Paraeducator Supervision Academy

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Paraeducator Supervision Academy
Presented by Your name here Your affiliation
here Your contact information here
Created by Nancy K. French, Ph.D. Associate
Research Professor The University of Colorado at
Denver Director, The PAR2A Center1380 Lawrence
Street, Suite 650Denver, CO 80204-2076Email
nancy.french_at_cudenver.eduPhone
303-556-6464FAX [phone] Website
www.paracenter.org
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Job Titles

• Para means along side of
• Most commonly used titles
• Paraprofessional
• Instructional Assistant
• Educational Assistant
• Teaching Assistant
• Instructional Aide
• Aide
• Paraeducator

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Definitions

• A paraeducator provides instructional services to
  students
• and
• works under the supervision or direction of a
  certified or licensed professional who is
  ultimately responsible for the students and the
  program.

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Paraeducators Who are they?

• Activity
• Think about the paraeducators you work with.
• How old are they?
• How much money do they make?
• What are their educational backgrounds?
• What other characteristics are true of them?
• Where did they come from? How were they hired?
• What implications do these characteristics have
  for what we, as professionals, do to direct their
  work?

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Who are Paraeducators?

• Gender
• 97 female
• Experience / Training
• gt 10 years experience
• no formal training
• Median Age
• 40
• Work Schedules
• Range from 12-15 hours per week to 37 hours per
  week
• 60 work full time, 40 part time

• Education
• College degrees - 10
• Some College - 50
• Salaries
• Hourly, benefits some places, none in others
• Higher in urban areas, but generally the lowest
  in the district
• Racial Characteristics
• African-American and Latino heritage highly
  represented among paraeducators, but not among
  teachers

6
Contributions of Paraprofessionals

• Activity With a partner jot down several
  possible answers to one of the following
  questions
• What contributions do we expect paraeducators to
  make to the educational process ?
• Why do we employ paraeducators in schools?

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Top 10 Reasons To Employ Paraeducators

1. Complex student population
2. Need for instructional support
3. Cost effectiveness
4. Instructional effectiveness
5. Community connections
6. Individualized support
7. Need to provide related services
8. Improved teacher-student ratio
9. Shortages of fully-qualified professionals
10. Legislation allows/ requires it

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1997 IDEA Amendments

• Part B, Section 612 (a) (15) - Personnel
  Standards
• State agency establishes and maintains standards
  to assure that all personnel are adequately and
  appropriately trained.
• Paraprofessionals who are adequately trained and
  supervised may assist in the delivery of special
  education and related services.

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Case Law Pertaining to 1997 IDEA Amendments

• Paraeducator services must be provided to
  students with disabilities (including 11
  services) if such services are necessary for a
  student to receive a free appropriate public
  education (FAPE).
• Legal decisions have indicated that the
  individualized education plan (IEP) team holds
  the responsibility to make the determination
  whether a paraeducator is necessary for a free
  appropriate public education.
• Schools must provide related services required
  to assist students with disabilities to benefit
  from special education.
• Related services may include health care,
  therapy, psychological services according to the
  individual needs of students.

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No Child Left Behind Act of 2002

• Title I specifies that paraprofessionals must
  have
• Two years of college, or
• An associates degree, or
• Pass a rigorous assessment of skills equivalent
  to two years of college, AND
• Demonstrate the ability to assist in literacy and
  math instruction
• Must work under direct supervision of fully
  qualified teacher
• May only provide instruction if it doesnt
  prevent the child from receiving instruction by a
  teacher
• Job duties are limited to
• individual tutoring

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Liability

• Activity
• Discuss with a partner what the word liability
  means to you
• Jot down three words that relate to issues of
  reliability

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Liability Paraprofessional Responsibilities

• Understand and apply written safety procedures
• Carry out and support all classroom rules,
  routines, procedures
• Use prudent judgment relative to the safety and
  welfare of students
• Implement the written instructional, curricular
  and adaptations plan as directed
• Take data, keep appropriate records and
  documentation
• Communicate observations, insights, or
  information about students to professionals
• Be aware of and heed the physical, behavioral,
  emotional, and educational needs of students that
  may affect their safety and welfare

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Liability Supervising Professional Responsibility

