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!) I feel that sticking by the original statement of how things are done in America will not only cause issues with Aisha, but also with the partners in here group as well. Surely they know that she does not want to work with boys and may take either the "high road" or a road straight through a mud puddle. In taking the high road, the other group members may only look at Aisha in a negative light due to their being concerned with their own grade and the added workload upon their backs due to her unwillingness to participate. If the kids are not mean spirited they will suffer in silence. If the kids desire to take the dirt road then Aisha could be the target of taunts and other malicious acts that young students are more than capable of producing when they find a target, so to speak. By requiring Aisha to work in this group I feel that she will be forced into a situation that will remove her from a positive learning environment and one that goes directly against her cultural beliefs. As a result, her learning will suffer and her educational experience will be much less than if she were in an environment that "respected" her cultural values and beliefs.