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 would have to say that the idea of the lesson is not to cooperate with male students but rather cooperate with students in general. I think if a student has a religious belief that will hinder their education then as a teacher you must find a way to accommodate them. By placing Aisha in a group of all girls she is still learning to cooperate with students in the class. She is also learning this by interacting with the students as a whole on a daily basis. Based on the simple idea that the students in the class are a mixture of male and female. She has made it this far into her education without having an issue (as far as we know). I think this issue she not hinder her education. -Kayla Mullins