In what contexts does the student need to display this skill, now and in the future?
This skill is crucial for being part of a team, a friendship, or developing any relationship. Working in most environments requires being part of a team. Fortunately, in school projects, class projects, clubs, etc. there are ample opportunities to practice this skill in ways that can improve the student’s success in future environments.
What are the steps that comprise this skill?
Often the first skill involves successful attribution. Attribution involves connecting events and details in an environment to determine what is happening and why. Successfully connecting key events (stack of books fall on the floor near me) and the behaviors of those around us (peer expresses frustration and leans over to pick up books) is necessary to determine what to do (whether to help or to continue what I am doing). Simply, recognizing that help is needed requires connecting the details of events and the behaviors of others. Once the student connects the events and behaviors, they will better understand why help is needed.
The second step involves deciding when to help. Would my supervisor want me to help? Does my team need me to stop what I am doing and offer a suggestion or offer help? Would I seem rude if I did not help her right now? Or am I supposed to continue working on my task?
If I am unsure that I need to help OR if I see that help is needed, do I have a way of politely asking if I can help? Getting acknowledgement from the other person is a concrete way to determine when help or suggestions are welcome versus when they are not.
Once the student actively either helps or offers suggestions, a fourth step requires the student to continue to attend to events and behaviors to determine if he should stop or continue offering help or suggestions. Watching for facial expressions or reactions and responding to directions are skills that the student will need in ‘helping.’ What does the student need from others to ‘stop’ helping or suggesting? Does the student need practice in returning to his own task?
Closely related to this fourth step is the skill of self-labeling and self-calming if he is anxious or overly focused on completing the task himself or completing it the ‘right way.’
What sub-skill should you target first for the student to initiate? Given what the student can do presently, how will you present the task so that the student can perform steps within his capacity while learning a new step?
Offering help/suggestions is a skill made up of many sub-skills including attending to and recognizing events, attending to and recognizing behaviors, asking politely, and assisting to the appropriate degree when help is accepted versus stopping when the offer to help is rejected. The instructor’s goal should be to identify the student’s strengths and help the student practice those strengths while adding one sub-skill at a time to promote student self-confidence. How will you as an instructor support skill development in increments that sustain the student’s attention and focus?