Social awareness helps us understand how other people think and feel. Social awareness requires us to be able to “read” people and the situation we are presented with. This can include our body language such as eye contact, facial expressions, and proximity to others. Also, it includes having empathy for others and meeting them where they are. Additionally, we should strive to be grateful and promote inclusion and a sense of belonging for others.
During Physical Education class, we teach social awareness. Some Junior High students tend to encroach on the personal space of others. This includes placing their hands on each other and using an inappropriate tone of voice when they are speaking to their peers. This is to be expected at their age. I explained to them that people are supposed to give each other appropriate space and use an appropriate tone of voice when addressing others. We practice this when we are lining up to form into groups or exiting the gym at the end of class.