”Especially for you”

1. ”Especially for you” Tuula Palomäki-Jägerroos lecturer, vocational special education teacher, MNSc

2. Keskuspuisto Vocational College, Arla unitFor Work and Independent Life Preparatory and Rehabilitative Training 2 TYVA

3. Building and strenhtening social skills with Picture cards • target group • MDVI students • Employees and staff members on promoting social skills in Work and Activity Centres and in Supported Working • students’ families • personal instructors in leisure time

4. Why has the good practice been developed, which need it meets To build up social skills and communication

5. Why has the good practice been developed, which need it meets • Employees and staff members in Work and Activity Centres and in Supported Working need material and educational model • On talking about emotional skills • On promoting MDVI students to name and describe their feelings, thoughts and desires • To give each student a chance to reach his or hers full potential • On emphasizing meaningful relationships

6. Why has the good practice been developed, which need it meets • To achieve the goals of promoting social skills • F.ex. communication, solving problems, group assignments, making choises

7. Why has the good practice been developed, which need it meets • In order to develope the know how of staff • To support students experience of participating and belonging to institutions of surrounding society

8. Description of the process • The developing activity was made possible by ESR-funding in Mental well-being project 2009 – 2013 • Healthy College Material and picture cards are meant for tutors, educational staff and workpalce tutors to stregthen vocational knowledge and skills about mental well-being as a resource

9. Description of the process 2/2 • Professionals provide both different social situations and training of social skills (encourage to get interested in age-mates, introduce a student to the group, to make friends, social codes) • Own feelings can be described by different weather patterns or landscape • E.g. sunshine, rain, thunder, storm, rainbow, traffic jam, countryside or city

10. Experiences of the results • students: better self esteem, and emotional well being, can better identify and name emotions and feelings, understand howtheir feelings affects, empathy skills and self regulation E.g. how to take hold own anger, and to give and receive feedback

11. Experiences of the results Professionals (new educational tools to support students’ self – confidence. Picture cards help to process different emotions f.ex. success, frustration, aggression) Picture cards help to recognize the meaning of emotions f.ex. in our perception, learnig, remembering and interaction, creating safety atmosphere)

12. What kind of time consuming, economical an other resources does the execution require Using Picture cards as educational material require only positive attitude. Picture cards are produced by Mental well-being project 2009 – 2013

13. Contacts • Jaana Aalto, team leader, responsible for the group, lecturer, special education teacher • Tuula Palomäki-Jägerroos responsible for the group, lecturer, special education teacher • Asta Kohtala, instructor, group pedagogue • Zahid Lotfollahi, instructor in movability and Braille • - Personal instructors • Email in the form: firstname.surname@keskuspuisto.fi • Keskuspuisto Vocational College, Arla unit • Puustellinmäki 4-6, 02650 Espoo, Finland • Tel: +358-9-511081 switchboard