Tip: Prosocial Education > What is it?
Prosocial Education is the intentional focus on helping learners act with kindness as they collaborate & communicate with others and become more engaged in learning.
A focus on prosocial education helps teachers to create a classroom culture where both the teachers and students feel valued and respected.
In the Prosocial Classroom, educators actively teach learners how to behave and why they should behave this way.
Teachers also focus on and promote positive behaviors. This focus reinforces how students should behave and helps them internalize those behaviors, helping them to behave better in other contexts. Additionally, focusing on positives sets an optimistic tone in the classroom and is less stressful for teachers and students.
When you think of the word “prosocial,” you automatically assume the antonym of it would be “antisocial,” and you would be correct. However, one important distinction needs to be clarified. This is the difference between Prosocial vs. Antisocial. A common misconception is that “prosocial” means extroverted, and “antisocial” means introverted. However, “prosocial” means any behavior intended to benefit others and promote harmonious relationships such as helping, cooperating, encouraging, apologizing, being inclusive, etc. (Bergin, 2018; Eisenberg, Spinrad, & Knafo-Noam, 2015); and “antisocial” means to be unkind and harms others. It is possible for a person to be a prosocial introvert (kind and quiet) and an antisocial extrovert (loud and unkind).
ProsocialEd is the national leader in prosocial education. We provide high-quality professional development that supports the creation of safe, supportive, and respectful learning environments. The Prosocial Education Collaborative is comprised of The eMINTS National Center, Prosocial Development & Education Research Lab, NEE, Missouri Telehealth Network, DESE, the Curators of the University of Missouri, and our partner school districts. ProsocialEd is committed to improving school climate and culture by strengthening relationships, improving classroom management practices, and increasing student engagement.
Follow @ProsocialEd, an #eMINTS program, or visit www.prosocialed.org for more information about prosocial education, to learn more about what we offer, or to find out about bringing ProsocialEd to your school!.
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