Activity V

Activity #5: The PAA Walk

Description

This activity sets the foundation for a positive school year. It defines roles and delineates forms of behavior. Though it may seem somewhat childish, it works for all ages.

Objectives

• To have students understand the difference between passive, assertive and aggressive behavior.
• To encourage assertive behaviors rather than aggressive or passive behaviors.

 

Requirements & Materials

Group Size:     classroom

Time:               20 minutes sometime in the first week of school

Space:              classroom

Materials:        chalk or white board

Directions

1        Write the three words up on the board: passive, aggressive and assertive.

2        Keep assertive for last.

3        Ask for some definitions or words to describe passive behavior.

4        Tell students to think of something in the classroom that they want to go get or a part of the room they want to go to. Ask them to come up with a thing or a place.

5        Ask the students to stand, walk around the room and try to go get their “thing” or go to their place in the room but to act in a passive manner as described earlier. Give up to a minute for students to walk around the room.

6        Process the “passive walk”.   Ask students to describe what they saw, heard, felt in the room? How were people acting? Did they actually acquire the thing they wanted or get to the place they desired to go? Why or why not?

7        Now discuss aggressive. Ask students for some definitions or words to describe aggressive behavior.

8        Tell students to think of that thing in the room they want or the area in the room they want to get to and to act in an aggressive way or do the aggressive walk. Add: no hurting each other. Give up to a minute for the aggressive walk.

9        Process the “aggressive walk”.   Ask students to describe what they saw, heard, felt in the room? How were people acting? Did they actually acquire the thing they wanted or get to the place they desired to go? Why or why not?

10    Now discuss assertive. Ask students for some definitions or words to describe assertive behavior.

11    Tell students to think of that thing in the room they want or the area in the room they want to get to and to act in an aggressive way or do the aggressive walk. Give up to a minute for the assertive walk.

12    Process the “assertive walk”.   Ask students to describe what they saw, heard, felt in the room? How were people acting? Did they actually acquire the thing they wanted or get to the place they desired to go? Why or why not?

13    Lead a discussion on comparing the three behaviors discussing the difference in body language, eye contact, volume of the voices etc. Which ones felt better – happier and safer? Which felt worse – intimidating and scary?

14    Back to the black/white board. One way to describe the three behaviors is: Aggressive is “in your face”. Passive is “about face” (turned away) and assertive is “face to face”.

15    Lead a discussion about choosing our behaviors and the consequences of not putting out what we truly want to reveal: like being passive when we really want to be assertive, etc.

 

Extensions

• Discuss PAA behaviors as it relates to bullying or mean behavior. Discuss eye contact and body language.
• Discuss PAA behaviors as it relates to dating or being with friends or interviewing for a job.