Take the Aggressiveness Truth TestExcerpt from Temper and Tantrum Tamers, published by Youth Change Workshops, www.youthchg.com. Permission granted to print once. Please do not re-distribute.
Goal: To teach students what is aggressive behavior, and to assist aggressive students who deny that they have a problem with aggressiveness, to consider if their behavior is considered aggressive by others.Materials: Chalkboard, chalk, pens, one copy for each student of the "The Aggressiveness Truth Test."
1. _ Inform the students that they will be learning about aggressive behavior. Draw an outline of a person on the board, and ask the students to draw on the outline to illustrate aggressiveness. Ask the students to use the phrase "swear words" instead of writing actual profane words. Discuss the completed picture with the class, and note that now all the students know what aggressiveness is, and can no longer honestly say "I didn't know that behavior was aggressive."
2. _ Ask the students to discuss where and how children learn aggressiveness and elicit answers such as "by watching violent movies" or "from the all the hitting and punching that happens in our neighborhood". Assist the class to identify that there are many opportunities to learn aggressive behavior.
_ Ask the students to consider how well aggressive conduct works in the activities they are involved with. Assist the students to notice that aggressiveness can put them into conflict with community, school and work place rules and laws. Assist the class to discuss that although youth can be exposed to a lot of aggressiveness, especially through the media, in the real world aggressiveness can lead to legal, community and school sanctions.
3. _ Ask the students to discuss if any of the class members have problems with aggressiveness. Permit even aggressive students to assert that they do not use aggressive conduct. Ask the students to determine if their perceptions are accurate by taking the "The Aggressiveness Truth Test". To take the test, the class must assist each student to identify four adults and four peers who have extensive contact with the student, and would be aware of any aggressive conduct. To complete the test, a student must ask each of the selected adults and peers to honestly complete the test, as directed on the test form. (To best ensure that this test will accurately reflect the student's level of aggressiveness, be sure that many of the adults and peers selected perceive the aggressive student as aggressive, and will reflect this perception on the test.) The completed tests can later be reviewed and discussed by the class, with a focus of beginning to assist the aggressive student to understand that s/he may have a problem with aggressive conduct.4. _ Review the major points of this lesson:
You now clearly know what aggressiveness is, and can no longer honestly say "I didn't know that behavior was aggressiveness."
There are many opportunities to learn aggressive behavior, but in the real world, aggressiveness can lead to legal, community and school sanctions.
Although you may not feel that you act aggressively, the peers and adults who have extensive contact with you, may feel that the truth is that you do have problems with aggressive conduct.
The Aggressiveness Truth TestEach of the participating adults and peers should write in the small blanks, the number of times, they estimate that they say the following phrases (or similar ones) to you each week. The adults and peers can add into the larger blank spaces, one or more additional phrases they also say to you.
Do Adults Think You are Too Aggressive?
"If you do that again, I'm going to have to send you to the...principal, parole officer, counselor, etc."
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Adult #1: ___ Adult #2 ___ Adult #3 ___ Adult #4 ___"Unless you stop, I'm going to have to call your...mother, parole officer, counselor, etc."
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Adult #1: ___ Adult #2 ___ Adult #3 ___ Adult #4 ___"You're going to have to leave if you continue to..."
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Adult #1: ___ Adult #2 ___ Adult #3 ___ Adult #4 ___"Get your hands off of...that, her, him, them!"
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Adult #1: ___ Adult #2 ___ Adult #3 ___ Adult #4 ___Adults can insert their own phrase here: ___________________________________________________
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Adult #1: ___ Adult #2 ___ Adult #3 ___ Adult #4 ___Do Your Peers Think You are Too Aggressive?
"Leave me ALONE!"
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Peer #1: ___ Peer #2 ___ Peer #3 ___ Peer #4 ___"Get your hands off of my...!!"
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Peer #1: ___ Peer #2 ___ Peer #3 ___ Peer #4 ___"Stay away from me! You're hurting me!"
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Peer #1: ___ Peer #2 ___ Peer #3 ___ Peer #4 ___"Give me that back! That's mine"
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Peer #1: ___ Peer #2 ___ Peer #3 ___ Peer #4 ___"Stop saying that!"
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Peer #1: ___ Peer #2 ___ Peer #3 ___ Peer #4 ___Peers can insert their own phrase here: ___________________________________________________
Number of times/week this phrase is said to you by:
Peer #1: ___ Peer #2 ___ Peer #3 ___ Peer #4 ___SCORE YOUR RESULTS: If adults or peers must comment on your aggressiveness more than:
8 or more times each week: Others have a problem with your aggressive behavior.
12 or more times: Your aggressiveness is a big problem to others.
More than 18 times: Everyone but you may be noticing your aggressive conduct.
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