• Review procedures and policies that protect
  student safety and welfare.
• Orient paraeducator to classroom rules, routines,
  procedures and practices
• Determine risks and limitations for students
• Provide written plans
• Maintain a record keeping system
• Use effective adult communications
• Review confidential information that may affect
  student safety or welfare

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Liability Administrator Responsibilities

• Develop and disseminate written safety procedures
  and policies for all types of instructional
  programming
• Provide district level and building level
  orientation to new and returning paraeducators
• Provide appropriate ongoing, systematic
  in-service training to all those who carry out
  the instructional program
• Establish an environment that supports effective
  interpersonal communication and teamwork among
  team members
• Provide mentoring and guidance to professionals
  who supervise paraeducators

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Potential Problems One-to-one dedicated
paraprofessionals

• Become the primary service provider
• Lack specific training on purposes of inclusion
• Lack supervision
• Develop ownership of the child
• Communicate directly with families, leaving
  teacher out
• Foster overdependence on adults
• Create learned helplessness
• Fail to provide specific behavioral or academic
  data to professional
• Relieve general ed teachers of responsibility for
  student
• Give student the answers
• Create social barriers between students
• Lose perspective

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Potential Problems Title I Paraeducators

• Are inadequately or poorly trained
• Have inadequate supervision from qualified
  reading teachers
• Pull students out of class- limiting time with
  teacher
• Become primary service provider for certain
  students
• Assume responsibilities of teachers
• Use poor grammar / lack literacy math skills
• Use inappropriate teaching methods

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Potential Problems ESL / Bilingual
Paraeducators

• Lack training in ESL and instructional methods,
  language acquisition, behavior management, etc.
• Have inadequate supervision from fully qualified
  teachers or administrators
• Assume full responsibility for teaching ELLs
• Plan lessons
• Assess language competence, academic progress
• Provide concurrent translation during English
  instruction
• Relieve classroom teacher of responsibility for
  instructing ELLs Become primary liaison with
  families, leaving teacher out
• Create overdependence and learned helplessness
• Become social barriers between native English
  speakers and ELLs

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Potential Problems Library Media
Paraeducators

• Lack preparation in the breadth of the curriculum
  
• Lack preparation for teaching students to conduct
  research, use media to its fullest potential,
  select materials wisely etc.
• Assume full responsibility for the collection
• Lack supervision from fully qualified L-M
  specialist
• Fail to provide appropriate curricular support to
  teachers

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Potential Problems Classroom paraeducators

• Hired with no minimum qualifications or prior
  training
• Lack appropriate training in curriculum,
  instruction, behavior management, classroom
  organization
• Lack appropriate direction or guidance from
  teacher
• Teachers feel threatened by the presence of
  another adult in the room
• Become sole service provider for certain students
• Perform only clerical work

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Shifting Roles

• Professional Status and Supervision
• the changing role of the teacher signifies a
  shift toward a more professional status for
  teachers
• Teacher As Executive
• Classrooms are workplaces and the person who runs
  the workplace must perform a number of executive
  functions
• Teachers must assure completion of and remain
  accountable for their five primary
  responsibilities
• Principals and District Administrators
• As teacher roles shift, so do the roles of
  administrators who become chief executives,
  coordinating, coaching and guiding the work of
  multiple executives who supervise paraeducators

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Professions

•  Professions are characterized by the following
  attributes
• The obligations of service to others, as in a
  "calling"
• Understanding of a scholarly or theoretical kind
• A domain of skilled performance or practice
• The exercise of judgment
• The need for learning from experience as theory
  and practice interact
• A professional community to monitor quality and
  aggregate knowledge
•  Shulman, L. (1998) Elementary School Journal,,
  98(5), p. 516

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Ethical Considerations

• Preparation
• Consider paraeducator competencies and skills
• Consider paraeducator preferences and confidence
• When you cant provide training, finding someone
  who can, or a class the paraeducator can take
• Scope of Responsibility
• Consider whether the task is legitimately within
  paraeducator scope of responsibility
• Direction
• Written plans, meetings, task monitoring,
  coaching of skills
• Professional maintains responsibility for student
  outcomes

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Professional Responsibilities

