Module 5: Problem Return and Solution Seeking Techniques

In Modules One through Four you reviewed the first nine Personal Power strategies. These strategies are quick strategies that can be applied after you have carefully assessed the self-responsibility needs of your students. In this module you will review two strategies, "Problem Return Technique" and "Solution Seeking," that can be used to address self-responsibility issues that cannot be resolved with the first nine PP strategies.

The Problem Return Technique can be applied when a student continues the nonself-responsible behavior despite efforts to address it. This technique consists of a series of eight steps that should be followed in order to help the student solve their own problems or lack of self-responsibility.

The Solution Seeking Process is a tool to help students develop self-responsibility and a solution seeking mindset. This process can be used one-on-one between teacher and student, with a group of students who have a similar problem, or with an entire class during a class meeting.

During this week you will learn about each of these two Personal Power strategies and you will begin to implement both of these strategies with a student, group of students or a young person in your life. As these activities may take more than a week to implement, you will turn in and share the results of these strategies in the next module.

Activity Checklist

Open the Learning Activity Checklist (pdf).

Module Five Objectives

At the completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Identify and explain specific Power Strategies - instructional strategies designed to help students grow in personal power – and how they can be used in the classroom.

• Plan, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of selected Power Strategies in your own classroom, including but not limited to the following:  using empathy and ownership statements to help students own their own problems (the Problem- Return Technique), and problem solving (Solution Seeking Process).