DELTA – An Ethics in Action Program For Boy Scouts.

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Chapter Three

Part Three: DELTA Activities-Resources & Problem Solving

Idea Notebook

Designing Processing Questions to Meet Specific Objectives

By Clifford E. Knapp

Dr. Knapp is an Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the Lorado Taft Field Campus – Northern Illinois University.

The ultimate goal for experiential educators is to assist participants in learning from their experiences. Participants should be taught how to apply the skills, concepts and attitudes they have learned to future life situations.

Experiential educators can improve their ability to process or debrief experiences by being clear about their objectives and then by planning strategies to meet them. Processing is a method for helping people reflect on experiences and for facilitating specific personal changes in their lives. The skill of processing primarily involves observing individuals, making assessments about what is happening, and then asking appropriate questions.

There are many personal and group growth objectives that can be achieved through adventure and other types of experiential programming. Among the more important objectives are: communicating effectively, expressing appropriate feelings, listening, appreciating self and others, decision making, cooperating, and trusting the group. If the leader has one or more of these objectives in mind, the observations, assessments, and processing questions may be better directed toward achieving these ends. The underlying assumption of this article is that if the leader and participants know where to go and how to get there, the participant is more likely to arrive. The following questions, organized by specific program objectives, are designed to assist leaders in more effectively processing experiential activities for personal and group growth.

Communicating Effectively

  1. Can anyone give an example of when you thought you communicated effectively with someone else in the group? (consider verbal and non-verbal communication)
  2. How did you know that what you communicated was understood? (consider different types of feedback)
  3. Who didn’t understand someone’s attempt to communicate?
  4. What went wrong in the communication attempt?
  5. What could the communicator do differently next time to give a clearer message?
  6. What could the message receiver do differently next time to understand the message?
  7. How many different ways were used to communicate messages?
  8. Which ways were most effective? Why?
  9. Did you learn something about communication that will be helpful later? If so, what?

Expressing Appropriate Feelings

  1. Can you name a feeling you had at any point in completing the activity? (consider – mad, glad, sad, or scared) Where in your body did you feel it most?
  2. What personal beliefs were responsible for generating that feeling? (What was the main thought behind the feeling?)
  3. Is that feeling a common one in your life?
  4. Did you express that feeling to others? If not, what did you do with the feeling?
  5. Do you usually express feelings or suppress them?
  6. Would you like to feel differently in a similar situation? If so, how would you like to feel?
  7. What beliefs would you need to have in order to feel differently in a similar situation? Could you believe them?
  8. How do you feel about the conflict that may result from expressing certain feelings?
  9. How do you imagine others felt toward you at various times during the activity? Were these feelings expressed?
  10. What types of feelings are easiest to express?… most difficult?
  11. Do you find it difficult to be aware of some feelings at times? If so, which ones?
  12. Are some feelings not appropriate to express to the group at times? If so, which ones?
  13. What feelings were expressed non-verbally in the group?
  14. Does expressing appropriate feelings help or hinder completing the initiative?

Deferring Judgment of Others

  1. Is it difficult for you to avoid judging others? Explain.
  2. Can you think of examples of when you judged others in the group today? … when you didn’t judge others?
  3. What were some advantages to you by not judging others?
  4. What were some advantages to others by you not judging them.
  5. How does judging and not judging others affect the completion of the activity?
  6. Were some behaviors of others easy not to judge and other behaviors difficult?
  7. Would deferring judgment be of some value in other situations? Explain.
  8. Can you think of any disadvantages of not judging others in this situation?

Listening

  1. Who made suggestions for completing the activity?
  2. Were all of these suggestions heard? Explain.
  3. Which suggestions were acted upon?
  4. Why were the other suggestions ignored?
  5. How did it feel to be heard when you made a suggestion?
  6. What interfered with your ability to listen to others?
  7. How can this interference be overcome?
  8. Did you prevent yourself from listening well? How?
  9. Did you listen in the same way today as you generally do? If not, what was different about today?

Leading Others

  1. Who assumed leadership roles during the activity?
  2. What were the behaviors which you described as showing leadership?
  3. Can everyone agree that these behaviors are traits of leaders?
  4. How did the group respond to these leadership behaviors?
  5. Who followed the leader even if you weren’t sure that the idea would work? Why?
  6. Did the leadership role shift to other people during the activity? Who thought they were taking the leadership role? How did you do it?
  7. Was it difficult to assume a leadership role with this group?
  8. Why didn’t some of you take a leadership role?
  9. Is it easier to take a leadership role in other situations or with different group members? Explain.
  10. Did anyone try to lead the group, but felt they were unsuccessful? What were some possible reasons for this? How did it feel to be disregarded?

