Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         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!) In this situation, I don't see any harm in accommodating Aisha's beliefs. I analogize it to this: what if Aisha had been recently assaulted by a male at a party? The assault has left her shaken and apprehensive to deal with males on a small-group level. There would be no harm in accommodating her in the second situation, so why not the first? It's a reasonable request, and as long as she completes the work, then it seems like an issue that can be avoided. This solution may be bypassing the issue, which is, should her religious beliefs control the teacher's structure of the classroom? I think I would need more information. Perhaps I would ask for a note from her parents to corroborate what she has told me in class. I could also ask some of her former teachers. If that did not provide any information, I could speak with her more about it. Maybe her avoidance of males comes from another problem that she is masking. Regardless, I think I would grant her request in this situation. I would be more likely to grant her request if it was made in private. If the request was made in private, then groups could be rearranged quietly. This would decrease the chance that other students would be upset or claim favoritism or unequal treatment. If the request and rearrangement was made publicly, the situation would be more difficult to handle, but I would still change Aisha's grouping.