After reading Chapter 4, Attribution Theory, choose one of the three questions below - and provide us with examples that are pertinent to your classroom/situation.
1) How can helping students understand the concept of attribution theory help them gain self-efficacy? Give examples of how adults can do this.
2) Discuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem?
Is there anything you would do differently now?
3) List several ways teachers communicate both positive and negative expectations i the classroom. Record both verbal and nonverbal cues. Can you describe some that are subtle but still powerful?
Additional Resources:
Attribution Theory in the Classroom
Attribution Theory
Attribution Theory in the Classroom via Prezi
Learned Helplessness
Avoiding Learned Helplessness
Strategies to Combat Learned Helplessness
7 Keys to Effective Feedback
Tips for Providing Students with Meaningful Feedback
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
***Next week we will read and discuss Chapter 5, Mindset - The Key to Self-Motivation.
***Have a great week :)
1) I believe that as educators when we teach students that their success is based off of their own skill level or ability level this would in turn help them with their self-efficacy. If a student can state they are successful in a particular area, such as art, PE, music, reading, skipping, etc. this would in turn help build their self-esteem which we would hope in turn build up their self-efficacy in all areas of life.
ReplyDelete2) Learned helplessness- is an evil factor of education. I've encountered so many students over my time that have learned helplessness from not tying their shoes to I can't read this it's too hard. Students will learn that they can't do something if we as parents and educators continue to do for them instead of helping them learn or teach them that they can do something. It may take them awhile but hopefully they learn the skill. I will be the first to admit that I have given in to learned helplessness often for the sake of time. A student can't open their locker so we put a lock with a key instead of having them learn the combination lock, to tying a student's shoe instead of taking the time to teach them how to tie.
What would I do differently today- I would instill more patience in teaching a child/student a new task. I know I've often been hurried in going to recess, art or catching the bus home that I've just tied the shoe. We must encourage all our children that they can do task and encourage them for the task at hand at their level.
3) Expectations: Are you sure you want to turn that in?
Who helped you with your work?
Teacher gives a raised eyebrow look to a student when they are trying to work at their level.
Good job!
I expect everyone to have their work done by (such and such time).
Why isn't your work done?
Where is your work?
I appreciate your quietness.
I like the way you work together.
Can you stop making that noise?
Can you stop drumming your fingers?
"Students will learn that they can't do something if we as parents and educators continue to do for them instead of helping them learn or teach them that they can do something".....AMEN Nancy!!!Thank you for your list of expectations!
Delete#2
ReplyDeleteOver the years, I have had many students who struggled with learned helplessness. Their stories have a level of commonality. The students were passed along in earlier grades, never learning the appropriate introductory skills. Now they feel like they are so far behind in their class, that there is no point in catching up. Many of my students face this difficulty, with math in particular, because skipping the fundamental classes would certainly limit comprehension of more advance courses. During enrollments, I would hear students and parents both vent their apprehension for upcoming math course requirements. I would also be amazed at how some parents have totally made the determination that their child just cannot master a certain subject and wanted that to be a disclaimer before the student even gives it a shot.
On many different levels, I really do understand their plight. In courses like math, if the student misses one level, the next level could be way beyond the student’s zone of proximal development. I typically respond with sympathy but also with confidence that the student will be able to reach his or her goal if they try. I share testimonies of many students who master the math courses after facing the same obstacles. I articulate to the student and the parent that our curriculum is self-paced, so the student can go as slow as he or she needs to, to truly master each point before moving on. Also our staffs are here every step of the way to help them.
What I have found is that my confidence is infectious and almost a relief to the parents. My confidence would elevate the parental expectation for the students, to which usually makes the parents happy. However, the students are not usually so easily convinced. To convince the students that the curriculum is not over their head, a lot of one-on-one attention might be needed. I have found that initially, the personal attention is more geared to build their confidence. It’s almost like teaching a child to ride a bike. At first, you hold on to the bike to give them momentum. But once the wheels pick up speed and the child finds the freedom in their control of the bike, they ASK you to let go. I have the same experience with helping students with the curriculum. After we go through some lessons, and the student recognized that the math lessons aren’t hieroglyphics, they don’t want my help anymore.
One thing that I feel like will help me in the future is providing very specific affirmative or constructive feedbacks. Even subtle feedback or encouragement on student’s note taking skills or their perseverance to complete a test can reinforce the idea that the student is in control of their academic progress. My experience is that students can often feel like they are lost in their academic rat race. I need to constantly press the point that they hold the reins in their academic career.
"I have found that initially, the personal attention is more geared to build their confidence. It’s almost like teaching a child to ride a bike. At first, you hold on to the bike to give them momentum"...This is a PERFECT example of scaffolding Andrew...thank you for sharing this week!
DeleteTo help build my students self-efficacy, I always like to use real life examples. As an educator I must BELIEVE in my students and with the proper encouragement, modeling, practice, and effort students can rise to the occasion! My personal example that I love to use is Michael Jordan...I start off with asking the children if they think he became an expert by shooting the ball one time? I then go into my explanation that he had to shoot the basketball 10,000 times to before he became an expert. Reminding them that this same scenario applies to many of lives challenges. I let them know that with effort on our part, "we" can become skilled at the task at hand! I also, quote from the movie "Eddie the Eagle" and that we never give up! Lastly, I remind that we get what we put in and E is for EFFORT!
