There is only learning
Establishing Course Tone and Creating Behavioral Norms
by Patrick Feeney
"There is no such thing as teaching; there is only learning" - Monty Roberts
As an instructor have you ever had a group of individuals who just didn’t get along together? Or worse – have you had students outright challenge your direction or question your authority? If you are a new instructor do you worry about how you might handle such situations when they arise?
Many instructors trust that these situations will not develop and do nothing proactively to insure that they don’t. Rather, they respond after conflicts have occurred and attempt to intervene to reduce tensions. Typically this is much more difficult than setting the right tone from the very first day and often leads to becoming ensnared in addressing the behavioral problems of a few to the neglect of the rest of the group.
Establishing the right tone for a group experience is critical to the quality of your students’ experience. This is especially true for students lacking in motivation or social skills. By tone, I mean the attitude that personifies a group. Evidence of the prevailing attitude is exhibited through behaviors as basic as how well they care for their equipment to more important complex behaviors such as the level of respect, trust and cooperation displayed between members of the group.
Some outdoor leaders rely on their positional authority to get participants to do what they believe is the right thing. This may get results, but it may also breed resistance.
So how does one set a proper tone within a group of people who may be meeting for the first time and may include a wide diversity of ages and backgrounds? Some of the participants may not have many experiences in their background that serve as models for creating a positive and productive experience. They may lack the ability to achieve this without guidance.
One method that has proven to be quite successful is known as the Outcome Focus Model. In essence this is a straight forward way of engaging the group in clearly identifying what type of experience they want to have in the program. Take time in the first day or so to have the participants reflect on the days that lie ahead. If possible have them jot down their thoughts and ask them questions that focus their attention on the possibilities for this experience.
Initially questions which address the course as a whole help them set appropriate goals for the course experience. Ask them what they want to experience on the course:
-what do you want to see and do?
-what do you want to learn?
-what kind of relationships do you want to form?
-what would make you feel really good about the course on the last day?
Have them think about how the group will look on that last day. Then ask specific questions about observable behavior:
-how would you like to see everyone interacting?
-what feelings and energy would you like to see?
-what type of language would you like to hear?
The answers to these questions begin to describe what the group wants from their experience. As the facilitator, draw out the responses that correspond to your vision. Invariably a group will come up with positive views. They may mention attributes such as pride, joy, friendship, excitement, a sense of community and perhaps relief and sadness at parting. Engage in some discussion about these ideas to flesh them out and bring them to life.
Then ask what can be done right at the beginning of the course to help create the ending that has been described. They may come up with ideas such as to listen to each other, to start activities on time, to keep the camp clean, and to try every activity. But you might need to add some more penetrating questions, particularly if you have a young group:
-what type of language should we use?
-what do you think of name calling?
-how can we be sure each individual is heard?
Discussions around these types of questions help to set the behavioral norms for the course. For example, the first two questions bring into the open the discomfort around swearing and name calling, and provide an opportunity for the group to come to an agreement to restrict or prohibit this type of communication.
If it is appropriate for your group, at some point it may be useful to include one more step. After the group has defined how they want to see the course end, and how they might work to create a successful experience, ask them how they might unintentionally undermine their success. Everyone experiences some stress in new situations and sometimes responds in an automatic and unthinking manner which detracts from their potential success. Ask them what might be stressful for them and how they believe they might behave under such conditions. What would be their reaction?
-impatience?
-anger?
-fear?
-frustration?
-more control and authority?
-more focus on themselves?
-isolation?
They can engage in these questions through reflection and journaling, or by sharing in a dyad. Afterward, it is important to have a group discussion on the general topic to highlight non-productive behaviors that might appear within the group. After identifying a variety of possible ways of reacting under stress, follow up with two more critical discussion questions:
-what internal signals do you get when things are becoming stressful?
-what strategies do you have or can you develop to help you avoid automatic or non-productive responses.
With this discussion, the group becomes more aware of possible individual reactions under stress, individuals may become more self aware and comfortable asking for help, and the group can help define appropriate strategies for stress reduction as well as intervention techniques when non-productive behavior does emerge.
The Outcome Focus Model can be applied in a group process in a fairly short period of time. It isn’t important that everyone publicly answers each question. It is important that there is enough discussion that the various concepts emerge from the group and that everyone agrees in general on the outcomes that are defined.
Through this process, group leaders can elicit from the group the goals they wish to attain, establish key behavioral norms, create recognition that there will be problems and develop some strategies for the group to aid in addressing those problems. In this way students begin to take responsibility for the quality of their own experience and begin to develop skills to self manage.
Once students have agreed upon key behavioral norms, it becomes much more difficult for them to act outside those parameters. To do so requires reversing an agreement and that creates an internal conflict that inhibits casual disregard of the group norms. In the event a student does behave contrary to the agreed upon norms, it can be effective to focus on their disregard of their agreement rather than on the specific behavior itself. In this way the student must face issues of personal integrity while the instructors can continue to focus on positive outcomes and avoid being drawn into an authority role to deal with problem behaviors.
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Patrick Feeney spent fifteen years at Outward Bound moving from a field instructor to an associate school director. He established and for five years directed a wilderness program for adjudicated youth. Over the years he has conducted staff trainings and course debriefs, developed new program models, and has served on numerous safety reviews. For the past six years, he has enjoyed guiding clients in the Dolomites of Italy.
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