Working Together

This book is an excellent source for teaching how to Synergize.  I love using for students in Grades 1-3 because it offers insight into how to deal with difficult students in a group.  This week in Guidance, I spent the entire 30 minutes, just reading and discussing the book.  Next week, we will use what we learned this week, to practice Synergizing. I feel it's important to let kids practice this skill in a safe way.  Often times, the teachers is so busy making sure the content gets completed in a group, the actual skill of synergizing isn't easy to emphasize, which results in conflicts, power struggles, and misguided groups.  Here are some key points of discussion I used this week when reading this book.




1.  How many of you have ever had to work in a group with people you didn't care for?

2.  Have you ever had any one in your group that was bossy, gross, or not as smart as you?
3.  Sometimes we have students in our group that are not as strong in school as us.  Some even  have a hard a time reading.  We have to make sure we find their strengths, and not leave them out of the group altogether.  R.J.  was so nice when we allowed Richard to trace the poster letters.
4.  Would Norma be good at getting in front of the class and presenting?  (No....she'd just pick her nose and that would give them a bad grade)  We have to make sure we give Norma a job without making her feel bad.  The mummy would be a good job for her, so that she doesn't feel tempted to pick her nose.  (The kids get a kick out of talking so freely about this! LOL)