Of course school is school and work is work but I also think that it is very important that we "simulate" the job site whenever we can.
I have been in similar situations. Sometimes it takes an instructor to persuade that student to work independantly, maybe move their seat. I encourage my students to be the leaders in their own life and education. Make class time their time to grow, and reach their goals.
I agree with what others have said - this is a problem we all encounter as instructors. My class is always in a state of work groups. I split them up once every 5 weeks. It's facinating to see how the class dynamics change. I also preach something my father said to me as a child: Until the day you retire, you eill work with people you don't like. Use now as a time to develop skills to overcome those situations so it is old-hat by the time you graduate.
Hi April,
Good advice from your father. Many of our students miss this part of their career training. They need to have strong people skills so they can work with diverse groups toward a common goal. You are helping them to do such with your work groups. Good strategy for getting them immersed in people skill development.
Gary
Place the two students in 2 groups that are in opposing positions. Let them do case analyses.
After all, this will help prepare them on how to handle similar situations in the professional working world.
This is so true. I teach culinary and one of the topics I discuss with the students on the first day is that team work is essential in our industry thus they need to learn how to work with others in a professional manner by being respectful and tolerant. You will always have a situation at work where you might dislike a person because of personal reasons but when it comes to work you must get the job done so you have to get over it. So I tell them that if they are having issues with a classmate I expect them to resolve it among themselves first before getting me involved.
In fact two weeks ago I witnessed how two students had a disagreement, they discussed it in a frindly manner and then reached to to an agreement. I approached them after they had finished their lab and congratulated them on their behavior.
So, in a way we as instructors are also responsible for teaching our students to overcome these challenges.
Brenda,
Thank you for sharing this example with us. You are right about the need to be able to work with others in the real world. We all know it but sometimes our students seem to forget this important principle. The more they can practice it the better their success rate is going to be.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I suggest talking to the student one at a time outside of classroom is a correct way of dealing with this issue. As we know, students need to be more aware and should be given the chance to be part of their own learning.
