Imagine that you are a teacher or other professional working with ...

[casperchen82]

Imagine that you are a teacher or other professional working with a particular age-group. One of the girls with whom you are working, Alyssa, rarely interacts with her peers. She is obviously quite lonely but apparently has no confidence in her ability to make friends. In three paragraphs, describe three different strategies you might use to help Alyssa acquire good relationships with her peers. For each strategy, describe what you might do in explicit, concrete terms.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Fourteen-year-old Wayne has a history of aggressive behavior toward other students, and so his classmates have kept their distance from him over the years. But Wayne has worked extensively with the school counselor in recent months, and his interpersonal behavior has improved dramatically. Wayne's teachers must remember, however, that:
 
  a. Other students may continue to reject Wayne unless they can be convinced that he has changed.
  b. Wayne's self-esteem regarding his ability to succeed at academic tasks is likely to have decreased in the meantime.
  c. Wayne's aggressive behavior is likely to reappear whenever he is placed in a competitive situation.
  d. Any improvement is likely to be short-lived.

[lorealeza]

Answer to Question 1

Following are examples of strategies described in Chapter 15 (the response should describe and illustrate at least three of them or reasonable alternatives):
- Help Alyssa ease into an ongoing social group (e.g., ask other children if Alyssa can join their game or sociodramatic play).
- Conduct small-group activities in which Alyssa must work closely with one or two other children.
- Ask Alyssa to assist a peer who has a physical disability.
- Identify and address any physical and linguistic barriers to interaction (e.g., if Alyssa is in a wheelchair, she may have difficulty joining groups in the cafeteria, or if she is deaf, her peers may not understand ASL).
- Explicitly teach social skills (e.g., through role-playing activities).
- If Alyssa has a bad reputation as a result of previously inappropriate behavior, put her in situations where her new social skills will be readily apparent to her peers.
- Advocate a general attitude of respect and inclusiveness in the overall social group.
- Be a backup system that provides companionship and emotional support until Alyssa has established friendly, supportive relationships with one or more peers.
Note: Some students may also draw on Chapters 12, 13, and 14 in answering this question. Strategies consistent with recommendations in those chapters should also be given credit.

Answer to Question 2

A

[casperchen82]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it

[mjenn52]

Excellent