Social executive functioning is at the heart of successful play, social interaction, and learning as part of a group. In this course, we teach how to move from the five basic Social Thinking lessons in We Thinkers! Volume 1: Social Explorers (formerly The Incredible Flexible You!) to the more complex lessons presented in We Thinkers! Volume 2. Attendees will learn strategies to apply in the classroom, online learning environment, clinic, or home the very next day! In this fourth course of a four-part series, we explore the Social Thinking Vocabulary concepts of expected and unexpected behavior based on the situation and hidden rules, smart guesses, flexible and stuck thinking, the size of the problem, and shared imagination as part of supporting our early learners in developing stronger play, academics, and relationships. Course attendees will learn:

• How to teach kids to become better social observers and decipher the hidden social expectations of a situation.
• How to teach strategies around the concepts of flexible vs. stuck thinking, recognizing the size of the problem, making smart guesses, and sharing an imagination.
• How the lessons and activities in the We Thinkers! curriculum are adapted for each level of Social Thinking’s GPS scale and how the information can be used in Pre-K–2 mainstream classrooms as part of social emotional learning (SEL), and positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) initiatives.
• How to use We Thinkers! Volume 2 and related treatment ideas with fidelity.
• The information presented in this course builds on the five core Social Thinking concepts presented in our precursory courses Parts 1–3 of this series: Introducing Social Thinking® Concepts to 4–7-Year-Olds Through Ten Storybooks and Two Curricula: A Four-Part Series.

Course Content Disclosure: While this course includes information about other products and the work of other authors, it primarily focuses on the content included in the We Thinkers! Volume 2: Social Problem Solvers curriculum guide and 5 storybooks to teach this information with fidelity.

NOTE: If you began your learning about this this topic with this course, please watch Parts 1–3 of the series to learn background information and other lessons that require teaching prior to jumping to the lessons taught in Part 4.

Who Should Attend

The Social Thinking Methodology is used by a wide variety of professionals; including speech-language pathologists, special and general education teachers, social workers, counselors, clinical and school psychologists, occupational therapists, behavior specialists, and school administrators to name a few. It’s also used by family members and caregivers across settings.

This four-part series teaches interventionists (parents and professionals) to implement with fidelity our award-winning curriculum, storybooks, and music collection when using We Thinkers! Volume 1: Social Explorers and We Thinkers! Volume 2: Social Problem Solvers (formerly The Incredible Flexible You!).

Using examples, multi-sensory lessons, and strategies to promote social collaboration and play at school, home, and in the community, we’ll explore social development and demonstrate how to teach 10 core Social Thinking® concepts and use the storybooks to help students learn how the social world works, so they can better learn to navigate in the social world. We’ll also review the use of the Group Collaboration, Play and Problem-Solving (GPS) Scale to provide individualized pathways for different types of social learners. The vocabulary and strategies are adaptable for use with other activities and age-appropriate literature.

The series includes four courses preferably experienced in the following order, beginning with Volume 1 in our two-volume We Thinkers! curricular set:

Part 1: Foundations for Early Learners—Teaching Thoughts, Feelings, and The Group Plan
Part 2: Building on Foundations—Teaching Thinking with Eyes, Body in the Group, and Whole Body Listening (Listening with Body and Brain)

The next two courses provide information on the GPS assessment tool, as well as five executive function concepts:

Part 3: Assessing Peer-Based Collaboration and Play to Provide Specific Teaching Pathways
Part 4: Advancing Social Learning with Five Concepts to Promote Executive Functions

Throughout this series, you will learn not just the “why” behind the concepts we teach but the “how” with practical strategies and examples that you can start infusing into the things you already do and say.

Series Content Disclosure: While this series includes information about other products and the work of other authors, it primarily focuses on the content included in the We Thinkers! Volume 1: Social Explorers and We Thinkers! Volume 2: Social Problem Solvers curriculum guides and 10 storybooks to teach this information with fidelity.

Objectives

Participants will be able to:

1. Explain strategies for teaching students how to figure out the unspoken expectations (hidden rules) in a specific situation.
2. Describe two strategies for helping individuals learn to be more flexible thinkers.
3. Describe two strategies to help individuals learn how problem solving involves self-regulation.

Agenda

• 1 hour and 20 minutes
  • Detail the tenets of teaching and related strategies embedded in the five units of We Thinkers! Volume 2
  • Explore practical strategies for teaching expected and unexpected behavior, smart guesses, and flexible vs. stuck thinking
• 2 hours and 10 minus
  • Continue to explore practical strategies from We Thinkers! Volume 2 for teaching the size of the problem and sharing an imagination
  • Previously Recorded Q & A Session

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• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Educators
• ...and others!

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