ReplyDelete2. Learned helplessness is one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome with students. It takes a lot of one-on-one attention and celebration for small steps. This is extremely difficult in large classes, and I find myself sometimes faced with the question of whether I am spending too much time with one student while neglecting others that "want to work." Of course, when I start feeling this way, I realize that maybe I'm just creating an excuse because students with learned helplessness can be extremely difficult. This leads to all kinds of behaviors such as arguing, passive resistance, blaming the teacher, or acting out. Dealing with students that have developed learned helplessness many times puts the teacher in the role of "the mean teacher" because you have to push the student to work at something that they truly believe is impossible. It's like telling someone that they will not fall after they have developed a terror of heights. It's scary for these students and frustrating to an extreme. To get students to work, one has to first make the student see their own potential and this can be very difficult. I usually look for any opportunity to prove to them that they do have ability. One strategy I use is a interest inventory on the first day of class. I tell students that I just want to learn a little bit about them, so I provide a list of questions or a short essay titled "All About Me." Students do not feel threatened by this because there isn't a grade, and the answers cannot be wrong. I just ask them to write in complete sentences, so I can understand what they are writing about. Sometimes one has to be a bit broad with the facts to initiate effort. This activity also illustrates students that really have difficulties with writing and those that do not. When a student insists that they cannot write, I use their initial writing to show them that they do have this ability. We then use this as a building block to other types of academic writing. When introducing new concepts, I usually begin with something simple. This also provides a base for these students from which to work. Both of these activities emphasize the importance of small steps and lead to self-efficacy. It also helps if other adults are not enablers. These students are masterful at getting adults to do their work for them. Many adults feel like they are helping these "poor kids" when they give them the answers or complete projects for them. Unfortunately, this behavior undermines any progress a teacher can make with these students in the classroom and only leads to failure for the students in the future when faced with a task that they have to complete by themselves.
ReplyDeleteHow can helping students understand the concept of attribution theory help them gain self-efficacy? Give examples of how adults can do this.
ReplyDeleteIn order to help my students build self efficacy I used my up bring life experiences growing up at Lagos, Nigeria with 10 sisters, and four elder brother and had to walked 6 miles to and from school without any of our living parents. I encouraged students to see the beauty of life from inside out when seating in the classroom listening to teachers or seating in the cafeteria chatting with friends. I encouraged self discovery by explaining to students to understand themselves as learners. My students also tell me that they gets in trouble because teacher is picking on them or don't like them for some reason. I encouraged them to reflect on the development of conflict resolution skill sets, knowledge, and performances that helps them envision great future.
"I encouraged them to reflect on the development of conflict resolution skill sets, knowledge, and performances that helps them envision great future"...this is an excellent skill you are giving them for life! Thank you so much for sharing this week Ikudabo!!!
Delete#3 Ways to communicate positive and negative expectations in the classroom. Positive Nonverbal cues: thumbs up, a smile, behavior charts, eye contact, clapping hands, physical proximity, eye contact. Positive verbal cues: Greeting students by name, giving compliments, saying thank you to students who followed directions.
ReplyDeleteNegative nonverbal cues: crossing arms, shaking a finger, finger to closed lips, frowning. Negative verbal cues: Calling out a student who isn't doing the expected behavior, raising your voice, tone of voice. A positive verbal cue that works in my classroom is saying: Thank you K for standing in line quietly. Other students want to be complimented too or acknowledged for doing the right thing too. Positive Nonverbal cue that is powerful is eye contact with a smile. This shows approval and it helps the student feel valued. A verbal negative that is powerful is saying, "I'll wait." It's subtle by saying only a couple words, but the students know that we aren't moving on until they are quiet and ready.
It amazes me how effective nonverbal cues are as well. As we progress throughout the year, I am able to handle most issues through nonverbal cues rather than the verbal ones. Eye contact and a smile accomplish more than I think we will ever realize.
DeleteA perfect example of implementing positive classroom behavior Annastasia...thank you for sharing this week!!
Delete2) Discuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem?
ReplyDeleteIs there anything you would do differently now?
Teaching in a school that is in a low-socioeconomic area (74% free and reduced lunch) I encounter many children on a yearly basis who show indications of learned helplessness. I teach my students the power of education. They learn that their attitude and effort are the only things they have complete control over. Children need to see a connection between their attitude and effort and their level of success. I believe that kids are what you tell them they are. If students who show signs of learned helplessness can experience some success, then they can start to believe in their potential in the classroom and in life. I do an exercise with my students involving all of the characters from the story of Winnie the Pooh. The lesson deals with all of the personality traits of the various characters in the stories. First, I write the names of all the characters on the board and the students pick the character they believe they are most like. Then, I go through and talk about the personality traits of each character as represented in the stories. When we finish this discussion, the students are asked to pick again which character they are most like. It results in a lot of positive discussion about the types of character traits needed to be successful in life. I start seeming more effort out of students who had been showing signs of learned helplessness. They want to become the Owl, Kanga, or Rabbit in life and not Eeyore.
That is such a true statement: "kids are what you tell them they are." For some of my kids I have 2 years to undo 5-10 years worth of telling them they are worth little.
DeleteCould I get a copy of the activity that you do with your students? I would like to incorporate this into my daily routine. Thank you for such a great idea :)
Send me your email address and I'll send it your way.
Deletejtodor@ecsc.k12.in.us
#2
ReplyDeleteI have taught students with learning disabilities who have shown indications of learned helplessness. They have struggled with Reading and see themselves as not being able to learn or not being as good as their peers. Since Reading extends across every content area, I have had a few that try to say they aren’t good in any subject in school because they “don’t know how to read.” In these instances, I have pulled materials that were at their level and shown them that they can learn the same things as their peers. I also tracked each student’s progress to show them that they are learning. Constant feedback about their achievements was so important for these students.
I have also worked with students who have come from backgrounds where they can say something is hard and give up easily, or they have someone do the work for them. Parents have told me that their child struggles in school, right in front of that student. I tell them that we are going to work together to make progress in their learning. Students who didn’t try very hard would sometimes stop working, during work time in class, and say they would just take their work home so someone would “help” them. I had those students come work with me so I could encourage and help them on their work. If they were struggling with a concept, I would go back to the basic skills and build them up. It was difficult at times to get these students to believe in themselves. I also had students keep graphs in their data folders so they could see that they were making progress in each skill area. They celebrated those successes, big or small, by putting stickers on their graphs. This really encouraged some of those students.
Sometimes it was a struggle to work with the students who felt that way about themselves when you knew there were capable of doing the work. One thing I wish I would have done more of with my entire class was to help them see that everyone has problems and fears, but we can overcome those obstacles. Maybe then it would have helped my other students to be a part of assisting those who struggled with believing in themselves.
