QUICK DRAW
PARTNER A: DRAW A SLIP OF PAPER FROM THE BASKET. THE PAPER
WILL GIVE YOU A CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR FROM A STUDENT. LIST AS MANY APPROPRIATE TEACHER RESPONSES TO THIS BEHAVIOR
AS YOU CAN IN 30 SECONDS.
PARTNER B: TIME PARTNER A, LIMITING RESPONSE TIME TO 30
SECONDS. IF PARTNER A GETS STUCK,
OPEN SUGGESION SHEET FOR IDEAS.
GIVE PARTNER A FEEDBACK ON THEIR IDEAS.
BEHAVIOR:
Rambling -- wandering around and off the subject, using far-fetched
examples or analogies.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Refocus attention by restating relevant point. Direct questions to group that is back
on the subject. Ask student how they
see their topic relating to current topic being discussed. Use visual aids, begin to write on
board. Say: "Would you summarize
your main point please?" or "Are you asking...?"
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BEHAVIOR:
Shyness or Silence -- lack of participation.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Change teaching strategies from group discussion to
individual written exercises or an activity. Give strong positive reinforcement for any
contribution. Involve by directly
asking him/her a question. Make
eye contact and smile. Appoint to
be small group leader.
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BEHAVIOR:
Talkativeness -- knowing everything, manipulation, chronic whining.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Acknowledge comments made. Give limited time to express viewpoint or feelings, and then
move on (OK, we'll all whine for the next 30 seconds, then there is a
moratorium on whining!). Make eye
contact with another participant and move toward that person. Give the person individual attention
during breaks. Say: "That's
an interesting point. Now let's see what other other people think."
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BEHAVIOR:
Sharpshooting -- trying to shoot you down or trip you up.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Admit that you do not know the answer and redirect the
question the group or the individual who asked it. Acknowledge that this is a joint learning experience. Ignore the behavior.
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BEHAVIOR:
Heckling/Arguing -- disagreeing with everything you say; making personal
attacks.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Redirect question to group or supportive individuals. Recognize participant's feelings and
move on. Acknowledge positive
points. Say: "I appreciate
your comments, but I'd like to hear from others," or "It looks like
we disagree."
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BEHAVIOR:
Grandstanding -- getting caught up in one's own agenda or thoughts to
the detriment of other learners.
POSSIBLE
RESPONSES: Say: "You are
entitled to your opinion, belief or feelings, but now it's time we moved on to
the next subject," or "Can you restate that as a question?" or
"I'd like to hear more about that as we hike."
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BEHAVIOR:
Overt Hostility/Resistance -- angry, belligerent, combative
behavior.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Hostility can be a mask for fear. Reframe hostility as fear
to depersonalize it. Respond to
fear, not hostility. Remain calm
and polite. Keep your temper in check.
Don't disagree, but build on or around what has been said. Move closer to the hostile person,
maintain eye contact. Always allow
him or her a way to gracefully retreat from the confrontation. Say: "You seem really angry. Does
anyone else feel this way?" Solicit peer pressure. Do not accept the premise or underlying
assumption, if it is false or prejudicial, e.g., "If by "queer"
you mean homosexual..." Allow
individual to solve the problem being addressed. He or she may not be able to
offer solutions and will sometimes undermine his or her own position. Ignore behavior. Talk to him or her privately during a
break. Try to build positive
rapport with student and acknowledge positive contributions. As a last resort,
privately ask the individual to leave class for the good of the group and have
adult escort them away.
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BEHAVIOR:
Whining -- may be legitimate complaining.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Point out that we can't change conditions here. Validate his/her point and effort made
thus far. Indicate you'll discuss
the problem with the participant privately. Indicate time pressure.
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BEHAVIOR:
Side Conversations -- may be related to subject or personal, distracts
group members and you.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES: Don't embarrass talkers. Ask their opinion on topic being discussed. Ask talkers if they would like to share
their ideas about the topic being discussed. Casually move toward those talking. Make eye contact with them. Smile and wink to catch their
attention. Standing near the
talkers, ask a near-by participant a question so that the new discussion is
near the talkers. As a last
resort, stop and wait.
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(print
and cut out individual behaviors below and place in basket for Òquick drawÓ)
BEHAVIOR:
Rambling -- wandering around and off the subject. Using far-fetched
examples or analogies.
BEHAVIOR:
Shyness or Silence -- lack of participation.
BEHAVIOR:
Talkativeness -- knowing everything, manipulation, chronic whining.
BEHAVIOR:
Sharpshooting -- trying to shoot you down or trip you up.
BEHAVIOR:
Heckling/Arguing -- disagreeing with everything you say; making personal
attacks.
BEHAVIOR:
Grandstanding -- getting caught up in one's own agenda or thoughts,
distracting other learners.
BEHAVIOR:
Overt Hostility/Resistance -- angry, belligerent, combative
behavior.