Personal stress comes to work
I try to use my students in problem solving activities. I occasionally share situations that may be fairly common that someone I know may be facing and allow them to discuss how best to resolve the situation. I use this activity to help them grow in their skills and selfishly use their insights and opinions to help me gain a better understanding of their views. I find this especially helpful when the class gets distracted. It will bring up the energy level for them and for me!
Miriam,
I commend you on a great teaching technique . This allows your students to use critical thinking skells with everyday life examples. A plus is the opportunity for students to contribute in a team oriented solution ownership of the issues.
Dr. Gary Carlson
Hi Miriam,
Can you share an example of an actual situation that you used as an activity?
Darlene,
More than once in my career I was given time to come back with a recommendation to our CEO. This time gave me the opportunity to ponder all the alternatives. Usually after a sense of elimination you come up with the best direction.
Dr. Gary Carlson
We had a horrible student issue in which one of our former students injured her child and was jailed. It was the talk of the school. So my activity was simply to have my students recall the most frightening or stressful event in their lives. They were assigned to write the details of the event on paper as if it were happening to someone else (no emotion) and how they felt during the event (with emotion) then create possible endings for both and the actual ending. The goal was to see first hand how sometimes logical reactions/actions are lost in times of extreme stress and fear. Very eye-opening for the class as it was for me.
Miriam,
Great exercise in teaching classical conditioning due to an event. Each student would be able to utilize a conditional experience which now later results in an unconditional event.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qimlf9YCFeI
Dr. Gary Carlson