Adults that help students to understand the concept of attribution should provide effective feedback. Whether or not the student verbalizes this need, all students want and need feedback. They, similar to adults, need to know how they align to the end goal. Are they headed in the direction they should be? Are they grasping the foundational concepts that will allow them to develop more abstract reasoning skills? I have noticed in my student a sense of desperation when they don’t see the path that lies ahead. They need that direction and feedback.
ReplyDeleteI have not been intentional in providing them with specific feedback. I find the authors comments on feedback intriguing: “it [feedback] should not judge, label, accuse, excuse or even praise. The purpose of feedback is to provide instructive knowledge that will enhance the student’s performance.”
It is interesting to note that this feedback comes often in the form of questioning. Questioning puts the ball back in the court of the student, helping him understand his own reasoning. When a student is able to unlock his personal reasoning, the world opens to a developing mind. It turns the focus to the things the student can control and therefore helps them take more responsibility. If he can tangibly manipulate the things he can control, he will develop self-motivation and be more willing to accomplish the goals set forth.
MY ELL and students with learning disabilities struggle the most with learned helplessness. I daily see them pretend to write notes, sit and wait for the answers to be given, and tell me that everything is too much. One of the first things I do at the beginning of the school year is to have the discussion with the students about reactive and proactive language. The chart goes up within the first two days highlighting examples of both. They usually chuckle when we make the reactive words/phrases list because the words are so familiar to them (I can't, it's too much, it's too hard, _____ didn't have to, etc.) This chart is something that I refer back to regularly during the year. For each reactive phrase we create a proactive alternative. Every Monday we watch an Eric Thomas video school-wide. This is done right after announcements. Eric Thomas talks about having grit, not making excuses, setting goals, that anything worth having is worth working hard for, and nothing is going to be handed to you in life. These are the messages many of these kids need to hear. The trick is to make it personal to them. I regularly point out places where they can do better with more effort, or places where they have improved because they put in the work. Yes, I still have kids that put their heads down and check out they can usually be turned around with some reminders of previous successes attributed to hard work. They have learned that some of those reactive phrases are self defeating.
ReplyDeleteI'm going rogue here, I guess. After reading the example of Vincent's fabulous landscape drawing, I just can't shake a memory from my youth. It's worth sharing.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I was sandwiched between two stepsisters-one three months older and one 9 months younger. No room for competition there, right? The one who was in the same grade with me at school certainly suffers from an undiagnosed learning disorder. We didn't focus much on those in the 70s when she and I were children.
As she and I approached our high school years, my stepmom sat us down and laid out her expectations for our grades. I, "the smart one," would be expected to earn As because that is what I was capable of. However, she would accept an occasional B because she was so lenient. My stepsister was allowed to get Cs, and if she worked really hard, then a D might slip by.
I know that my stepmom expected me to cry, "That's not fair!" Instead, I just cried. There simply were not words to express what she had done to her own daughter.
As teachers, we forget sometimes, that no matter how good our intentions are, our zeal puts us into dangerous territory. I KNOW that I must certainly have done this kind of damage to a student with the praise of another, and it makes my heart hurt.
Now that I have new tools, I will try never to make that mistake again.
Shannon, I totally agree with you on how much we intended to praise one student but hurt few around them. As an educator in the office, I have a philosophy to never address a student in front of their classmates either good or bad. We have to be cultural sensitive to our students, parents and stakeholders when dealing with issues or concern. I'm enjoying reading and learning more form our book study and thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete2) Discuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem?
ReplyDeleteIs there anything you would do differently now?
It is hard to teach a child that has given up and thinks that they can't do something. I have a student currently that says I can't do math. I have never been able to do math. I have broken up what they are supposed to do in smaller steps. Once I broke it up they were able to see what the mistakes they were making. I just had to teach them that they could do the work as long as they knew the basics. By the time some of my kids get to the alternative school they have already been told that they can't do certain tasks. I have to build their school esteem back up to show them that they can actually do the work and earn their credits to graduate. When I have a new student come in my room I have talked with their guidance counselor and we have discussed the classes that they need. I will then talk with the student to find out what subject area they like the most and will start out with that subject. I have found that if I can start a kid out on a class that they might enjoy they seem to have more success in my class.
As a special education person, I find this technique of breaking instruction and curriculum down into small parts is a manageable strategy for the students who have slower processing.
Delete#3 - There are several ways teachers communicate both positive and negative expectations to their students. One way I communicate expectations to my students is I have a window set up with signs that say ‘Danger Zone’ and ‘Good Choices’. Each week when I have the students do a grade check on their core grades, they have to then move their name tag to the appropriate window. If they have a D or F then they are in the danger zone and they have to answer to me why they have that grade and how they are going to get it up. They keep track of their grades week by week. I also communicate expectations to student my verbal praise, telling them I am proud of them, saying way to go, you knocked that one out of here, and other things to let them know how pleased I am with them for doing well. To communicate to the students I am disappointed or do not approve of that behavior, I give them a look, stand close to them and talk quietly telling them I don’t like their choices. I also will move their seats to the front of the room and not allow them reward times or incentives on their ipads. I remind students continually to do their best, try hard and make good choices. It is fun to watch the kids as they get older and see me other places and they remind me of how I would tell them to make good choices. My number one classroom rule is “honesty, respect, and responsibility”. I love when I come in contact with students even many years after being their teacher, they can tell others my number one rule.
ReplyDeleteI am an individual that loves the 4 key principles for self fulfilling prophesy. I am big on that teachers and adults need to be good role models for youth and to set expectations high for kids to reach, but not too high that they feel they are unattainable. It is great to see kids reach goals and want to set new ones to work for higher expectations.
" have a window set up with signs that say ‘Danger Zone’ and ‘Good Choices’. " HA! Love this Haidee! Thank you for sharing this week!
Delete1) How can helping students understand the concept of attribution theory help them gain self-efficacy? Give examples of how adults can do this.