Following Others

  1. Who assumed a follower role at times throughout the activity? How did it feel?
  2. How did it feel to follow different leaders?
  3. Do you consider yourself a good follower? Was this an important role in the group today? Explain.
  4. How does refusal to follow affect the leadership role?
  5. What are the traits of a good follower?
  6. How can you improve your ability to follow in the future?

Making Group Decisions

  1. How were group decisions made in completing the activity?
  2. Were you satisfied with the ways decisions were made? Explain.
  3. Did the group arrive at any decisions through group consensus? (some didn’t get their first choice, but they could "live" with the decision)
  4. Were some decisions made by one or several individuals?
  5. Did everyone in the group express an opinion when a choice was available? If not, why not?
  6. What is the best way for this group to make decisions? Explain.
  7. Do you respond in similar ways in other groups?
  8. What did you like about how the group made decisions? What didn’t you like?

Cooperating

  1. Can you think of specific examples of when the group cooperated in completing the activity? Explain.
  2. How did it feel to cooperate?
  3. Do you cooperate in most things you do?
  4. How did you learn to cooperate?
  5. What are the rewards of cooperating?
  6. Are there any problems associated with cooperation?
  7. How did cooperative behavior lead to successfully completing the activity?
  8. How can you cooperate in other areas of your life?
  9. Did you think anyone was blocking the group from cooperating? Explain.

Respecting Human Differences

  1. How are you different from some of the others in the group?
  2. How do these differences strengthen the group as a whole?
  3. When do difference in people in a group prevent reaching certain objectives?
  4. What would this group be like if there were very few differences in people? How would you feel if this were so?
  5. In what instances did being different help and hinder the group members from reaching their objectives?

Respecting Human Commonalties

  1. How are you like some of the others in the group?
  2. Were these commonalties a help to the group in completing their task? Explain.
  3. Were these commonalties a hindrance to the group in completing their task? Explain.
  4. Do you think you have other things in common with some of the group members that you haven’t found yet?
  5. How did this setting help you discover how you are similar to others?

Trusting the Group

  1. Can you give examples of when you trusted someone in the group? Explain.
  2. Is it easier to trust some people and not others? Explain.
  3. Can you think of examples when trusting someone could not have been a good idea?
  4. How do you increase your level of trust for someone?
  5. On a scale of 1-10, rate how much trust you have in the group as a whole. Can you explain your rating?
  6. What did you do today that deserves the trust of others?
  7. How does the amount of fear you feel affect your trust of others?

Closure Questions

  1. What did you learn about yourself?
  2. What did you learn about others?
  3. How do you feel about yourself and others?
  4. What new questions do you have about yourself and others?
  5. What did you do today of which you are particularly proud?
  6. What skill are you working to improve?
  7. Was you behavior today typical of the way you usually act in groups? Explain.
  8. How can you use what you learned in other life situations.
  9. What beliefs about yourself and others were reinforced today?
  10. Would you do anything differently if you were starting the activity again with this group.
  11. What would you like to say to the group members?

Problem Solving For Scouts

Daily we are make choices about lots of things. Some are easy and others very difficult. The difficult ones often are in relation to another person or persons. For adolescents, these relationship choices are very powerful and often painful. DELTA has designed some ways to help Scouts think about relationship problems and to then consider how to resolve these problems in an ethical way.

These are skills not unlike the ones developed in the games and are done within the same context that you use in reflecting.

To help you understand the problem solving strategy that DELTA is suggesting, you will first want to view the video ‘The Foxes and Hounds." This is a "stop and do" video that uses a fable to teach a strategy to solve problems. At two points in the video you are asked to turn off the TV and discuss the issue that’s been presented. (In Chapter 4, there is an extensive guide to using this film). After you are clear about how this strategy works, you may wish to then use the video with your scouts.

There is another ‘program help’ for problem solving and that is Right , Wrong, or What? a book of stories. The first section, ‘With Family and Friends" explores a number of dilemmas that many adolescents experience. Part two, "Inside Scouting," is specific to those conflicts that can and do arise in most troops. Although the stories are written from a young person’s perspective, the situations involving loyalty, honesty, and the like, extend into adult life. Thinking and talking about these stories are good ways for boys to check out what they might do in similar situations.

With some practice this activity then can be conducted by older boy leaders. In the back cover of the story book is a card that describes the problem solving strategy. It was designed to be a quick reference guide for you and is an abbreviated form of the following.

DELTA’s problem solving model

These 3 concepts are sequential steps a boy can take to frame a problem and help him see it in a larger context. It’s a way for a boy to organize his thoughts and weigh alternatives. These steps are defined as:

Here are some things for you to think about as you prepare to help Scouts think about problems.

Here are examples of questions that lead boys to consider these steps and are taken from "Right, Wrong or What?"

Empathy.

How would you feel if you were Harry?

