Question:

The lonely Maytag behavior specialist had no questions this month, so she reenacted a scene from her past incarnation as a third grade teacher

A Short Story....

Recess is over and the class tumbles in. As you go out to pick up your class, four or five students dash out of line to implore your intercession. (You notice that none of the students in Ms. Worthington or Mr. Justice's classes have students leaving the line.)

"Ms. Splat, we were playing Four-Square and Joseph took the ball and threw it so we couldn't even get it."

"Yeah, well, Jennifer was out and she wouldn't stop playing and let me have my turn. I kept telling them she was out but no one would listen to me. They always let Jennifer get away with breaking the rules."

"The ball wasn't out. Anyway, it's none of Joseph's business. The people playing decide what's out. He couldn't even see from where he was. He just wanted a turn."

Answer:

Sound familiar? Tattling is like a cold: all kids get it and it spreads. What to do? Problem Solving Strategies to the rescue.

Problem Solving, not to be confused with strategies for math or critical thinking, is a form of cognitive behavior modification that helps children learn to control their impulses and use self-talk to modify their own behavior. All Problem Solving strategies have more or less the same steps:

SIDES is an acronym for these steps:

Here's how it would work with Joseph, the ball thrower.

S Stop and think before acting - STOP and THINK, a BIG improvement

I Identify the problem - The kids think I'm out but I don't think they're being fair

D Develop alternative solutions -

• I could throw the ball where no one can get it
• I could hold the ball and ask them to talk about it
• I could call over the teacher on duty
• I could wait for another turn and talk about it when we go inside

E Evaluate the consequences of possible solutions

• Everyone will be mad at me and tell Ms. Splat
• They'll all start yelling, "Joseph, give us the ball or we'll tell."
• By the time I get her over here, recess will be over and they'll call me "Tattletale."
• I might get to play again, they won't be mad, and Ms. Splat will make sure they listen to me.

S Select and implement a solution - The last one sounds the best

(From Robinson, T.R. II & Smith, S.W. (1997) Cognitive behavior modification. Intervention in school and clinic, 33, 1, 63 - 64.)

 

Problem solving techniques are learned most effectively when the teacher explains it to the whole class and then they practice it regularly. There are packaged programs for sale but below are some ways to try it informally that have had good results for many teachers.

Please remember: it won't work unless you

• teach it (til they know it)
• role play it (til they show it)
• require it (make 'em use it)
• model it (show 'em that you choose it)

For young children or students with limited language and cognition:

3 Step Procedure: when someone is bothering you, here is what you do:

• Say: "Stop. I don't like that."
• If they continue to bother you, try to ignore them or walk away if you can.
• If you did step 1 & 2 and they are still bothering you, tell an adult.

(From Schmid, R.E. (1998) Three steps to self-discipline. Teaching exceptional children Mar/Apr 36-39.)

 

Thomas Gordon, in both his Teacher Effectiveness & Parent Effectiveness Training programs (T.E.T. & P.E.T.), discusses the concept of problem ownership. Frequently, when children are having a problem, they either bring it to an adult to solve for them and/or the adult "steps in" uninvited. In doing so the adult has assumed ownership of the problem. When the adult makes an independent judgment, it usually results in a win-lose situation. One child gets what he/she wants, one child doesn't. By guiding children through a series of problem solving steps, however, the adult can teach students how to solve their own disputes and make good decisions so that solutions are win-win.

Step 1: Identify and define the problem or situation. Good solutions depend on accurate identification of the problem at hand. Questions that should be asked at the beginning include "What is really going on here?" "What problems are we having?' "What exactly do we need to solve or do?" and "is there another deeper problem here?"

Step 2: Generate alternatives. Once the problem is clarified a number of possible solutions should be generated. To help bring forth ideas, questions and statements such as the following are usually helpful: "What can we do differently?" What rules or procedures do we need to follow?" "Let's see how many ideas we can come up with." and "Are there still more solutions we can think of?"

Step 3: Evaluate the alternative suggestions. When alternatives have been specified, participants are asked to comment on them. The goal is to choose a solution that is agreeable to all. It is appropriate to ask for each proposal, "What do you think of this suggestion?" "What are its advantages and disadvantages?" "What problems does it leave unsolved?" and "if we try this idea, what do you think will happen?"

Step 4: Make the decision. After examining the alternatives, the one that seems to suit most people best is selected for trial.

Step 5: Implement the solution or decision. The trial solution is put into place with the understanding that it may or may not work as anticipated and that it can be changed if necessary.

Step 6: Conduct a follow-up evaluation. The results of the trial solution or decision are analyzed and evaluated. Helpful questions include "Was this a good decision?" "Did it solve the problem?" "Is everyone happy with the decision" and "How effective was our decision?" If the solution is judged to be satisfactory, it is kept in place. If unsatisfactory, a modified or new solution is proposed and put to the test.

From Dr Max's Website: http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/pub/eres/EDSPC715_MCINTYRE/ProblemSolving.html

 

Ideally, your school also has a unified discipline procedure that is used school-wide so that expectations for recess behavior are consistent for all students. Many such programs exist; one example is White, R. (1996) Unified discipline. In B. Algozzine (ed.) Problem behavior management: An educator's resource service (pp. 11:28 - 11:36). Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen; but any approach is fine as long as it provides a consistently implemented plan that teaches and reinforces positive behavior while providing correction procedures for antisocial behavior.

In the long run, the time it takes to teach and practice the problem solving procedure you choose will pay off with fewer incidents in the future and with developing students' ability to manage their own behavior. And don't forget, write to me!