ReplyDeleteI think the key to helping children understand the attribution theory is all about the effective feedback we provide to our students. Examples given of effective feedback were very specific and detailed that let the student know what he was capable of and coinciding with that, what was expected of them. I've been guilty of the general comments, "that looks great," "Yep it looks finished, turn it in and I'll look at it later." Kids strive for feedback from their teachers. If we can be more deliberate in our words, kids will begin to understand more of what is expected out of them and what they are capable of achieving. Currently, my 7th graders are working on measuring skills in both standard and metric units. Providing direct feedback and encouraging different strategies helps provide the feedback they need to keep going or reassess and think of a new strategy.
2) Discuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem?
ReplyDeleteIs there anything you would do differently now?
I have taught some students over the years who say "I can't do _________". Most of the time they say math (especially when working with fractions and decimals), and few have said reading. These students usually don't try any of the work, and they are the ones who would just sit there and not ask questions.
I found it helpful to pull this student aside and work individually with them. Giving them baby steps where they can be successful. That confidence builds, and eventually, they are willing to try. The hurdle to get over is when they put all this work into a problem, and they get it wrong. This is where we look over the problem and give them positive feedback over the steps they did right. It takes a lot longer to work on one skill for these students, but I feel it makes a bigger impact over the school year.
2) Discuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem?
ReplyDeleteIs there anything you would do differently now?
This was a very interesting chapter and I thought of many examples both currently and in my past as an educator. Students come to school with certain skill sets. Sometimes parents assume they are helping their child by do homework with them or by double checking the child's homework. I have seen students become so dependent on having adult approval on school work that they become stressed that the worksheet or the project might not be "right". The process of learning has become a process of approval.
Currently, I oversee the Special Education program in the school district. Some students have experienced so much failure that they just give up. They feel as though they should even try because they won't be successful.
Strategies that we have used include, extending time for completion, breaking down the assignment into smaller segments, frequent brain breaks, modifying the assignment of test by reducing the number of questions, offering word banks,utilizing technology to allow text to speech and speech to text, and recording the assignment on the iPad. The learned helplessness can be turned around. Students need to build confidence and be taught strategies.
Have you ever had a student who studies and works hard for a test, takes the test, does great.....then says, "It was so easy, I shouldn't have spent so much time studying for it!" Then you try to explain that it only felt easy because they worked so hard to master the material. They are totally missing their success!!
ReplyDeleteToday I witnessed "fear of failure". I was working with a small group of third grade students on perimeter. Each child was to measure the sides of a cut-out shape, add the sides, and record the perimeter on the answer sheet. I modeled how to do one, then let them begin, telling them that I would circulate around the group and help when needed. One girl in the group completed one and called me over, "Did I do this one right?" It was her first one, so I checked it and she had. I instructed her to do another. She did and called me over. Again, "Did I do that one right?" I replied that she had and now that she had the hang of it to just keep going. Yet she raised her hand again to ask if the next one was right. I refused to answer her. I said, "You know how to do it, keep going. I'll check it at the end." In the end she missed some, but she knew the process. I took one step in helping break that fear of failure.
I am probably most guilty of non-specific feedback. While I try to give feedback that is task specific, I'm a "Good job!", "Awesome!, and "You rock!" kind of compliment-giver too. I anticipate reading chapter five.
3. The successful teacher must blend both verbal and nonverbal cues to their students. Communication skills are crucial in establishing a great rapport with your students. Direct eye contact is the beginning for all nonverbal cues. Eye contact is a main indicator of how open the lines of communication are between the teacher and the class. When observing my students at work I use the whole classroom. When walking around I indicate approval to them with a head nod and a smile. The simple things go a long way. The saying " A picture is worth a thousand words" is so true. Our faces give away so much of what we are thinking. Some other cues I use are my hand to chin to represent thinking and hands out and palms up to let students know that now is a time for questions. Nonverbal communication promotes a productive learning environment. Which is something we all strive for.
ReplyDelete#2: I teach second graders and any time that they are given a difficult problem or challenging task to complete-the immediate response by many students is "I can't do this," "I don't know how to do this," "This is too hard." They don't even want to try, they become intimidated by the work and just want to quit or want me to immediately give them the answer so they don't have to try it on their own.
ReplyDeleteThere are various ways that I deal with this in my classroom. I always tell them to try it on their own to see how far they can get in finding the answer. This sparks some students to go try it on their own to see if they can conquer the challenge. There are still those students who are back at my desk or raising their hand a couple minutes later indicating that they tried and they can't do it. For those students, I continue to direct them to do the parts that they can and see if that helps to figure out the rest. After having students try the skill on their own, I then do small groups and during that small group time I go back through the questions/problems and we then work it out together. Then I get a lot of the "aha" moments when they realize that they remember doing this already and that it's not impossible for them to do :)
Casey I enjoy reading your response. I have educator telling me that students at the high school were grade level below in grade level and did not wants to try anything but wanted grade given to them. I do occasionally asked staff to demonstrate to me what they have done differently to reached this students. I stepped in to check coach teachers on how to engaged students and differentiated instructions. A week or so, I received information from teachers telling me how wonderfully kids performance in their classroom has increased or they are noticing some growth. I believe that sometimes, teschers have to re learned some set skills in order for them to better served kids.
Delete#3: There are many things that an educator can do to communicate positive and negative expectations. Smiling at students and talking "to" them and not "at" them is one way of setting the tone in the classroom. Students need to feel welcome in the classroom. I also call on students during classroom discussion and I call on different students to make sure that everyone is engaged in the discussion. I also give students time to answer my questions. If they seem to be struggling with a response, I give them possible clues or restate the question in a different way to hopefully get a response. I also respect every student's input and show that I appreciate their interactions in the classroom discussions. Positive encouragement goes a long way with students and makes them feel like they are successful. I've had so many students tell me that they don't like certain classes because the teacher doesn't make it fun. Learning should be fun. If a student is having fun and feeling successful in the classroom they will learn so much more and be more interactive and take ownership of their learning.
ReplyDeleteDiscuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem?
ReplyDeleteIs there anything you would do differently now?
