Navigating Group Dynamics in Special Education: Insights from an Applied Behavior Science Perspective

Abstract

[Name] ABS 331 11/2/2024 Final Paper: Applied Group Dynamics Applied Summary Paper This course taught me much about how groups function and where I fit within them. Being a special education assistant, I work closely with teachers, parents, and therapists. I work with them to ensure students get the support they need. By understanding group dynamics, I have improved my work with others. In my paper, I will reflect on my roles in groups, the stages of group development I’ve seen, how I’ve learned to manage conflict, and one key idea from this course that greatly impacted me. People take on specific roles in any group based on their skills and personality. From my experience, I often find myself playing the roles of a mediator and advocate. I step in as a mediator when we have an IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting to plan for a student’s needs. Parents and teachers sometimes have different views on what’s best for the student. For example, there might be a disagreement about whether students should get more time with a therapist or be in a general classroom more often. In moments like these, I try to make sure both sides are being heard while trying to keep the focus on the student’s needs. Besides being a mediator, I’m also an advocate for students, especially those who have trouble communicating or expressing their needs. Because of my background in child development and my studies in applied behavior science, I have a deeper understanding of what some students need, even when they can’t express it themselves. I speak up for them during meetings, ensuring their voice is part of the conversation and their needs are prioritized. One of the concepts I found most helpful in this course was the idea that groups go through different stages as they work together. These stages are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Like the movie we watched, “12 Angry Men.” I’ve seen these stages play out many times at my job, especially during IEP meetings. As the meeting moves forward, many disagreements often occur, and that’s when the storming stage comes. One time, there was a disagreement between a parent and a therapist. The parent wanted more one-on-one therapy for their child. The therapist recommended group therapy because they felt it would benefit the student more. We had to work through this disagreement before we could move forward. This is where I usually step in as a mediator to help the group come to an understanding because I work one-on-one with students daily. Once we work through the conflict, we go into the norming stage, where we agree on the best approach and start to build trust. After that, we move into the performing stage, where the team works together to support the student. Finally, the adjourning stage occurs once the plan is in place and running smoothly. The team reflects on what has been accomplished and wraps things up. These stages have helped me know what to expect in group settings and how to better contribute at each stage. Managing conflict has been one of my biggest challenges in group settings, but over time, I’ve learned a lot from my experiences. If conflict is not managed appropriately, it will affect the group. I’ve learned the five conflict management styles: competition, collaboration, compromise, avoidance, and accommodation. I’ve also learned that no matter what style an individual chooses, the style is based on two questions: How important is it to satisfy your own needs? And, how important is it to satisfy the other person’s needs? I usually avoided conflict in the past because I didn’t like confrontation. I thought that if I stayed quiet, the conflict would go away...