Advice on how to manage potential conflicts in a small group setting?

[Porridge]

Hello,

 

I'm planning to have my 2 kids work with 2 of their friends next year in a series of Creative Writing / Digital Storytelling sessions. I want to foster collaboration and group creativity.  Three of the kids are pretty easy going, flexible. The 4th child (one of my own) sometimes has trouble being flexible and open to other peoples' idea.  This child can get very set on their own ideas and want to run with them, unwilling to compromise once they have a certain plan. Attempts to encourage flexibility may be met with tears, anger, or "I quit."

 

Do you have any advice on how to:

--structure / scaffold the sessions to promote collaboration?

--use specific kinds of language to help redirect the 4th child and encourage flexible thinking?

 

Thank you, Hive!

[Momto6inIN]

How old?

 

My middle schoolers have all done a collaborative video for Math Counts and this last time we had a girl in the group who was somewhat like this. She kept pushing for this one idea even when it was obvious to me that no one else liked the idea and just didn't want to hurt her feelings. I kept mostly hands off on this project, other than emailing our dates to get together and what the goal for each meeting was. But I did intervene in this case just a bit to tell them they needed to make a decision as a group and to remind them that just because they go with one idea over another doesn't mean that they are mad at the person or don't like their idea. I didn't want to intervene too much because kinda the whole point is to let them learn collaborative skills by doing and a little awkwardness is how they learn. But these were 8th graders, not sure what I'd have done if they were younger.

 

Sorry that's not much help, hopefully you'll get some more responses!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J327AZ using Tapatalk

[Porridge]

How old?

 

My middle schoolers have all done a collaborative video for Math Counts and this last time we had a girl in the group who was somewhat like this. She kept pushing for this one idea even when it was obvious to me that no one else liked the idea and just didn't want to hurt her feelings. I kept mostly hands off on this project, other than emailing our dates to get together and what the goal for each meeting was. But I did intervene in this case just a bit to tell them they needed to make a decision as a group and to remind them that just because they go with one idea over another doesn't mean that they are mad at the person or don't like their idea. I didn't want to intervene too much because kinda the whole point is to let them learn collaborative skills by doing and a little awkwardness is how they learn. But these were 8th graders, not sure what I'd have done if they were younger.

 

Sorry that's not much help, hopefully you'll get some more responses!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J327AZ using Tapatalk

Thank you, Momto5 -- DS is 7. 

[nixpix5]

When I have worked with groups of kids like this it isn't uncommon to have 1 or 2 have difficulty with flexibility. It helps to assign positions. Sometimes rigid kids, when given a job title, take it seriously and are more able to let others "do their job" Then you just rotate positions each day or project etc...whatever makes sense.

 

You can also do an anonymous vote for ideas. It helps rigid kiddos not feel like it is personal sometimes this way.

[SoCal_Bear]

Having led a collaborative non-competitive math circle that had students working together on problem solving, I found that it was common with students 8 and under. It was just a maturity issue. It was never about ability. 

I'm sorry I don't have any ideas for you. Usually I asked the parent to bring their child back the following year.

 

EDITED TO ADD:

 

I just remembered that Peaceable Kingdom makes collaborative games. Perhaps that might be a good tool to help her practice working collaboratively?
 

Edited March 20, 2018 by calbear