Many of the credit recovery students in my classroom show indications of learned helplessness for various reasons: negative parental input (or none at all), unfortunately negative input from teachers they have had in the past and peers that show indications of learned helplessness. In the past, I had no idea what to do to deal with this problem….and admittedly allowed them to move on without completing tasks. Now that I am facilitating/teaching in an alternative education environment I see that this learned helplessness cannot be ignored! I have one student in particular that has a severe case of learned helplessness that I am working with to build his self-efficacy. He is talented at many things, but does not enjoy academics. He is a wonderful artists, welder, basketball player, and wrestler (the latter two he does not participate in at school). It has taken me over a month to get him to even let me read assignments aloud (he has an IEP) to help guide him through. He did experience some success this morning and I am building on this to help him see that is he just puts the time in to complete the lesson, even if it is by having it read aloud to him, that he is capable of completing assignments. I have several other students that have built their self-efficacy on their own by completing courses. It is obvious on their face that they feel confident about the fact that they “put the time in” and completed the task on their own.
I work at an alternative high school so I can relate to your post. Many of our students have not been successful at the regular high school because of poor home situations. At times they want to give up, but I encourage them as much as I can.
DeleteIn the past I worked as a special ed aide in a resource room. I spent quite a bit of time sitting with a student working through a worksheet or reading a book. Now I work at an alternative high school. Since my students work on Gradpoint, we don't do a lot of teaching. However, we do spend one-on-one time with students helping them with quizzes and tests as needed. Sometimes they get so frustrated when they can't pass a quiz or test. So I will sit with them and help them through it until they do pass. (Some of the questions are tricky!) I ask them questions and can usually help them narrow the answers down to two. From there we talk about which of the remaining two answers would work the best. They are usually grateful for the help. They have to have 80 percent correct in order to pass the quiz or test so knowing that they can earn As and Bs makes them feel good.
ReplyDeleteI can related to having kids work online but why they do have to obtain 80% to pass a test, what is your corporation grading scale looks like? We wanted every student's to be academically successful in our discipline but we should have them try then help them along the way just like you're doing in your classroom. I do appreciate online teachers because they work harder to differentiate instructions in different discipline subjects. Have you or your corporation explore PLATO?
DeleteI think we are switching to PLATO at some point. I've heard talks about it as well as seeing emails sharing info. The 80% is what the teacher set. The actual grading scale is different than what the other schools in our district use.
Delete#3. In my classroom I use a ton of nonverbal cues many times throughout the day. These cues communicate positive and negative expectations in any classroom. I have my students do thumbs up, in the middle, and thumbs down. A smile/frown, our behavior chart and I have a 0 to 4 scale that my students use throughout the day. I am a very positive reinforcer- I use a lot of compliments, saying please and thank you, giving out compliments, and greeting my students by name each and every morning with a high five following. I also give out high fives in the afternoon when they are dismissing. Some nonverbal cues: calling out students when not doing what they are expected, raising your voice, the tone of your voice are all negative cues. Like I said, I am a huge positive reinforce and I often give out compliments to those doing the right thing and have the other students look and see what they are going and fix their behavior. A nonverbal cue that my students know is “the look.” As soon as they see it, they know that they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing and correct themselves immediately. I also use a lot in my math class is the saying “I’ll wait” or I just stare at the clock. They know what that means and they get on task promptly. This tells them that I am ready and I’m waiting for them to get quiet and ready to learn!
ReplyDeleteNon verbal cues are great in every classrooms. As a school administrator, we often use non verbal cue and body language to tell our students if they are meeting expectations or not. The remarkable thing about using this technics is that you are not singly out one student or embarrassing them.
DeleteI thank you for sharing your classroom management strategies with us.
As a special education teacher, learned-helplessness is the evil villain I do battle with every day. So many here have already listed the many valid reasons why this issue plagues the life of students, particularly those with learning delays, differences, and disabilities. I address this topic in my classroom in indirect ways, when talking with students about the importance of independence and responsibility in middle-school..they ways they should be changing as they work on becoming adults. But to put it into practice takes deliberate work. When a student approaches me with something, "I can't find my library book," "I don't have lunch money," "I forgot my gym clothes," my response to them is always a calm, "Well, that's a bummer. How are you going to solve your problem?" The first time they experience this with me, the responses I get vary quite a bit, from perplexed silence, to a shrugged indifference, to a defensive retort. We walk through the thinking about the options they have, with me calmly asking if they would like my help, or if I may make a suggestion. In the end, whatever decision they reach, they act on with my support. A phone call is made, a replacement copy of last night's homework is obtained and completed, money is borrowed from the lunch fund... etc. Then, after the 'crisis' moment is over, we have a quick talk about things that led to them being in this predicament and what they can do about it in the future. Having them own their struggle and find a way to take action is a huge step for them. It may seem a small thing, this phrase and this chain of events, but it sets up a model for their thinking that we use as a class when we have classroom management issues, and when we encounter academic challenges as well. I have heard my students saying it to themselves and to each other when they work in my room, which I love. Knowing that they are addressing a challenge and considering their possible actions is a proud teacher moment.
ReplyDeleteDiscuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem? Is there anything you would do differently now?
ReplyDeleteAs a new teacher, and even as an experienced teacher, I find that learned helplessness is something that often sparks a teaching frustration in me. I have always taken a classroom motto that "Everyone can (and will) learn" and this phenomenon becomes a major teaching obstacle. Again, as a new teacher, this often caused me a great deal of frustration and I often reacted in a less than ideal way: by insisting to the child that they try harder, without truly helpful guidance. I can't say that I knew where this learned helplessness was coming from or that I had heard of the attribution theory at the time.
I believe I have done better, as I have gained experience in the classroom, at getting students to be less dependent upon me by asking them questions when they question me. I put off answering their question until they have given me at least a spark of their thinking (or even an idea of where their misunderstanding might lie).