• Planning
• curriculum and instruction for students
• Assessment
• for program eligibility and for ongoing progress
  monitoring
• Instruction
• teaching or causing instruction to happen
• Collaboration
• with other professionals and families
• Supervision
• characterized by seven functions

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Working Smarter Not Harder

• Delineation of Roles and Responsibilities
• Consideration 1 Legislation
• Consideration 2 Liability
• Consideration 3 Ethics
• Scheduling / Improving Time Use
• Sphere of influence
• Self-Management

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Paraeducator Responsibility Categories

• Instruction
• Data collection / reporting
• Activity preparation / follow-up
• Team participation / membership
• Clerical work
• Ethical practice
• Supervision of groups of students
• Health / personal related services
• Other tasks (assigned in accordance with legal,
  liability, ethical considerations)

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Executive Functions of Paraeducator Supervision

1. Providing Orientation
2. Planning
3. Scheduling
4. Delegating
5. Training
6. Monitoring task performance
7. Managing the workplace

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Providing Orientation

• Stage 1 Get Acquainted
• Introductions
• Policy and Procedure Orientation
• Confidentiality

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Providing Orientation

• Stage 2 - Establish The Supervisory Relationship
• Structured Initial Conversation (next slide)
• Work Style / Preferences Analysis
• Defining the Job
• Job definition step 1 Create Master List of
  Tasks Duties
• Job definition step 2 Determine Paraeducator
  Skills
• Job definition step 3 needs vs. preferences"
  analysis
• Job definition step 4 - create Personalized Job
  Description
• Job definition step 5 - list Training Needs

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Structured Initial Conversation

1. Why have you decided to work as a paraeducator /
   teacher?
2. What are your recreational activities / hobbies?
3. Which of your teachers made the biggest positive
   impact on you?
4. What other skills do you have that we might
   incorporate into the classroom?
5. What is your understanding of this position?
6. What do you think are the goals of education?
7. What other teams have you participated on?
   Sports? Work?
8. What talents and skills do you bring to the team?
9. How do you think teams function best?
10. How can we assure that we will work well
    together?

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Providing Orientation

• Stage 3 Keep the Momentum
• review training plan
• review a list of all personnel finish
  introductions

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Team vs. Individual Supervision

• Activity
• Stop and think about your situation.
• Briefly describe the way paraprofessionals are
  used in your school.
• Where are they located throughout the day?
• Who are they with?
• What impact / effect does that have on the
  supervision provided to them?
• Who supervises?

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Paraeducators in Typical Teams

• Example 1 General Education Teams (grade-level
  or subject area)
• Together, provide orientation, develop
  personalized job description, clarify training
  theyll provide
• Plan together, determine the paraeducators
  schedule, delegate tasks, and monitor the work of
  the paraeducator.
• periodically meet with the paraeducator to
  communicate team and student needs, explain how
  to perform tasks, resolve problems and conflicts,
  and provide performance feedback

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Paraeducators in Typical Teams

• Example 2 Special - General Education Teams in
  Inclusion
• various professionals e.g. school psych, PT,
  OT, SLP, nurse, sped teacher classroom teacher
  share assessment and planning for students
• students receive most of their education in a
  general education classroom
• many team members are itinerant
• day-to-day scheduling, direction and monitoring
  of the paraeducator shared by general ed teacher
  and special ed teacher
• teachers share the daily functions of supervision
  
• itinerant professionals provide plans, direction,
  on-the job training, and periodic monitoring of
  paraeducators task performance

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Paraeducators in Typical Teams

• Example 3 Paraeducator Supports Students
• Individual or groups of students receiving
  specific program services
• Spends time in general education classes
• Classroom teacher plans instruction for class
• Consulting teacher
• consults with classroom teacher
• plans individualized adaptations or instruction
• provides specialized materials
• provides training to the paraeducator
• monitors student outcomes

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Supervision Decisions for Teams

• 1. Who plans the curriculum and instruction
  (including adaptations)?
• 2. Who directs the paraeducator on a daily
  basis?
• 3. Who provides training for assigned duties?
• 4. Who observes and documents task performance?

