What If …

I n the context of educational problem solving, "What if?" questions seem to be pervasive. In question-and-answer periods which usually follow any in-service workshop or other problem-solving meeting, the questions almost always have a "What if?" perspective. Like, "Yes, but," "What if?" is a question posed in the face of nearly any potential solution. Educators never seem to run out of hypothetical situations that could arise, throwing a proverbial monkey wrench into well thought out plans. After all, experience shows that if anything can go wrong, it will! There are an infinite number of situations and circumstances contributing to human behavior—and behavioral predictions. Children, especially known for wide variations of behavior, consistently thwart teachers' and researchers' efforts to pigeon-hole them into defined groups. True of so-called normal children, variability is doubly true for children served by special education. The conclusion to be drawn is that there will never be a single solution to a given problem involving a learning disabled or handicapped child because there is no such thing as these children having a single problem. Furthermore, the interactional patterns of what constitutes a child's personality, character, and behavioral repertoire are extremely complex. The view of some behaviorists that the only logical approach is to pick off the problems (modifying specific behaviors) one at a time is very limited. Most of the time, this approach misses the point that the person is a unique collection of attributes, the totality being quite different from the sum of his/her parts. In short, each problem is a composite of many problems, contributing to other problems, providing a solution to still other problems, and consequently requiring a very broad spectrum of potential solutions. For example, in reading a book for parents on how to interact with adolescents, the author's lists of do's and don'ts will not solve anything if taken as isolated actions. Usually the author is trying to convey a sense of wholeness or gestalt that contains within it some of the examples given. It is not a question of doing all the recommended activities or only doing one of them in response to a particular circumstance. It is the provision of a broad spectrum of solutions which consistently fit an interactional pattern that is at the heart of the matter. Problems are typically multiple and, hence, require multiple solutions. This is why the "What if?" approach is so crucial. Its major drawback is that it is time consuming—and sometimes stems from prevailing negativism. For example, ideas regarding the effective management of a child's behavior can be put forth in ten minutes. It may require two hours to address all the "What if?" questions. With regard to behavior, "What if?" questions usually escalate. "If a child loses his privilege to participate with others in a group activity as a consequence of his disruptive behavior, what if he continues to disrupt?" "If a student receives an after-school detention because three homework assignments have not been turned in, what if he does not report for detention?" "If a child is given a note to bring home to his parents describing his incomplete class work, what if the note never gets to his parents?" In these cases it is entirely possible that more time will be spent in trying to analyze the motives and/or needs of the student. Another approach that is more immediate and practical is to introduce consequences for certain kinds of behavior: as behavior escalates, so should the consequences. For example, when a student is placed in time-out for disruptive behavior and proceeds to disrupt this in-school "suspension" area, his parents should be notified immediately—and out-of-school suspension proceedings set in motion! Learning is a similar "What if?" process that has been systematized by programmed instruction. Criterion tasks are analyzed into smaller tasks which are then sequentially organized from an initial behavior through more progressively complex steps. Theoretically, each step or task draws upon knowledge gained from the successful completion of prior tasks and adds an additional increment of new demand, leading toward mastery of the criterion task. "What if?" thinking results in side tracks, giving the learner needed extra help and/or practice. What if the learner failed to master the task of counting by fives, one step in a sequence leading toward the ability to read time from a clock? An optional track is offered in the program that leads a learner to mastery of counting by fives so then he proceeds with the remainder of the program. Asking "what if?" questions is a very important part of problem solving in the realm of learning and behavior. What if we didn't ask these questions? Many potential solutions would remain undiscovered.