Persistent Problem Critique

Teacher 'P' encountered the following problems with a middle school alternative studies student, and handled the situations as described. What might you have done the same or differently?

 Situation  Problem  Teacher response Student response
Class of 34 eigth graders playing builders and bulldozers. Six alternative studies students merely observed from sidelines. 1. Told students they needed to participate at some level in order to participate in volleyball activities later. Four of the six students joined warm-up.
Class began practicing volleyball skills at four stations. Two students still not participating. 2. Told students they could join activities as soon as they practiced tipping cones up and down over in corner. Both students began tipping cones with feet.
    3. Told students to tip cones over and up with hands like everyone else. Both students completed tipping cones over and up with hands.
    4. Told remaining boys to join volleyball Groups 1 and 4, respectively. One boy joined Group 4; the other said he wouldn't join Group 1, but also wanted Group 4.
    5. Said he could join either Group 1 or Group 2, with the same number of players. Still refused; special ed teacher had discussion with him in hall.
Class playing modified volleyball games. One student still not participating. 6. Learned from special ed teacher that the boy had problems with particular peers in Groups 1 and 2; gave student third option of joining Group 3 (but not Group 4). Joined Group 3 without further incident.

Critique

Complement 1: For the first three responses, the teacher was conscientious to hold the off-task students to the same expectations as the rest of the group. Consequently, they were told they could join the ongoing class activities as soon as they fulfilled the prior set of directions. The teacher was also astute in leaving the decision making in the hands of the student, rather than trying to "bully" them into complying. Notice that for the third response, the teacher was careful to disallow partial compliance.

Complement 2:For the fourth response, the teacher disbursed the remaining two students to best even out teams, also separating them because their attitudes potentially impacted the respective teams negatively.

Complement 3:For the fifrth response, the teacher showed some measure of flexibility by allowing a choice of two teams, yet maintaining balance in numbers. This potentially avoided a power struggle.

Complement 4:For the sixth and final response, the teacher showed some additional flexibility by extending thechoice to any of the teams (also Team 3), even if the numbers were not equally balanced. This actually achieved participation from the student with little cost to the teacher or class.