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Procrastination
...What youre putting off
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Five Major Reasons

• Confusion
• Lack of mental organization
• Lack of clear goals
• Resentment of Authority
• Lack of control / Demands seem unjust
• Lack of Self-Confidence
• Unsure you can do it / Lack of skills
• Self-Sabotage
• Mixed emotions... about supervising, about
  inclusion, collaboration
• Fear of failing / fear of looking bad or foolish
• Pleasure Priority
• Put enjoyment ahead of ambition / professional
  growth

38

Instructions given by flight attendants to
airline passengers

• For those of you traveling with small children,
  in the event of an oxygen failures, first place
  the oxygen mask on your own face and then and
  only then place the mask on your childs face.
  
• The fact is, the adult must be alive in order to
  help the child. In schools we spend a lot of time
  placing oxygen masks on other peoples faces
  while we ourselves are suffocating.

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Time Use Matrix

• Two continuums
• Importance of tasks
• Urgency of tasks
• Time Use Matrix for School Professionals

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Managing Your Time

• Activity
• Take a few minutes to plan how you want to manage
  your time
• Some questions to consider
• How will you take charge of your day and your
  time?
• Can you schedule tasks at times that suit you,
  rather than handling them as interruptions?
• How will you help yourself think about the
  questions of urgency and importance at the moment
  of an interruption or request?
• How will you make time for things that are truly
  important?
• What will you say to others when they tell you,
  or ask you to do something that you consider less
  important than what is already scheduled?

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What is Delegation?

• Delegation is...
• the process of getting things done through others
  who have the skills to handle the tasks
• the act of entrusting enough authority to another
  to get tasks done without giving up
  responsibility.
• an executive function that is fundamentally
  important to the professional behavior and time
  use of school professionals and to the
  supervision of paraeducators

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What Delegation Is Not

• Dumping
• minimizes the paraeducator role
• shows disrespect
• ignores paraeducator abilities
• shows disorganization, lack of skill to run the
  program or classroom
• Puppeteering
• fails to give authority to carry out the task
• micro- manages
• provides too much detail
• Passing the buck
• blames the paraeducator for failures
• Punishment
• mean-spirited assignments
• diminishes initiative and ownership

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Why Delegate?

• As David Letterman would say, these are the top10
  reasons to delegate
• It makes the most of your time
• Creates teams
• Empowers paraeducators
• It means you dont have to do everything yourself
  
• Maximizes use of your personal resources
• Gives paraeducators what they need
• Challenges paraeducators
• Avoids the creation of indispensable people
• Gives schools a better return on personnel
  dollars
• Minimizes physical limitations

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Why School Professionals Fail to Delegate

• Top 10 reasons school professionals fail to
  delegate.
• I can do it faster myself
• I am a perfectionist I want to be sure it gets
  done right
• I have no time to train the paraeducator
• Teaching is for teachers, Speech Language therapy
  is for therapists, etc.
• The paraeducator isnt qualified to do the job
• Paraeducators are paid too little / work too hard
  for their pay
• Its not part of the paraeducators job
  description
• Some parts of teaching are my occupational
  hobby
• Im not confident of the paraeducators work
• I dont want to be bossy I want paraeducators
  to like me

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Effective Delegation

• Like a legal contract, delegation...
• Specifies the scope of the task
• May be only a part of a larger task or the whole
  task
• Tells what is involved
• Specifies goals or objectives to be reached
• The eventual goal, purpose or outcome
• How this task is related to others or builds up
  to the goal
• Specifies the time frame
• How urgent it is
• How much detail or time to spend on it
• Specifies the authority to carry out the task
• 4 levels of authority
• Specifies how the performance will be judged

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The Seven-Step Delegation Method Overview

1. Set clear objectives
2. Select the right person
3. Train the paraeducator to carry out the tasks.
4. Get input from the paraeducator.
5. Set deadlines, time frames, and follow up dates.
6. Specify the level of authority
7. Guide and monitor tasks

47
Step 1 Set Clear Objectives

• The purpose of the activity or lesson
• The eventual outcomes
• How / where this activity fits with others to
  reach the intended outcomes

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Step 2 Select the right person

• Consider all available people for each task (e.g.
  peer assistant, classroom teacher, volunteer)
• Take the skills and preferences of paraeducators
  into consideration
• Provide opportunities for paraeducators to learn
  new skills
• Rotate and balance assignment of unpleasant tasks
  
• Consider workload and other responsibilities

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Step 3 Provide Training

• Consider what you already know about the
  paraeducators skills and confidence on various
  tasks,
• Provide training on tasks that are new, have new
  variations, or for which they had little skill or
  confidence.
• Consider who else might be able to train the
  paraeducator to do the task.
• It may be a better use of your time to ask
  another paraeducator to teach a skill,
  demonstrate a technique, or explain a procedure
  than it is for you to do it.
• Plan time for training sessions for new tasks.

