Safety, Education and Business discussion web log for the Gymnastics Professional.

 
The following article appeared in the October Elite Gymnastics Journal.

THE FIVE-STEP APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING
By Michael A. Taylor

“Suffer not to teach a child; … knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind."
-- Plato (427? - 347? B. C.) [The Republic Book VII. 536]

Scenario: Two four-year old children run to get a yellow hula-hoop. They reach it simultaneously and start pulling on it, yelling “MINE!” One child starts stepping in front of the other child to block them from the hoop. OK teacher, how do you handle this?

If there is a safety concern (i.e. the children begin to push or shove) it may be necessary to physically intervene immediately. However, you have just been presented with a very important “teachable moment” that could benefit everyone involved – you, the two children involved as well as the children and parents observing the situation. Resist the impulse to get involved and resolve the situation for the children. Provide them with guidance only when necessary. Remember that our ultimate goal is to help the children learn how to take care of themselves – give them the opportunity to figure things out for themselves! Follow these 5 steps to resolve conflict:

1. Approach:
- Close enough to intervene if necessary
- You’ve signaled your awareness and availability

At this point we hope the children will be able to resolve the situation to their mutual satisfaction. If there is no further conflict, if the children are able to resolve the issue themselves, no further action is necessary. If the children are not able to reach a mutually acceptable solution, it may be necessary to help them understand their feelings. Give them the tools to articulate what they are going through…

2. Define the Problem:
- Describe the scene
- Reflect what the children have said
- NO JUDGMENTS, NO VALUES, NO SOLUTIONS
“It looks like you both want the yellow hoop.”
“I see you are yelling at each other and are angry.”

If the children are still not able to reach a mutually acceptable solution, it may be necessary to ask more questions in order to help them get to the root of the problem and to understand their emotions…

3. Gather Data:
- Not directed toward pinpointing blame or fault.
- Drawing out details, defining problems.
- Help children communicate vs. slugging it out:
“How did this happen?”
“What do you want to tell her?”
“How could you solve this problem?”
“How could you use it without fighting?”

If the children are still involved in conflict, it may be necessary to provide a little direction without solving the problem for them…

4. Generate Alternatives:
- Give children the job of thinking and figuring out what they are going to do to solve their problem.
- Be there to facilitate:
“How are we going to solve this problem?”
- Agree on a solution;
- For example, they might say:
“We could take turns.”
“That’s OK, she was there first, – I will use a red hoop.”
“We could both use it together.”
“We could both do something else.””
“No one could use it.”
- Some of the things that the children come up with would never occur to us but will work well for them.
- For example, they might say:
“We could count to three and then switch using it.”

If there is still no resolution, if the children have not been able to solve their own problem, it may require that the teacher become more actively involved…

5. Follow Through Physically:
- Model appropriate behavior.
- Narrate the model behavior.
- BOTTOM LINE GOAL is to resolve the social conflict.
- Last resort is to solve the problem if they can’t:
“It looks like this is too hard for you two to figure out. This is what we‘ll do…”

Remember to always start with as little intervention as the children need. The goal is to maximize the SELF-resolution. Don’t “give a 5” (Follow Through Physically) when a 1 (Approach) or a 2 (Define Problem) will do. So what do we accomplish when we learn good conflict resolutions skills? Some of the assets that have been identified are: creativity, empathy, appropriate assertiveness, cooperation, emotion management, negotiation skills, and appreciation of diversity.

Gym owners/directors can use these conflict resolution skills just as effectively with problems that occur between staff members. Empower your employees to solve their own problems.
posted by Michael at 9:32 PM

 
EXERCISE WITH YOUR CHILD!

In these busy times when it is so difficult to find the time to take care of your own fitness needs, why not try to “kill two birds with one stone?”
EXERCISING with your child can be lots of fun and teach your youngster many valuable lessons… the importance of good health habits and the enjoyment of movement as well as the sharing involved. You can set a good example for your child with a regular exercise program and fitness oriented activities.

Some great ideas for working-out with your child include using a jog stroller, baby backpack, or bike seat. Another good idea is to dance; turn on some music and just start running around and jumping and MOVE! Go for a walk together with your kids. Play tag with your children; kick a soccer ball, jump rope, play catch.

One other good option is joining a regular parent/child exercise or athletic class. Sign up for a Gymnastics class or a Martial Arts class together. Go to the pool and swim some laps together. Whatever you decide, like the commercial says, just do it!
posted by Michael at 8:41 AM

 
The Coach's Role

Young people today, more than ever, need adults who can help them grow into strong healthy, caring, productive young people. Adults do this by teaching youth positive skills, attitudes and behaviors called "developmental assets." Just as financial assets allow a person to weather difficult times and to plan for a positive future, "developmental assets" provide the emotional resources youth need to avoid problems and to be successful. Research by the Search Institute (Copyright © 1996 by Search Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota; 1-800-888-7828. All rights reserved) has identified 40 assets that are essential for youth to blossom into productive citizens. The more assets a young person has, the more likely he or she is to succeed in school, stay healthy, and volunteer in the community. The fewer assets available to a youth, the more likely he or she is to try alcohol or drugs, commit a crime, or do poorly in school. Parents, teachers, coaches, faith communities, business leaders, everyone, can help build assets in our youth. In fact, we need everyone to work together to create the kind of community where all youth thrive.

Coaches have a unique and powerful role to play in building assets in young people. They can be the adults to whom youth turn for advice. They can model responsible, caring interactions with others. They can motivate youth to achieve new goals. A coach can make all the difference in the world to a young person...especially a young person who doesn't have many assets to begin with.

TEN WAYS COACHES CAN BUILD ASSETS EVERY DAY

1. Ask Youth for their ideas and listen, really listen, to their responses.
2. Give youth tasks and responsibilities they can handle.
3. Tell a youth what he or she is doing right twice as often as you point out mistakes.
4. Talk to players, other coaches, parents and officials with respect.
5. Show interest in youth beyond what he or she can do on the playing field/court.
6. Set consistent and realistic expectations for behavior.
7. Demonstrate fairness and honesty in how players are treated.
8. Help youth learn from losses by focusing on what they can each do to improve.
9. Talk with parents about how their child is doing and how they can support him or her.
10. Give youth a chance to make decisions.
posted by Michael at 9:52 PM

 
Welcome to the Gym.Net Gymnastics web log for Safety, Education and Business discussion relating to the Gymnastics industry.
posted by Michael at 8:00 PM