Denise Chrisman

This activity reinforces strategies to solve problems as well as deal with problems we cannot solve.

Preparing for group: On index cards write down various situations or "problems". Make half of the problems solvable and half situations we cannot control. You may want to use colored index cards to keep yourself organized.

Some examples of problems we cannot solve:

• You just had a talk with your mom. She told you she and your father are divorcing. You are not surprised but you do not want this to happen.
  
  
• You have just been assigned a tremendous amount of homework in math and science. You cannot believe they are giving you this much work!
  
  
• A group of friends have been planning an outing to the beach for the past few weeks. You are ready. You have your bathing suit and suntan oil packed. It's raining - hard. The trip is cancelled.
  
  
• Your pet died.

Some examples of problems we can solve:

• You've been working hard. You just received your report card and your grades are terrible.
  
  
• You see a student writing racial slurs on the wall. It's permanent marker. You are the only person who witnessed the activity.
  
  
• You just got blamed again for something you did not do.
  
  

Activity:

• Review strategies for problem solving and dealing with problems we cannot solve. You may want to distribute handouts for problem solving if they are not familiar with the process.
  
  
• Break into groups of 3 - 4 people. Each group receives 2 cards - one listing a problem they can solve, one listing a problem they cannot. As a group, have them complete the processes for dealing with both situations. Give them about 15 minutes to complete this.
  
  
• Have each group give a report of their problems and how they elected to deal with them.