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Step 4 Get Input From The Paraeducator

• To increase paraeducators commitment to their
  work and to the best outcomes for students
• ask them what they think,
• about what approach to take with a particular
  child,
• what materials they would use.

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Step 5 Set Deadlines Follow Up Dates

• Minimizes the chance of miscommunication or
  conflict
• Establish checkpoints or follow up dates
• Review data on student outcomes
• Delegated tasks are being carried out correctly
• They are having the desired effects

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Step 6 Specify The Level Of Authority

• Level 1 full authority to take action, use
  judgment, make decisions
• Level 2 authority to take action, but requires
  frequent contact, specifies how often she will
  stay in touch and who initiates contact.
• Level 3 Requires approval before taking action,
  or moving on to next step.
• Level 4 Requires strict adherence to the plan,
  no leeway for independent decision-making

53
Step 7 Guide And Monitor Tasks

• Amount and intensity of monitoring depend on the
  history of the working relationship.
• Scheduled time for monitoring and feedback
• Focus on objectives, rather than the perfect
  execution of prescribed actions.
• Dont hover
• Causes loss of self-confidence
• Consider work style differences
• Note and recognize good performance and
  improvement
• Documentation of performance should be specific
  to the objectives of the task and the
  specifications of the plan.

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The Importance of Planning

• The most effective teachers plan
• Know what outcomes they expect from students
• Know what methods theyll use to achieve those
  outcomes
• Some teachers try to wing it
• Experience matters
• Carry ideas in their heads, make it through a day
  without written plans
• Paraeducators are not teachers
• Should not be forced into taking on teaching
  responsibilities
• Legally/ethically dont make decisions about
  curriculum or pedagogy
• Cannot read teachers minds who should be
  making the decisions

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Adapting Curriculum Instruction

• Required by law (IDEA 504) for persons with
  disabilities
• Illegal and unethical for paraeducators to
  determine adaptations
• Adaptation plan should contain
• long-range goals for the student
• specific types of adaptations for all types of
  instruction
• Adaptation plan has multiple purposes
• Serves as communication tool
• Special ed General ed teachers
• Teachers and paraeducators
• Teachers and volunteers or peer assistants
• Related services providers, families
• To provide written data about student progress
• Arams Adaptation Plan
• Daily communication sheet for Aram

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The Paraeducators Role in Adapting Curriculum
Instruction

• To follow written plans and oral directions!
• Provided by any school professional
• On behalf of
• Students with disabilities
• Students with other special learning needs (e.g.
  ESL)
• Students with health issues
• The general welfare and safety of all the
  students in the school

57
Planning Variables

• Paraeducator experience, skill and training
• Complexity of the task
• Risk
• Increased by
• Lack of structure
• Distance

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Efficiency

• Activity
• Name the problems that keep you from providing
  written plans to the paraeducator?
• Time?
• Hassle?
• Lack of a system?
• Disorganization?
• What would help?
• Something that would be time efficient and yet
  get the job done?

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Planning Form / Format Criteria

• Easy to use
• Readily available
• The simplest design that covers the components
• Brief
• User-friendly
• Visual appeal
• Reads quickly
• White space and/or graphics

60
Components of Plans

• Purpose of task, lesson or adaptation
• Long term student goals, short term objectives
• Specific student needs / strengths
• Materials / Resources
• Sequence of actions, use of cues or prompts,
  permissible adaptations
• Data structure for documenting student performance

61
Build Your Own Plan Forms or Formats

• Activity
• As we look at the following examples, discuss
  with a partner which of the components are
  demonstrated
• Consider the needs of your students are there
  similarities?
• Consider which features you could use in your
  plan forms
• What other types of plan forms would be useful to
  you?
• Make sketches of the types of forms you might
  use.
• Examples
• Sean
• Ashley
• 7th grade vocabulary procedures
• Calvin

62
Scheduling

• Differs from planning in that it tells
• Where each person should be
• The time frame
• Who they are with (students and teachers)
• Generally what they are doing

63
Paraeducator Growth Development

• Planning for Growth Development
• Two Key Reasons
• 1. A gap exists between programmatic needs and
  the skills or confidence level of the
  paraeducator
• 2. Life long learning - continual renewal and
  refinement of skills and keeping current with new
  ideas / technologies.