Why do you think Dan denied being friends with Rick?

What made him think he would win?

Invention.

What ways could Peter work things out with Sharon?

What are three ways to solve this problem?

How could Doug have avoided shoplifting in the first place?

Selection.

Should Paul’s parents find out about the cheating?

How could John be friends with both groups?

Where should Tom’s loyalty lie?

The stories give you a good place to begin to try this strategy out. Like other DELTA skills, these problem-solving skills let Scouts take charge of a problem, instead of a problem taking charge of the boy.

Of course these skills require some work to learn. If Scouts are given the opportunity to practice them first in non-threatening situations, they hopefully will be able to think clearly when they face real-life problems.

The DELTA Good Turn

All ethics so far evolved rest on a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of independent parts… It implies a respect for his fellow members and also a respect for the community as such.

Aldo Leopold, "Sand County Almanac"

Doing a "good turn" is doing service and is one of Scouting’s oldest values. The DELTA Good Turn asks boys to become involved in their community in ways or with people they may have considered different, weird or of no consequence. When you, the leader help boys reflect on their experience of giving service, you are helping them learn what it means to truly be a citizen in this country. They will understand that difference is not good or bad, just different. They will come to experience the power which lies in joint action on a common concern. They experience how they "make a difference" in the lives of others. When done with justice and caring, this power is democracy in action. Democracy, in our system, is the right and obligations of citizenship individual and joint action. The experience of giving service and learning from the experience is one of the most powerful ways we can encourage ethical development of youth in America. It is also an essential ingredient for protecting and preserving our political democracy.

The following leader’s guide walks you through a four week planning calendar. The various worksheets that are described are available in a DELTA Program Materials Supplement.

Leader’s Guide for the DELTA Good Turn

The following is a Week-by-week planning for conducting the DELTA Good Turn (D.G.T.).

Week I

In the first week of the D.G.T., Scouts learn about the project and focus on community needs.

  1. Begin by showing the video "Make a Difference", discuss it with the Scouts, and give each boy the Scouts Overview. Both of these program aids will help you explain what the D.G.T. is about and why it’s important. They contain information he can share with his parents and others about the project.
  2. After this discussion, distribute the worksheets entitled "Things You Are Concerned About in Your Community." Lead a brain storming session, reinforcing the rules about brainstorming that are on the worksheets. You may wish to use big sheets of paper, flip charts, or blackboards for this activity.

    Note: It is important that you emphasize the idea that concerns and needs are based on the people of the community and not the community as a place. For instance, if a Scout suggests that his community has only one playground, you should might ask him to look at the people this problem affects. In this case, children don’t have a place to play. The positive impact of doing community service lies in the direct connection that a boy has with the people being served. He will come to see that he can make a difference.
  3. Distribute the "Community Concerns List." Ask the Scouts to take one home and complete it for the next meeting. Encourage them to talk with their parents, teachers, clergy, and others who can help complete the list. Those conversations might also yield ideas and unexpected resources for the D.G.T. The troop’s collection of these ideas will form the basis for deciding and planning its D.G.T. project.

This help sheet asks the Scout to focus on a few areas of interest, and to be creative about what the troop might be able to do. It could also start him thinking about those who could help him help others.

Week II

This week, Scouts collect and narrow the areas of concern and begin to consider project possibilities.

  1. Distribute the help sheet entitled "Things You Can Do About Community Concerns." Using a flipchart or blackboard, record the suggestions that Scouts share from the "Community Concerns List" they completed during the week. You might want to put the following headings on the board.

    CONCERNS
    SOLUTIONS
    GROUPS/AGENCIES
  2. Lead a brainstorming session in which the boys complete the first two categories. Remember to steer the ideas in the right direction – toward service to people – without slowing the exchange.
  3. Distribute the "Persons or Groups that Can Help Others" help sheet. In this critical step, help the boys consider what agencies or groups are advocates for or represent the people you want to help. Contact your local United Way for assistance. The Minneapolis chapter, for instance, helps groups by distributing a booklet called "Youth Makes A Difference," and will act as a clearing house for scout’s ideas with agencies.

    DELTA’s "Developing Volunteer Contacts" handout, your troop’s charter partner, and state and local offices of volunteer services can all provide you with agencies or programs who are ready to have Scouts volunteer.
  4. Have the Scouts vote or otherwise reach a consensus on one of two areas or concern for the final project.

Note: Community service providers are willing to do much of the work needed to put a project together. They are also accustomed to coordinating volunteers. When the Scouts have decided which group they would like to work with, it is your job as leaders to find a contact person at an agency who will act as a coordinator.

Week III

D.G.T. has been a big part of your troop program for two weeks. It’s time for a week off. During this week, however, troop leadership will have two important tasks.

