Boys Town Skill of the Week
Disagree Appropriately
Disagree Appropriately
Students often find themselves in conversations where they disagree with someone's opinion. Many times, children choose to argue, yell, or use some form of physical aggression to show the other person they do not agree with his/her opinion. Teaching students to disagree appropriately provides them with a skill for handling situations in which they find themselves "at odds" with the opinions of others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdAfI1uBNQM
What Kids Need to Know (Part Three)
PBIS video of "Disagreeing Appropriately."
Disagreeing Appropriately
Kid President Is Over It!
The Art of Agreeing and Disagreeing in the Classroom
My Blog: 5 Ways To Respectfully Disagree (#GH5028) Trailer
Planned Teaching
Introduce the Skill
- Write the following statements on the board and have students read them silently (or read aloud to students) - "Allen believes that tacos are much better than cheeseburgers." - "Maria believes that you can only be happy if you have a lot of money." - "Tracy believes that Lord of the Rings is better than Harry Potter." - "Jennifer believes that rap music is better than rock music." - "John believes that playing basketball is more fun than skateboarding."
- Have students choose the statement they disagree with most (modify the sentences and/or the number of sentences for younger students)
- Allow students to share their opinions
Describe the Appropriate Behavior
- Look at the person
- Use a pleasant voice
- Tell why you feel differently
- Give a reason
- Listen to the other person
Give a Reason or Rationale
- It might keep an argument or fight from happening
- When you talk to someone this way, you avoid making the person mad or hurting their feelings
- You show respect to the other person
- Have students generate responses as well
Practice/Role Play
- Have students tell a partner the steps of the skill
- Your basketball team loses the game because of a last-second foul. You think the referees were unfair and favored the other team. Show how you would respectfully disagree with the referee’s call.
- You earned second place in the school’s essay contest, but you think the winner cheated on his essay. Show or describe how you would disagree with the results.
- The teacher hands back yesterday’s quiz. Your answers to questions 3 and 4 are marked as incorrect. Your neighbor, who had the same answers as you for those questions, has his answers marked correct. Describe how you would approach the teacher and dispute your grade.
- Your parents won’t let you see any of your friends over the weekend because you didn’t finish your chores. You think the punishment is too harsh. Show how to appropriately disagree with their decision.
- Your parents want you to go to bed at the same time as your brother (or sister), who is two years younger than you. Show how you would tell them you think you should be allowed to stay up later.
- Have students brainstorm some scenarios.
Journaling
- Write about a time when you disagreed with someone and it made them mad or hurt their feelings.
- Write about a time when they disagreed appropriately and what the outcome was.
- Older students can write a "script" for how to disagree appropriately. For example, Person #1 "I think playing basketball is more fun than skateboarding." - Person #2 "I can understand that you think playing basketball is more fun than skateboarding but I think skateboarding is more fun because you don't just run back and forth, you get to do jumps, speed down hills, and use ramps." etc...
- Students can act out their "scripts"
- Why is important to be able to disagree appropriately with someone?
- Who is the person you have the most disagreements with? Is it difficult for you to disagree appropriately with that person? Why? Why not?
- What words or actions can you do to keep disagreements from turning into arguments or shouting matches?
- Part of disagreeing involves using empathy statements. What are some examples of empathy statements you could use?
- How can the skill of disagreeing appropriately help you at school? at home?
Feedback
- Praise specific steps followed and give feedback on areas of improvement
- Let students know you will be watching in order to "catch them" using the skill
- Continue to praise and re-teach as needed
I Just Don't Like the Sound of No by Julia Cook
- Do your best to give genuine verbal praise to students when they accept no or when they disagree appropriately.
- Teach students that there is a proper time and place to disagree. Create a gesture that signals this is not the time to discuss a disagreement and allow students to set a time with you to have his/her voice or opinion heard while you actively listen. Teach this at the same time as introducing the skill.
- Try to "catch" students disagreeing appropriately during group work and reinforce.
Topics to Disagree
- Do you and your family like to play board games?
- Which special is your favorite?
- What place would you like to visit?
- I would like to be ____________ when I grow up because _____________.
- The best sport is _____________________.
- What is your favorite subject?
- It is important to recycle.
- __________________ is my favorite food.
- __________________ is my favorite holiday.
Hether Darnell
Academic & Behavior Facilitator
Tech Academy @ Pettit Park
Email: hdarnell@kokomo.k12.in.us
Website: http://kokomoschools.com/
Location: 901 W Havens St, Kokomo, IN, United States
Phone: 765-454-7075
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hether.darnell
Twitter: @HetherDarnell