64
Paraeducator Training Needs Assessment

• Completed by paraeducators
• Identifies preferences and desires
• Acknowledges importance of paraeducator role
• Markets upcoming training
• Shows districts concern
• Doesnt necessarily identify all the training
  needs that exist
• Completed by supervisors
• Encourages reflection
• Creates awareness of training needs
• Acknowledges that some training can be provided
  in groups not just on the job
• Demonstrates administrative support for teachers
  work with paraeducators
• Doesnt necessarily identify all the training
  needs that exist
• Needs Assessment Example

65
Content or Curriculum

• Look for
• Need
• Consistency
• Integrity
• Relevance
• Depth
• Role legitimacy
• Practicality
• Instructional quality
• Accountability
• Cost

66
The Range of Training Formats

• Training formats
• Telling, mentioning, suggesting
• Thorough explanation during team meetings
• Demonstrating during student contact time
• Using videos or other demonstrations during
  meetings
• Attending workshops, seminars
• Taking courses
• Attending conferences
• Reading flyers, brochures, other print materials

67
Providing Training

• Training methods vary according to purpose
• For information / awareness - choose conferences,
  print, telling, Internet resources
• For skill development select courses, workshops,
  demonstrations, on the job training with
  students, and coaching

68
Training Components

• Theory skill, strategy, or concept is clearly
  explained or described
• Demonstration skill, strategy, or concept is
  modeled or shown, so trainee sees or hears how it
  works in real situations
• Practice trainee tries out the skill,
  strategy, or concept in a controlled or safe
  place
• Feedback trainer provides information to the
  trainee about how well the trainee performs the
  skill or strategy, or understands the concept
• Coaching on the job while the paraeducator
  works with students

69
Documenting Training

• A safeguard for three situations / reasons
• The paraeducator doesnt meet the employment
  standards
• Protects the safety and welfare of students
• Provides a basis for legal defense if necessary

70
Changing Role For Teachers

• Monitoring implies deliberate, purposeful
  observations
• Equates teachers to team leaders in business
• Little precedent for this role
• Therefore requires
• Administrative support
• On the job training of teachers in this role
• Coaching
• Feedback to teachers
• Accountability

71
Unfocused Observation Methods

• Include Consideration of Multiple Variables such
  as
• personal style components
• voice, gestures, delivery
• content of lesson
• interactions with students
• organization of lesson or materials
• time use
• use of behavior management techniques
• Examples Include
• audio, video recording
• scripting
• notes on significant events

72
Focused Observation Methods

• Checklist
• Identifies / Tallies the Presence or Absence of
  Specific Behaviors
• Useful to Assess the Overall Use of Specified
  Techniques in a variety of instructional or
  consultative / collaborative instances
• Selective Verbatim
• Captures word for word certain, pre-selected,
  events
• Useful for understanding questioning levels,
  frequency of questions, amount of teacher talk,
  clarity of directions, etc..

73
Formative Feedback

• Five guiding principles
• Performance
• rather than personal characteristics
• Specificity
• rather than generalities
• Honesty
• rather than pretense, but cushioned with tact
• Frequency
• the more the better
• Consistency
• versus playing professionals against one another

74
Five Facts of Paraeducator Evaluation

• School professionals often contribute to
  evaluation ratings
• Recognizes high quality work
• Recognizes the need for training or coaching
• Evaluation requires judgement
• Fair evaluation is based on
• facts rather than opinions
• standards rather than interpersonal comparisons
• first-hand knowledge (observations) rather than
  hearsay,
• multiple data collection points

75

Rubric for Judging Level of Task Independence

• Independent - performs task, as taught, without
  guidance
• Developing - performs task, as taught, but
  relies on cues or prompts for portions of the
  performance
• Emerging - performs parts of task or tries to
  perform but requires substantial guidance to
  complete all aspects
• Unable to Perform - Does not know how to perform
  the task
• Unwilling to Perform - Unwilling to perform the
  task
• Sample form

