Freedom to Learn

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A Non-coersive Solution

Art walked into a classroom and noticed a teacher trying to get a three year old girl to join the group for calendar time. The girl dropped to the floor and refused to budge. The young teacher was unsure of what to do. The teacher knew that if she walked away the girl would run out of the classroom, thus creating an even bigger problem. Art stepped in to help. Because the girl was new to the program, he could not rely on his relationship with the girl to solve the problem. In these instances, if a teacher tries to physically coerce the girl to join the group there is a chance the girl could be injured, making this the an untenable choice. If a teacher attempts to verbally coerce the girl, the teacher will damage her chance to teach the girl for days to come. (See chapter Two of Freedom to Learn.) However, if the girl will voluntarily join the group, the teacher will be able to accomplish a major step in teaching her to be an outstanding student. (Chapter Five) Art stepped in to help the teacher and chose a special technique to get the child to voluntarily come to calendar time. He had a boy in the group to come see him for a minute and asked the boy, “Would you walk around the table with me?” The boy agreed and was praised for his cooperation. Before they had walked three steps the girl had jumped up and came to walk with them. After walking around the table, they walked to the calendar area. The immediate problem was solved, but more importantly, the girl was behaving appropriately and such behavior could be strengthened.