  1. Contact community service providers who work in the Scouts’ areas of concern. Recruit the person who will act as coordinator and establish lines of communication with that person for the Scouts.

    This coordinator can also help identify specific projects for the boys. While the final project may not be exactly what the Scouts had in mind, it must be close enough to allow Scouts to know they had a major voice in the final outcome.
  2. Draw up a tentative service schedule for scouts. (The coordinator can help with this.) Scouts should volunteer from two to three hours a month.

Week IV

At this meeting, you will describe the project to the Scouts. Tell them the project goals, who they will be working for, who will supervise them, and anything e1se they need to know.

Distribute the last help sheet, "D.G.T. Project Report." Help Scouts complete this form, which reflects on the process they have just completed. Here’s a good place for the troop committee to help with the scheduling and with the Scout’s reports. Send these reports home to parents, to ensure that they know about the project and the schedules.

Some Additional Thoughts …

Motivation: In order for this project to work, the boys must be motivated about the project. As a leader, refer to the positive opportunities this project offers. If the boys seem discouraged about the effort that must go into helping others, remind them about the canoe trip in the video "Make A Difference." Sometimes you won’t know what there is to "get" out of something until it’s over.

Leadership: Older boys, like those in Leadership Corps or Senior Patrols should be directly involved in planning for D.G.T. They will get as much or more out of this as the younger boys. It’s good experience for them to contact agencies, figure out schedules, and arrange transportation. Adult leaders may consider volunteering too!

Transportation: This can be a real detriment to a successful project. The troop committee and leadership corps should work transportation problems out so that no Scout is denied the opportunity to be involved for lack of a ride. Parents should be heavily solicited for this part of the project.

Finally …

Once your Scouts are well under way with their project(s) you will want to periodically meet with them in small groups to reflect on their experiences. In the video "Out of the Woods," Andy and his Scoutmaster take a few minutes in the meeting to talk about his friend at the nursing home. Andy understands that Mrs. Johnson has come to depend on his visits and that she smiles a lot when he’s there. He is able to tell his Scoutmaster "I feel like I’m really making a difference in her life." The other side to this is that Mrs. Johnson is making a difference in Andy’s life too!

The time you take with your Scouts to talk about these experiences guarantees that they will get the maximum benefit from the DELTA Good Turn.

Program Settings For DELTA

DELTA activities are designed for traditional Scouting settings. To be most effective, troops would integrate DELTA activities into their year long planning. A sample guide is included in the appendix and 11"xl7" planning forms are also available in the Program Supplements packet. Most troops who have worked with the DELTA materials agree that it takes about a full year for leaders to get really used to these activities and to build them into their year plans. It takes effort but the overwhelming response is that it’s well worth the effort. The best place to begin DELTA is at camp. The following suggests a way to implement DELTA at a resident camp.

DELTA At Camp

Troops sign up for DELTA as a program option that is staffed by camp personnel. It would involve four hours in the program schedule for a troop with additional time (approximately 2 hours) for training adult leaders early in the week. The two troop activities should be scheduled so they do not interfere with merit badge opportunities.

Problem solving activity. This can be an ethical journey, a role play, or a campfire session using DELTA stories. This activity gives Scouts a chance to focus on their responsibilities for others, and a chance to learn DELTA’s problem solving strategy.

Cooperative activities at the C.O.P.E. course. (Challenging Outdoor Physical Encounter). The entire troop is actively involved in low course activities and initiative games. Leaders observe the staff role modeling the way to conduct the games that are in this book, especially the reflection component.

One other activity of your choice. This gives you a chance to try out one of the activities in this book. It might be a DELTA Good Turn for some person(s) in your camp, i.e. a mentally handicapped troop or dining hall staff. Or, you might want to try leading a game and reflection. A teachable moment may occur and DELTA skills can help you help your scouts make sense of the event.

Scouts may earn a DELTA segment for their camp patch after completing these activities.

DELTA Flavored Events.

Camporees are a great place to insert the initiative games and Scout Skills that are outlined in this book. A number of camp staff have woven some of these activities into their camp-wide events or program areas (conservation area or waterfront). Counselor-In-Training and Senior Patrol Leader orientation programs have used these activities as a part of their course structure as have junior Leader Training Courses.

DELTA Program Materials

The following program materials are available to help you get started with DELTA.

Some Considerations When Working With Youth

Be aware of the range of developmental levels within the group.

This is the message in Chapter Two. DELTA’s video "Ages and Stages" illustrates some of those differences and highlights some of the most common mistakes we can make with kids, like ‘bigger is more mature’. It comes down to looking at each boy individually and not making assumptions about him based on other boys his age.

Practice Effective Communication patterns

Adults tend to talk at children and not with them. There are some ways to think about communication with your children or the Scouts in your troop.

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April 14, 1996