76
Holding Meetings

• Considerations
• Finding a time
• Establishing group norms
• Establishing a functional location
• Facilitation
• Reviewing meeting effectiveness
• Using an agenda
• Developing the agenda
• Agenda content
• Following the agenda
• Documenting group decisions / plans

77
Problem Solving

• Step I. Recognize the existence of and define
  the problem
• Describe, what the problem is
• in terms of needs - not in terms of competing
  solutions.
• Write the problem down
• Tell who it involves
• Describe when and where it happens / patterns
  that appear.
• Decide how serious it is.
• Determine causes, contributing factors.

78
Problem Solving (continued)

• Step II. Decide whether or not to try to solve
  the problem,
• Step III. Decide the criteria for a successful
  solution.
• Determine the standards that absolutely must be
  met
• Be sure that the standards are consistent with
  your values (if team members disagree on the
  values, now is the time to say so and to
  negotiate which values will apply).
• Identify circumstances or standards that would
  turn an acceptable solution into an ideal one

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Problem Solving (continued)

• Step IV. Generate possible alternative solutions
• If only one solution is generated, stop and
  reexamine the problem, as stated
• If any team member suggests that there only one
  solution, sound the alarm!
• Generate a list of at least three alternatives
  without evaluating them
• Employ every creative idea-generating strategy
  that you can find.

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Problem Solving (continued)

• Step VI. Select one or more alternatives to
  implement
• Write down the alternatives that are selected and
  the rationale for each selection. Be specific
  about what exactly is going to be done
• Determine who will do what
• Establish the timeline for the implementation of
  the alternative

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Problem Solving (continued)

• Step VII. Plan how to monitor and evaluate the
  solution
• Determine what would constitute sufficient
  evidence that the solution is or isn't working
• Establish a timeline
• Establish a meeting time to discuss the results

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Conflict

• The Circle of Conflict

Relationships
Data
Values
Interests
Structural Issues
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Five Factors that Cause Conflict

• Relationships - history of strong emotions,
  misperceptions, stereotypes, poor communication,
  negative repetitive behaviors

84
Five Factors that Cause Conflict

• Values -
• Preferences
• Deep seated beliefs that guide actions
• Long-standing habits that control behaviors

• Values can be acknowledged, understood, maybe
  even influenced, but probably not changed

85
Five Factors that Cause Conflict

• Data
• Lack of information
• Different information
• Different interpretation

86
Five Factors that Cause Conflict

• Structural Issues
• Roles and responsibilities
• Time
• Schedule
• Resources
• Space

87
Five Factors that Cause Conflict

• Interests
• Psychological (status, power, respect, control,
  recognition),
• Substantive (resources, materials, space),
• Procedural (how decisions are made, steps taken
  to reach a goal)

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Managing vs. Resolving Conflict

• Resolving conflict is only possible if the nature
  of the conflict is in the bottom half of the
  circle
• Structural Issues
• Interests
• Conflict Resolution - when the conflict is
  settled to the extent that it no longer consumes
  energy of the group or individuals

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Managing vs. Resolving Conflict

• Often, the very best we can do in relationship,
  values, and data conflicts is manage it
• Conflict Management - the conflict is identified,
  acknowledged, assessed, steps are taken to
  address some of the most serious aspects or side
  effects, options are generated.

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Caring Confrontation

• Three steps
• Message of positive care and concern
• Observation of specific behavior
• Statement of feelings
• Example Beth, its important to me that we work
  well together, even when we have differences.
  Today, in the meeting you said something offhand
  to the effect that I didnt have an area of
  expertise. That hurt my feelings.

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Resolving Conflicts

• If resolution seems possible and conflict is in
  bottom half of circle, and you are willing to
  devote the time it takes, then do this
• Gain agreement to resolve the conflict
• Identify interests
• find out what each needs to get out of it in the
  end
• Generate options
• select options only if they allow the interests
  of each party to be met
• Select a solution
• gain agreement from both parties to adhere to the
  selected solution
• create a solution plan
• E.g. who does what, where , when, how
• Gain agreement to adhere to the plan.