Scenario Group Research Paper

Scenario Group Project Paper

By Sarah Daley, Amanda Harlow, Anna Allsep, Galen Green, and Mary Elder

Many teachers seeking to engage with and empower youth face the problem of engaging a student who is apathetic towards a necessary assignment. While the teacher may not know the immediate reason for such disinterest, there are many strategies and ways to address the disengaged student. In this paper, we will outline certain steps that we believe can create a lasting resolution to this scenario such as asking, listening, identifying, responding, and following up with the student. By using these steps, the teacher can demonstrate continual support and encouragement that will not only engage the student’s passions and interests for their particular

Often times, there are multiple factors that make it hard for the student to engage; therefore, it is important for the teacher to learn both how the student is feeling and, more importantly, why they are feeling that way in order to create constructive dialogue. As Scales notes in his article entitled, “Adolescent Thriving”, having a strong sense of individual passions, positive relational opportunities, and a sense of empowerment are all indicators of the well being and community engagement of adolescents, so the teacher must learn what the student is passionate about in order to engage with them (Scales 265). The questions outlined in Michael Nichols’ work “Take Your Time-I’m Listening” such as, “what’s the thing you’re most enthusiastic about these days?”,“what dreams and ideas do you have?”,“what is it you want to contribute?” and “what do you love to do and what are you good at doing?” are crucial starting points in the process of learning about the student and his or her passions (Nichols 144). Peter Benson communicates a similar idea in his Ted talk “Sparks: How Youth Thrive.” Here, he discusses the importance of finding “sparks” within the students for them to be on the pathway toward thriving, finding a purpose, engaging, and finding human connection, empathy, and joy in their lives and the things they do. In this approach, seeing the

As Nichols continued to explain, “it isn’t any particular comment or technique that gets people to open up. It’s taking a sincere interest in what they have to say” (Nichols 141). In order to address the situation and positively respond to the student, the teacher needs to listen effectively. According to Nichols yet again, “real listening requires attention, appreciation, and affirmation” (Nichols 139). First, attention means the teacher is willing to set his or her thoughts aside and focus fully on what the student has to say. With attention come sincerity and the suspension of self in order to demonstrate the significance of the student’s thoughts, interests, and experiences. Secondly, appreciation means the teacher should genuinely care about the student’s point of view. If the student senses that the teacher appreciates his or her point of view, then he or she will be more willing to cooperate and hear what the point of view of the teacher. As learned from Dr Brené Brown’s video on empathy, empathy is important to listening and appreciating because the teacher must be willing to understand and relate to where the student is coming from (“Brené Brown on Empathy”). Empathy in listening is not passive; indeed, the