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1.
I wonder if experience versus intelligence is an important factor effecting
one’s ability to solve problems.
2.
I wonder how Binet’s “mental orthopedics” could be
applied in a classroom setting.
3.
I wonder if identifying our students (through correlating activities)
as representational or solution processors would increase their performance
in specific intellectual tasks.
4.
I wonder if problem solving would be more effective if educators focused
more on heuristics than a final product as Polya proposed.
5.
I wonder if it is our duty as educators to teach academic and social
problem solving. Or is it the parents’ role to teach their children
how to solve problems that may arise outside of school. I teach an
eighth grade advisory (or homeroom class) and find that parents would
rather teach their children about how to deal with a bully or how to
settle a fight with a friend. Although these are issues that occur
in many situations especially at school, some parents would encourage
behavior that is not appropriate for school and do not like that their
children are being taught conflicting lessons. For example, some parents
teach their children to fight back in defense if needed, but at school
the justification of self-defense will not erase the consequences.
I would rather teach about how to remove yourself from escalating situations.
6.
I wonder why many schools do not offer specific courses geared toward
problem solving. The school that I work at offers a Study Skills class
which addresses some instruction designed around problem solving and
many teachers work it into their curriculum, but I feel that there
is a demand for a Life Skills class that entirely addresses problem
solving.
7.
I wonder how many students learn about problem solving by simply observing
it around them.
8.
I wonder how much frequency (how often, how long) of exposure to direct
lessons on problem solving activities influence transfer.
9.
I wonder if varying instructional strategies such as encouraging self-discovery
versus direct instruction influence transfer.
10.
I wonder if the Productive Thinking Program is still used today. I
noticed that the program was designed in the seventies and feel that
there are different needs regarding problem solving that have emerged
since then. Are there other programs that have replaced it? Has it
been updated?
11.
I wonder if Instructional Enrichment helps students with attention
deficits and/or behavioral issues (a population of students who really
need this type of instruction).
12.
I wonder what kinds of contexts and content are used in problem-solving
courses. The examples provided in book did not portray “real-life” situations.
13.
I wonder how much social factors influence students’ reactions
to solving a problem rather than their actual knowledge. Working with
middle school students I always see students make poor decisions simply
to satisfy their peers. Does this behavior continue beyond the school
setting? What can we do as educators to encourage students to think
for themselves?
14.
I wonder how advancements in technology have effected problem solving.
15.
I wonder how technology can promote better problem solving skills.
Wolfgang
~ Chapter 4:
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I wonder if the same results are seen with positive discipline
in non-traditional classrooms. I teach in a computer lab, which
is very different from a regular classroom setting.
2.
I wonder how Jones’ discipline model works when the student
rather than the teacher is having a fight or flight response.
3.
I wonder if positive disciple is effective with LD or BD students.
4.
I wonder if overall class time in the middle school setting
where classes are about 40-50 minutes changes the perception
of what is coined as nickel-and dime misbehaviors. With less
class time these minor incidents have more effect on the class.
5.
Body language is such a significant part of the positive discipline
model, especially the limiting setting portion. I wonder how
these strategies differ with different aged students.
6.
I wonder if practicing yoga or meditation would help one become
a better facilitator of positive discipline.
7.
I wonder how differing parenting styles may effect how the
students respond to positive discipline. I have found that
some students thrive on different types of attention that conflict
with those outlined in the positive discipline model.
8.
I wonder if other physical proximities work in this model.
Teaching in a small computer lab makes it difficult to implement
some of the strategies.
9.
I wonder how long it takes to complete all of the steps in
limit setting when dealing with typical or common classroom
issues.
10.
I wonder how effective positive discipline works with repeat
offenders (the students that are always in trouble).
11.
I wonder how a student who simply isn’t phased by social
pressures would become motivated to work towards the incentives.
Would you hold that one student’s actions against the
rest of the class? How would you justify that to the other
students?
12.
I wonder how often PAT should be planned and for how long.
13.
I wonder if discussing one particular student’s behavior
with the class as part of omission training is harmful and
demeaning. I feel that keeping the issue private with the student
would lessen the “hero” ego.
14.
I wonder if changes within the classroom structure are good
or bad. I like to try new things all of the time, however I
always stick with the same rules and consequences.
15.
I wonder how positive discipline would work outside of the
classroom or with adults.
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Wolfgang
~ Chapter 7:
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1.
I wonder if Mr. Garcia missed the boat with disciplining Ronald
when he disregarded a blatant dress code violation.
2.
