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  Case: Cannot Cooperate
Aisha is known as a responsible and smart student. I have known her for the last two years, but this year is the first time she is taking one of my classes. She is in my 10th grade US History class. Recently, I started using small group projects in my class. I simply want my students to learn to cooperate, exchange ideas, and produce the project together. Although Aisha is willing to take part in these small group projects, she does not want to be in groups with male students because of her religious beliefs. When she told me about this, I told her that she was in the United States and that she had to work with whoever she is in a group with. In the first group project, Aisha was in a group with three males and one female students. She simply did not participate in any of the group activities. I wonder if should reconsider my original position on this issue and accommodate Aisha by having her work only with girls. Would I be doing her a disservice? What should I do?
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
I think that there could have been a way to compromise. It is important for Aisha to understand that there is the very real possibility that she will have to work with males on projects at some point in her life. Such an unwillingness to cooperate could cost her a job in the work place. However, I think stubbornness on the student's part and the teacher's part resulted in a situation where neither party was happy. Maybe you could have worked a deal with her where the majority of group members could be female at first and as time went on, change the group composition to include more males students. Since you knew her before hand, maybe you could have used your prior relationship with her to ease her into this situation she was not comfortable with initially.