Step Into My Sessions: From “Me” to “We”: Supporting Collaborative Play
Constructing a three-level reverse waterfall requires lots of social interaction!
Featured above is a big Rokenbok construction that has been front and center in one of my playrooms for quite a few years. 🏗️
A work in progress, it’s very popular with, pretty much, all my social groups. That means you never know what it will look like from day to day. Students are always experimenting, modifying, and sometimes destroying various sections.
Collaboration at play
When a group is playing (working) with the Rokenbok system, we emphasize collaboration. 🫱🏼🫲🏼
The students know, for example, that you can’t run your own elevator to move your vehicle – you have to ask a friend to help you out. Similarly, you can’t run a truck and the crane at the same time 🚘 – it’s a partner task. And, as for building the intricate ball delivery system? Well, it is often true that two brains are better than one at solving the technical problems, let alone finding the needed pieces! ⚙️🔩
Since building can take time, I like to check in with the group, allowing them to think about how they have (or have not) been collaborating. Again, while it’s often fine to work alone, the emphasis of my groups is working together.
💡 A simple visual can help keep ideas in working memory, as well as see what the choices along the path of collaboration can look like. Pulling from SocialScales, I have printed out and laminated this visual support:
Sometimes we use a moving clip as the students make their assessment:
Other times, we use numbered stickies so we can see what happens with collaboration over time:
Nice work!!
If you think this visual might work for you, download it and give it a go! ⏬ Happy to share!
As you gear up for a new school year,
now’s the perfect time to make abstract social concepts more concrete for your students.
SocialScales: Make Social Learning Visual gives you flexible, respectful visual tools to support conversations about flexibility, motivation, cooperation, mistakes, and more.
Whether you’re in private practice, a school setting, or running groups, these positional scales help students see where they are and consider where they might go next—without judgment. It’s a great way to start the year with structure and student voice. AND, it comes with a onboarding email sequence to support you in getting up to speed quickly!
Grab your copy and start using SocialScales today!
P.S. The first Office Hours of the year—on September 24th—will be open only to clinicians who have purchased SocialScales.
Hope to see you there!