One student comes to mind who is demonstrating learned helplessness quite clearly. She lives primarily with her father, who frequently tells her that she is a failure. I believe that is a large part of the reason that she feels she can't proceed with her work without being told what to do-even when she knows how to do it. I have to tread carefully and try to empower her, get her to realize she does have it within herself to do the work, and pass the torch so that this cycle does not repeat once she is no longer in my classroom.
I worry about a little boy in my class that I try to encourage daily. He has a horrible home life, a selfish, bullyish older brother and I wonder what will happen to him as gets in the upper grades. I want to place him with a fourth grade teacher next year that has a similar personality as I, but what happens after that?
DeleteIf we are thinking about the same girl, she came to my mind as well. I am conscious of empowering her, and giving her specific positive feedback on what she did to be successful on that specific problem.
DeleteI also thought about the rough two weeks you had after your class was told by someone else that they were disrespectful.
Learned helplessness frustrates me. Over the years, I have learned there is no one cure. What works for one student does not work for another. However, I have noticed it had only taken one person to create this issue. My students have been taught that nothing she/he does will make a difference because they are stupid or they can get someone to always give in to them.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I do when they enter my class is to explain the expectation that all students will try and do their best. I do not accept giving up or victim. Next, I start them in a on line class that they can be successful in. They usually sit by me so I can give encouragement. Over time I add harder classes and move them away from me. When there is a setback, we conference. 100% of the time it is due to fear. I remind them of all the support and the feelings they had when they succeeded. This is a LONG process. There is a lot of anger because I don't coddle or cave in. Currently, I have a student who is so helpless that all he does is sleep. He will not even get up to sign up for lunch. We no longer sign him up, so he goes hungry. He has been with me over 6 months. There has been no improvement. One of the reasons is because he is only with me 4 hours a day, if he comes to school. His parents give him whatever he wants and there is no accountability. This week I told him that he is welcome to sleep and I am here if he decides to work. Friday he paced most of the time, but refused to work or ask for help. He truly did not know what to do. I gave classroom prompts to help him out. One student offered to get him a computer. I thanked the student and said J could get his own. J got mad and pouted. Tuesday I plan to tape to his desk, a sheet showing step by step what to do. Then through non verbal communication I will "show" him what to do.
Jenn! I thank for sharing your mom-cooperative student attitude toward learning. Did you know if your student has ever be diagnosed for learning disability or emotional disability? You may want to try points system with reward for every progress. I will encourage taken a baby step when helping this young student of yours. I'm glad that some of your students are willing to be helpful to him.
DeleteIs that a high school student? Wow! I have a third grade student that CAN do the work but won't. She has had homework turned in with grandma's answer written beside the blank and the child has copied the answer. I have also had homework where the grandma just did it and the child turned it in. We had a meeting with the grandma a few weeks ago and she started in by having a fit and accused me of bullying her granddaughter. Wow! I was NOT prepared for that onslaught of negativity. I thought we were meeting to decide how to get this child some help but instead I was attacked and the counselor and asst. princicpal and I were all put on the defensive side. Nothing was accomplished. Hats off to you for dealing with kids with problems.
DeleteDuring my student teaching experience if presented with students exhibiting learned helplessness I would have tried to cheer up said student. I would have taken the time to show them again how I taught them do to something. I would even have made time for it after school – not during my planning time, because I desperately needed every second of that. I would have given extra practice, but I might not have gotten at whatever the problem really was. While I was indeed well meaning, this might not have been a very effective process.
ReplyDeleteCurrently I try to identify where in a process a student is struggling or giving up. It is important to see if they are making something harder than it has to be, or as Debbie puts it identifying “the difference between hard-work and strategic effort.” While I will still always voice my disagreement when a student tells she can’t perform a task, I will do my best to try different approaches. I try to draw out the information with questioning. What do you do here? Why do you do this? (After all, Japanese sentence structure does not function identically to that of English.) I do try to explain these reasons during notes, initially and in several examples. There is usually questioning from some students about whether or not they need to write everything down, especially the example sentences. I try questioning students on the examples and if someone can’t answer after a long wait, I will open the floor to volunteers, ask the same how and why questions to explain the process, and usually try get back to the first student with a similar question. Ideally this process prevents some problems in the first place if everyone pays attention the entire time. Going over everything piece by piece will usually get to the problem. If a student can identify how something worked in an example and how the example was similar, the rest often follows.
Discuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem?
ReplyDeleteIs there anything you would do differently now?
Discuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem?
Is there anything you would do differently now?
I have a student now, a boy, that expresses learned helplessness. In his eyes, his parents are poor, and he goes around trying to persuade people to feel sorry for him and to get some free handouts. He pretends that he has a sore throat so he can have a mint from my candy jar. I have told him that he can only have 1 before lunch and 1 after recess. Now I am going to restrict it even more. He also looks for help academically. He claims he doesn't know how to do the math or answer the questions for the reading passage, etc. Drives me crazy! I have an assistant who has tried to help him and I try as well but he just has the mindset (can't wait to read chapter 5!) that he can't do it. I have tried in the past to praise him but I see now that those may have been empty words to him.
In the future, I will try to help him see that he has some choices about his life. I will try to help him see that there are intrinsic causes that he can control and not extrinsic that he can't control. After reading this chapter I see that I need to focus on his improvement. I also need to give him effective feedback. I think that will help his self-esteem as well. Hopefully in the few short months that we have left together, maybe I can make a positive difference in this boy's life.
First, let me say that even though I have an initial degree in psychology, and am well aware of attribution theory, and the fact that kids will live up, or "down", to our expectations, I absolutely love the "litter" study! If that doesn't say it all, I don't know what does! I think it should be mandatory reading for every teacher candidate!
ReplyDelete#3) There are so many ways teachers can send a negative message to students:
"Every time we take a bathroom break there are problems."
"I know you don't get this math problem."
"I hate the bar model, but we need to teach it anyway."
"You are the fourth person that has asked me about this question when I have already explained it to the whole class!"
Nonverbal:
--fists on hips with elbows out while a student is explaining their point of view.
--dumping out a student's desk because it is unorganized.
Positives:
Verbal-
-- "I've noticed you have been getting your morning work done on time."
