others interests and history
Remembering a person to help build and maintain relationships, as well as develop an understanding of a person’s possible actions
the persons different possible feelings/emotions through out an interaction
Considering prior knowledge and experience of the person you may talk to

15. Selman’s Five Stages of Perspective Taking
Stages and Ages
Description
Undifferentiated Perspective Taking
Age 3-6
Recognize that self and others have different thoughts and feelings
Frequently confuses the two
Social-informational Perspective Taking
Age 5-9
Recognize different perspectives may be due to people accessing different information
Self –reflective Perspective Taking
Age 7-12
Able to step into another person’s shoes and view thoughts and feelings from another perspective
Aware that others can do the same
Third-party Perspective Taking
Age 10-15
Able to step out of a two person interaction and imagine how they are being viewed by a third party
Societal Perspective Taking
Age 15-Adult
Able to understand that third party perspective can be influenced by larger societal values.

16. Perspective Taking According to Sheldon

17. Consequences for Lack of Perspective Taking
Social
Academic
Social isolation
Being considered insensitive
Maybe considered a bully or self centered
Difficulty maintaining friendships
Difficulty working in groups
Lack of understanding of assignments
Difficulty accepting teacher feedback leading to challenging relationships
Lack of comprehension

18. Break Time!

19. How do we facilitate the development of perspective taking?
Find a target area to work on. Consider the list of qualities and stages of perspective taking to help target an area.
Consider the cognitive ability of your student. Does he/she need visuals, physical acting out, video taping? What will work best to get the message to them?
Create an environment that is safe and comfortable for the student. ie: If they work best with another student in a quiet place, consider removing them for a quick daily lesson with a carefully chosen classmate.
This portion of the workshop will require students to participate in a variety of acitivities to get them familiar with perspective taking activities.
Activity #1
Social Behaviour Mapping
Introduce the language of expected and unexpected behaviour
Use the samples provided to become familiar with social behviour maps
Watch the video on the next slide and fill out your map using the student on the right as the student you might be working with.

20. Continued… Be realistic, this is a work in progress
Try things for a period of time. It’s rare for change to happen overnight
Do not reinvent the wheel. There is a tremendous amount of activities and worksheets already to be used both online and in resource books

21. Activities to Support Perspective Taking
The following is a very small sample of activities to support perspective taking.
Please participate and enjoy the process!

22. Activity #1 Social Behaviour Mapping
Behaviours that are UNEXPECTED!
Place: Lunchroom
Unexpected behaviours
How they make others feel
Negative consequences you experience
How you feel about yourself
1.Refusing to share the lunch table
2. Refusing to clean up after you eat
Rejected
Confused
Sad
Afraid
Lunch monitors are frustrated
Stressed out
Lack trust
Unhappy
Classmates don’t want to sit with you or get to know you
People hovering
Conflict
Privileges revoked
Lonely
Frustrated
Embarrassed
Angry
Social Behaviour Map
Behaviours that are EXPECTED!
Place: Lunchroom
Expected behaviours
How they make others feel
Positive consequences you experience
How you feel about yourself
1.Sharing the lunch table
2. Putting your lunch and dishes away after lunch
Welcomed
Included
Interested in you
Lunch monitors are relieved
More relaxed
Happy to see you
Trusting
Classmates want to sit with you and get to know you
Independence
Privileges in the lunch room
Becoming a monitor
Opportunity to be a leader
Happy
Proud
Motivated
Excited

23. Practice Social Behaviour Mapping

24. Activity #2 Look Inside My Head!
The thoughts in my head show you about my experiences, beliefs and interests. This influences what I say and how I respond to things during social interaction. This is my perspective. What’s yours?

25. Activity #3: What is everybody thinking?

26. Resources to Check Out
Michelle Garcia Winner and Pam Crooke, Social Thinking website and many resource books with activities and worksheets
Jill Kuzma: skills/teaching-ideas/
Pintrest has endless ideas for quick perspective taking activities
taking/
Youtube has many excellent videos that demonstrate perspective taking

27. QUIZ TIME!
10 minutes

28. For Next Time
Choose one activity you tried today and use it with a student.
Bring feedback…
Did you alter anything to make it more suitable for your student?
Was the student receptive?
Will it be helpful to build long term perspective taking skills?
Remember, many activities need to be repeated several or many times in order to experience growth and development of a skill.

29. References
Slides 7 & 8
M. Garcia Winner & P. Crooke. (2014). Zooming In. Workshop, Richmond, BC.
Slides 12, 13 & 14
M. Garcia Winner. (2007). Thinking About You, Thinking About Me. San Jose, CA. Think Social Publishing Inc.
Slide 16
Selman’s Five Stages of Perspective Taking. (2002). Retrieved September 3, from