I need serious help fast!!!!!!! I am an elem. ed major and I have to demonstrate some short role playing about reality therapy for my class. I know that this is insane to demonstrate an entire theory in five minutes, but I just need some example senarios to get the point across. Please help, I have to present this in a couple of days!!!!!

-- Nicole Marchesiello (nmarches@mail.usf.edu), November 07, 2002

Answers

Nicole, I hope the following is useful. Reality Therapy is the application of Choice Theory concepts. The four basic questions are-- What do you want? What are you currently doing? Is it working? What else can you do? You should realize that these questions are used and the answers an issue, when one's behavior is not consistent with rules or when one's behavior is detrimental to relationships.

One idea, based on an actual experience, comes to mind for a role play. Yesterday, one of our paraeducators and I were talking in the lounge during lunch about arguments occuring at the tetherball area. These arguments involved the same three or four girls and invariably ended with the paraeducator in the middle of the disagreement. She told me it came down to her removing the privilege of tetherball for the following day (today). As a social skills teacher, I contact all classrooms on our campus. And I shall contact the classroom of these girls as follows.:

In a whole class situation, I will pose the situation and question, "Recall that we all have five basic needs. When we go out to recess, what is the major need we want to meet?" FUN and POWER "And when we are playing during recess, say four square or tetherball, what behaviors can we choose to allow all those involved in the game to have Fun?" HAVE THE STUDENTS BRAINSTORM APPROPRIATE SPORTSMANSHIP and COURTESY BEHAVIORS "Now, we understand that the only behaviors we can control are our own. And that we choose our behaviors, consequences, and feelings. Now say that we do choose to (read several behaviors offered by class), what kinds of consequences and feelings will result?" HAVE FUN, LAUGH, ENJOY RECESS "You know, I think you are right. But hey, you know and I know that not all people choose to follow game rules and be courteous to allow Fun. What kinds of consequences can we allow for unsportsmanlike behaviors?" TIME-OUT, LOSS OF GAME PRIVILEGE, ETC. "These certainly sound fair to me."

Nicole, if this is for a class presentation, I suggest you enlist the assistance of you fellow students to assume the roles of a room of students who are subjected to the arguing of some peers during a very popular recess game.

TEACHER: "Class it has come to my attention that some of us are not real pleased with the way tetherball has been going during recess. I have walked by the tetherball area and it sure didn't sound like fun was being had. I would like to help you solve your problem. I say your problem, because I don't play tetherball, but I do think it's important for me to be involved. However, some ground rules are in order--No naming names, no addressing behaviors other than your own, No name calling.

If you could have the best time during recess playing or waiting in line to play tetherball, what would it look like?

What does it look like like now?

Are these behaviors working to get us what we want?

What else can we do?

You might choose to develop a contract to be signed by all students in the classroom. Make sure you include a consequence section for mischoices during recess.

I had some slack time and this was beneficial, as I will address this exact problem next week. Hey, thank you for the opportunity to allow some serious thinking. Nicole, this will require some fine tuning, but the "guts" of the questioning is present. Good luck. TD

-- Ted Donato (tdonato@toppenish.wednet.edu), November 08, 2002.

See also the answer to Tara Paras Oct 30th.2001 which is further up the list of questions on this website. Ken.

-- ken lyons (kenlyon@gofree.indigio.ie), November 08, 2002.