#SOCIAL QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS HOW TO#

From circle time to writing prompts, “52 Essential Conversations” has proven to be a useful classroom tool. Though Woo intended for the cards to be a tool for parents, she realized early on that educators could also benefit from them, so she recruited former colleagues and peers to try them out. Since officially launching in June, the cards are being used in homes and classrooms in more than 40 states and 20 countries, and even in some psychologist and pediatrician offices. Over a two-week period in April, while still a master’s student, Woo brainstormed and created the prototype for “52 Essential Conversations,” and by early May had launched a Kickstarter campaign, where interest in the cards soared.

In creating “52 Essential Conversations,” Woo sought to encapsulate her learning experience at HGSE in a usable and actionable way for parents.

The latter was on Woo’s mind when she enrolled in the Ed School, and through her classes, she began to see potential answers. Throughout, she has pondered questions of cognitive development, how people change, and especially how parents/caregivers can foster children’s growth. “52 Essential Conversations” is a culmination of Woo’s diverse career, which has included research, coaching of business professionals, and administration for a network of Montessori schools. Aligned to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, a nationally recognized social and emotional learning standard, the cards allow parents and children to learn about one another while developing children’s life skills and preparing them for the world. “52 Essential Conversations” helps by guiding parents through potentially difficult or awkward conversations, and providing them with ideas about which questions they should be asking.ĭesigned for ages 5 to adult, the cards cover six categories (self-awareness relationship skills self-management social awareness responsible decision-making and diversity, equity, and inclusion) and ask questions such as What is fairness? or What is luck? They can be used in a multitude of ways - as conversation prompts during dinner or daily errands, or in place of playing cards in a game of Go Fish. “I want to empower parents and caregivers to have conversations in day-to-day lives,” Woo says. That’s why she created “ 52 Essential Conversations,” a deck of social-emotional learning cards for parents/caregivers and their children. Instead a lot of the noise can be made quieter through the simple act of talking with your child. “As a parent, you want to know what is right,” says Woo, a school administrator, cognitive neuroscience researcher, and a parent herself.īut raising children doesn’t have to be an anxiety-ridden experience, she says. The questioning and doubt that sometimes results can be paralyzing.

She knows that today’s busy parents can feel overwhelmed by an internet-driven world filled with information, opinions, and “expert” advice on how to raise children. “It would ease the angst,” says Woo, Ed.M.’18.

As a student in the Mind, Brain, and Education Program at HGSE, Jenny Woo often found herself wishing that other parents could hear what she was hearing in her classes.

#SOCIAL QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS HOW TO#

Social questions for students