Using an approach that combines socializing and complex thinking, Dr. Susan Paynter helps students develop a set of social skills that are practical and easily applied to daily interactions while simultaneously developing critical thinking skills. 

Social Skill Groups run on a 6 week-cycle, for one hour each week.  Within the group hour, there are three different components.  

The first 15-minutes are spent on the social skill of the week. During this segment, many skills are practiced, such as making eye contact, reading body language, initiating and maintaining conversation, making friends, taking turns, active listening, and leading without bossing. This segment is taught through role-play and games. 

This is followed by an engineering challenge that requires students to use higher order critical thinking. Students work in teams to solve the particular intellectual challenges, applying the targeted social skills. The educator observes both the intellectual and creative ideas as well as the social interactions with particular attention to the new targeted skills. 

The workshop concludes with a  debriefing and a discussion on the impact of the new skill in improving collaboration.

Students are clustered into age and developmentally appropriate groups of approximately 6-8 members.

Ages 7-8

Ages 9-11

Ages 12-15 (The curriculum for this age group is adjusted to allow for more opportunity to practice appropriate socialization and to troubleshoot difficult scenarios that may arise with peers). 

Workshops run once weekly for 6 weeks in Woodstock and Stone Ridge.

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