-- "Wow! Your fluency has really improved because you are working so hard at it; you don't give up!"
-- When a student shows a teacher their work: "It looks like you put a lot of thought into this, how does that make you feel?"
Non-verbals:
smiles
thumbs-up
pats on the back
I agree students live to your expectations. I really strive to hold high expectations and teach students the positive in every situation. I try to make as many connections to the real world so the students see the relevance. Sometimes we are the only cheerleader for our students and we need to promote a positive environment. Every student can learn, we need to find the best learning strategy or style for them.
DeleteThe section on effective feedback really stood out to me and how important it is to take extra care in making sure the feedback given will be useful and promote attribution. It also made me realize that the feedback I have been giving to students on an individual basis is specific and helpful, but when giving feedback to a student in a large group setting tends to be general, generic and ultimately not very helpful. For example, when students are singing or playing a solo in front of the group I find myself repeating the same phrase of praises and moving on to the next person without saying specifically what was done well or what needed to be improved. My goal for so long was to help students feel comfortable performing in front of each other and encouraging each other, but without learning to effectively and respectfully critique and evaluate each other. Definitely something I want to address and improve within my classroom.
ReplyDeleteBuilding positive relationships is the key to success in the classroom. The phrase says, "They don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." As stated in a previous post, I spend a lot of time building positive rapport at the beginning of the year. I really do not discipline this year. Every time I teach a new skill, when applicable, I show many different strategies so students can decide what works best for their learning style. Due to the positive environment, students feel as if they can take risks and I often tell the kids that I rather them try and get it wrong then not try at all. We all make mistakes, the key is that we all learn from them. Non-verbal clues which one was the tone set at the beginning of the year, smiling, and thumbs up. Verbal clues are celebrating everyone's success. We promote that our room is like our school family and we strive to be there for each other. Feedback from myself or their peers is positive and all have learned that feedback is to help them grow further in their education.
ReplyDeleteList several ways teachers communicate both positive and negative expectations in the classroom. Record both verbal and nonverbal cues. Can you describe some that are subtle but still powerful?
ReplyDeleteNonverbal Positive:
1. Smiling
2. Eye Contact
3. High Five
4. Thumbs Up
5. Pat on the back
6. Eye Contact
7. Hand Clap
8. Recognition Using a Certificate/Something written on the board
Verbal Positive:
1. Great Work!
2. Awesome job!
3. Keep up the good work!
4. I appreciate you getting right to work.
5. Thank you for working quietly.
6. Please/Thank you
7. Greeting both students by name and greeting each class (good morning, etc.)
Nonverbal Negative:
1. Lowering of head
2. Frowning/Scowl
3. Pointing of finger
4. Crossing arms
5. No eye contact
6. Eye rolling
Verbal Negative:
1. Raising your voice
2. Your “tone” of voice
3. There are so many different things I could say here! It would take forever to list!
I remember some of your strategies from the book I read few years ago " The first day if school" by Harry Wong. I will have to remember your strayegies to share with our younger staff. Thanks Lindsey.
DeleteQuestion #2 Discuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem?
ReplyDeleteIs there anything you would do differently now? Having taught in a regular classroom for 17 years I know how frustrating it is to see students who repeatedly display learned helplessness. It's frustrating when you have 25-28 students to manage and you want to focus on those kids who say they can't succeed. It's important to break learning tasks into smaller parts for these kind of students. Showing them small successes builds up to bigger successes. As an intervention teacher that focuses on 4-6 students at a time I can tackle learned helplessness by starting with small successful skills and building on. Classroom teachers struggle with having to go on with the curriculum in order to cover their standards. Again, modeling that mindset for my students is crucial. I often make my students verbally repeat positive statements like, "I WILL reach my goal!" I WILL work towards my goal!"
Good thoughts. I agree I have small groups and I have th advantage of being able to break down the steps whereas the classroom teachers do not .
DeleteTeachers communicate both positive and negative expectations in the classroom. I have a quote posted in the front of the room, right on the top of the smart board. The quote reads, "Are you becoming who you want to be?" (I do not remember where I got the quote). Additionally I remind students to make good choices. I ask them if their choices are helping them become who they want to be. I try to always bring expectations back to the student and the purpose of them receiving a quality education. It's important for the student to keep the end (goal) in mind.
ReplyDeletePositive non verbal cues: smile, thumbs up, clam, cheering fist pump, a funny dance, pat on the back, eye contact, being real with the students.
Positive verbal cues: Welcome students into the classroom, please, thank you, awesome (sentences, writing, constructed response, use of text evidence,..), compliment their work specifically and even their new haircut!
Negative nonverbal cues: eye rolling, shaking head, crossing arms.
Negative verbal cues: put downs, sarcasm, raising my voice, threats of office referrals.
Anytime I can use a real life story to teach positive/negative choices I do. One such story is "Homeless to Harvard" about a girl who was homeless, yet she was able to make choices to help her get to Harvard and make her dreams come true. She used positive and negative experiences to motivate her to reach her goals.
A quote posted in our school says it all, "What you are thinking is what you are becoming!"
I may sound forward here, but I believe that learned helplessness is rampant throughout our society, but is located most strongly within our students. For me, all of the students enrolled in the alternative program suffer from learned helplessness in one form or another. For most, they have never heard a word of phrase from anyone they perceive as an "adult"-including their own parents/guardians. In many instances, these students feel threatened by adults and tend to model with they live.
ReplyDeleteIn my classroom, I try to empower my students through positive feedback. I give them weekly progress/objectives reports-both verbal and printed. These reports contain not just a student's weekly academic progress, but also discipline and attendance. I also encourage them to achieve more by setting obtainable objectives, then building on those weekly as the student continues to thrive. Once a student is achieving basic goals and knows he/she has the capability to do more, I allow them to set his/her own objectives. This gives them a locus of control that is absent in other areas of their lives. They know that in this classroom, they control their efforts, their objectives, their actions etc. This leads to adding that their effort is reflected in their weekly progress reports-once they see those getting more positive, then they become more positive, as well as confident in what they are doing.