Occasionally students who are typically well mannered and behaved
will act out. I wonder if they are modeling behavior of others
because they do not know how to communicate their inner frustrations
not because they are looking for attention, power and control,
revenge, and/or helplessness.
3.
I wonder if how visits are still considered an effective and/or
appropriate measure. I personally could never imagine going to
the home of a student. I would call, send a letter, request a
conference at the school, or refer to other resources (administrators,
social workers, etc.), but would never go to their homes.
4.
I wonder if in middle or high school a social worker or mentor
would be able to assist a student through some of the steps of
this discipline model. I teach 40-minute class periods for only
twelve short weeks and I could easily see how this process would
be beneficial yet incredibly time consuming.
5.
I wonder if Ronald would realize that his behavior is undesirable
to those around him through the class meeting. Perhaps his behavior
would seize in this type of informal yet confrontational setting.
6. “A
natural consequence is an inevitable occurrence that happens
by itself, whereas a logical consequence is arranged but directly
related to the proceeding behavior,” according to Wolfgang.
I wonder if these types of consequences work for all students.
If not what steps should occur next. I believe that just as every
student learns in different ways, they often need to be disciplined
differently. Children are influenced greatly by their families
and in my experiences with children the effectiveness of discipline
is often related to the methods that are used at home.
7.
I wonder if parents would approve of classroom meetings if their
child’s behavior were the main topic.
8.
Glasser provides suggestions for getting all students to participate
in classroom meetings. I wonder how Dreikurs and Nelson would
ensure that all students are actively involved.
9.
I wonder if every class has an “outside aggressor.” If
not would one surface over time? It seems like I have had classes
that start off problem free, but I think I students settle in,
social status change, and issues occur at home it almost always
seems that an “outside aggressor” appears. Is this
related to adolescents? Developing social skills? Human nature?
Can we create a classroom environment that prevents an “outside
aggressor” from existing?
10.
Glasser’s model relies on recognizing one’s strengths
in order to lift their weaknesses. I wonder how Dreikurs’s
model could employ this method. Would it move one closer to the
desired behavior sooner?
Wolfgang
~ Chapter 8:
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1. I
wonder if the situation involving Sophia and Doug was permanently
solved. I had a situation of this nature occur
in my classroom and after dealing with the situation almost
exactly as outlined by Glasser. However, after discussing
the incident with the members of my team I was informed
by another teacher that the same behavior was repeated
the next day in her class.
2.
Glasser believes that “each individual is responsible
for his own actions and, regardless of how disturbed or
dependent he claims to be, each person must bear the consequences
of his own behavior and make a commitment to act in a responsible
manner towards others.” I wonder what happens in
situations where no consequences exist or those that exist
or not appropriate.
3.
I wonder how providing care and warmth toward an individual
who needs guidance with discipline issues can establish
that type of relationship without appearing phony and superficial.
4.
I wonder if students exposed to Deming’s Theory X
would possess unique qualities or would we have a society
of repressed clones.
5.
I wonder how many individuals would prefer to work in a
Type Z environment. What type are most jobs categorized
as?
6.
I wonder how behavior can be consistently reinforced in
a middle school setting. Our school is divided into teams
and this helps significantly to recognize and extinguish
problem behaviors. We have even established “non-negotiable
rules,” but students and staff do not follow many
of these rules with little or no consequences. It is very
frustrating for those of us who put a lot of effort into
creating a safe and enjoyable learning environment.
7.
Glasser believes that a child’s parents need not
be involved unless out-of-school isolation is necessary.
According to the text, “The student’s problem
is in school, and it is the school’s responsibility
to handle it.” I wonder if increased communication
between parents and educators would result in better discipline
actions and parental support.
8.
I wonder how often classroom meetings should be conducted.
It doesn’t seem like classroom meetings should be
held if a specific problem occurs. I talk with my classes
all of the time about bullying, making good decisions,
and the value of education. These topics are dealt by my
students everyday and it is nice to provide guidance and
allow the students to voice their questions, concerns,
and thoughts.
9.
I wonder if classroom meetings work with large groups.
This year our team (all145 students and 8 teachers) decided
to meet every other Monday to discuss upcoming events,
behavioral issues, and student concerns. Each meeting we
had an agenda and our students sat within their advisory
classes with their advisor. Each advisory even nominated
a spokesperson. However, we didn’t have much luck
with keeping the students focused and involved. After several
meetings we decided to conduct these meetings separately
in each advisory class. Was it the problem the size of
the group? Inadequate guidance from the teachers? Lack
of student interest?
10.
I wonder how technology can help facilitate classroom meetings.
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