1. Recognizing the process is almost as important as recognizing the finished product! I constantly remind my kiddos that I am not always worried about whether you are at the same level as all of the other kids...but improving (even the tiniest bit) yourself! I tell them not worry what everyone else gets...just focus on you and your goals! Help students to realize that you are not comparing them to others and that you are looking at each kiddo differently!
ReplyDelete2. I had a student tell me "No one thinks that I can be good or behave right class." So I had to speak with him about proving to them that you can and making the effort---let us see the effort to be and do good!
I have a little girl now who cries the instant I correct her, she doesn't understand something, or she fails at something. I have to constantly remind her---it's okay, move on, make yourself better. It's a constant battle!
3. Positive...I love how Rachel is sitting so nicely
I can't believe how quiet Christy is
Kiss your brain
Can I hear a woo hoo
~thumbs up
~patch your back
Negative...
Class look at this drawing---how can Tony improve it
You are all being very loud and disrespectful (when not all are)
I would like to focus my answer on question #2. Since I teach at an alternative school, many of my students come in to the classroom with the indications of learned helplessness. These students come from varied backgrounds and many have seen and/or witnessed things most of us hope we never have to deal with in our lives. Some of our kids have been beat down emotionally by parents who tell them they’ll never amount to anything or they are just convinced they can’t succeed because of past experiences.
ReplyDeleteI try very hard to point out to my students that they can succeed, but their mindset has to change in order to be successful. Just today, I had a student who was struggling with an assignment. Instead of asking for help, she continually complained and whined about the project in front of her. When I finally called her back to my desk, she was frustrated beyond belief. I attempted to talk to her, but she got upset and wouldn’t listen. She sat back down, but then went out of the room crying. I knew she needed time to settle down before I could get through to her. After giving her time to calm down, I explained to her that I knew she had the ability, but I was also aware that she had not taken her medication and was not herself. Her assignment was to watch a debate and then evaluate which side did the better job presenting the information. She complained that the debate I assigned her to watch was hard for her to understand because the people spoke too fast. I talked to her about the fact that, instead of getting all upset and frustrated when she struggled with work, she needs to ask for help. She said she doesn’t like asking for help because it makes her feel stupid. I explained that everyone struggles with different things in their lives and that it’s okay to ask for help. I told her that I even have to ask people for help once in a while. She seemed somewhat surprised by this fact. After having this discussion, I asked how we could fix the situation. We decided I would find a different debate for her to evaluate. We perused the options and found one that was a little easier for her to follow. Later in the day, the student apologized for her actions and asked if she could finish her assignment at home so she didn’t get too far behind. Tomorrow, I plan on providing her feedback on the assignment and praising her turnaround.
I think if I were to do anything differently, it would have been to intervene before she got to the breaking level. Unfortunately, I was so busy with several other students and she was refusing to ask for help, so she got to the breaking point. Next time, I will be sure to acknowledge her frustration earlier and remind her that she has the ability, but she must ask for help if she is struggling.
Suzanne Zybert....
ReplyDeleteDiscuss students you presently teach or you have previously taught who show indications of learned helplessness. How have you previously dealt with the problem? As a classroom teacher I provided my students with opportunities to reflect daily on current situations and experiences. We used these scenarios to build skills that would foster their ongoing development as productive citizens in the present and future state. We also did a lot of role-playing via classroom lessons and activities as well as our daily circle time. Classroom jobs, a mini-economy, and rich literature further supported these efforts in the classroom.
Is there anything you would do differently now? I would not necessarily do anything differently but would rather beef up my feedback to better support the students. Being specific, constructive, and targeted so as to more specifically and personally support the students. In reflecting while I did a solid job I needed to make it more personal to each student and not so general.
I really enjoyed reading this chapter. I have been teaching Elementary children with Emotional Disabilities for 12 years. Not only am I dealing with challenging behaviors but the majority of the students I have had in class have learned helplessness. No matter how difficult the behaviors are changing learned helplessness takes time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was hired, I was a general education teacher hired for special education. I remember thinking ED student, what am I going to do with ED students. I remember setting the bar very high for them. I believed that the ED student could give me everything a general education student could. I was able to communicate my high expectations for them, show through my words and actions what was expected,show them I believed in them no matter how many times they had to practice reaching that mark, talk about choices they had and made and constantly address their efforts. By the time the students went back to general education I needed them to behave themselves and also be able to "win over" the helplessness that they felt. It was an amazing transformation to witness. Not only did they learn to behave themselves, they also started to believe in their abilities as a student.
After reading this chapter, I realized that the beliefs I had were "on the mark" and I wouldn't do anything different.
I have experienced many students with learned helplessness. As in chapter 4, many of these students are students that have been identified with learning disabilities of some kind. It is my opinion that they have lost confidence as well as discovered that the educators want to "help" them be successful and have probably helped too much and too quickly, without allowing the child/children to work through the struggles with appropriate scaffolding. I often teach my math lessons in small groups to allow for more scaffolding through the new concepts. I do activities to check for understanding before sending the students off to do work independently. I have students that will be able to complete the checking for understanding activities independently, however, as soon as they look at their independent work they lose confidence and resort to the phrases "I can't" and "I don`t understand". They want someone right there guiding them. When this happens I tell them they have the tools with the previously practiced problems to solve the new ones. I encourage them to try and have me check their answer when they are finished.
ReplyDeleteI currently teach special education eighth graders. The majority of these students are a perfect example of learned Helplessness. I'm sure throughout their lifetime things have been difficult for the, and it was easier to give up or have someone else do it for them. As a parent, we don't want our children to struggle so we do things for them thus creating a generation filled with a majority of people who have acquired learned helplessness. I'll admit that at times I feed into a student's learned helplessness and do things for them instead of guiding them to work it out for themselves. The one thing I have changed is doing things for students. I talk a lot about putting in effort to be successful and then allow the, to try, possibly falter, and then guide them to work through to success.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone elaborate or explain in more detail how you deal with high school students who show indication of learned helplessness.
ReplyDelete