After reading Chapter 9, Inspiring Young Children, choose one of the three questions below - and provide us with examples that are applicable to your environment.
1) How can teachers/admin/support personnel foster a sense of competence (being effective in one's environment) in student (elementary, middle school, or high school). Name some specific strategies.
2) Discuss an instance in which you helped a student overcome an obstacle. How did you decide when to push and when to pull back as you tried to get the student to try something new? Are there key things to look for when encouraging a child to take a risk? What are they?
3) Name some ways that adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students. What is the difference between being supportive of a student and enabling a student to be helpless? Give examples.
***Next week we will read and discuss Chapter 10, FAQ's About Teaching Students to Be Successful.
***Have a great week :)
Adults Contributing to Learned Helplessness
ReplyDeleteSomething adults do when listening to children read aloud is help them with unknown words. Some adults simply tell a child an unknown word they come to as they read. Perhaps they do this because it is quick and easy, but it doesn't give the child any strategy to help them with that word when it comes up again. I prefer several other techniques when I'm reading with children who come across unknown words. If the child hasn't started any sounding out strategies, I will begin the process to spur them on. For example, if the word is "straight", I would prompt them by saying, "str". If they begin the sounding out process by saying, "str", but get stuck, I would prompt by saying, " a-i, 2vowels go walking, the first one does the talking." Hopefully, that will nudge them through the rest of the sounding out process. If I end up sounding out the entire word or it is a proper name or an "not sound outable" word, I will say the word, but ask the child to repeat it. This takes time! It certainly is quicker to just tell them the word and have them read on. While there may be specific situations where that is best, if you are teaching how to read, you certainly don't want to contribute to learned helplessness!
It takes a few times for my students to catch on to my way. I believe they are used to getting the word told to them. I say this because in the beginning if a student was stuck on the word "straight" and I cued them with "str". They say that and read on. So the sentence would sound like this, " The dog ran star into the pond." No, no, I explain...you must figure out the word you did not know!
Let's make them use the skills we teach them. No enabling needed!
If we train them while reading to always ask for help, we are teaching them that life will be spoon-fed to them. Scaffolding is definitely key to guiding the students through the things that are difficult to those that are more easily attained.
Delete1) I think the best way I've learned to do this is to allow students to start off participating in activities or assignments where they feel the most successful. In elementary we try to allow students to answer on their own, choose their own books to read for pleasure and join in on activities or play where they feel most comfortable. At recess, not only are physical games promoted but also board games or activities that suit a student more so than a physical game. In middle school we start to allow students to pick the groups they want to be with or most comfortable with in doing projects. We also allow them to choose their own books to read for pleasure. We allow students to participate in class by raising their hands and not always being called out on subjects. In high school, we tend to allow students to select their classes or build their own schedules. This allows them to have control over their education in the sense of success.
ReplyDelete2) Often times, when working with students in a writing activity this becomes overwhelming for many. I have encouraged students by going step by step in preparation of a writing assignment. By building up to the task, it has allowed students to gain success as they go along. If a student gets overwhelmed then typically behaviors start to emerge both physically and mentally. That is when the teacher would pull back on the demands or breaking the assignment down in steps so the student can be more successful. By chunking the assignment often times it is easier for students to obtain and there is less of resistance. I would also look for the physical signs such as putting their head down, forgetting to bring materials to class (avoidance) acting out in class (work to challenging or difficult for the student) to disruptive behaviors. When these occur, that is a sign that things are not going well or the student doesn't understand the assignment and he/she cannot verbalize this to the educator.
3) Often times teachers will try to "help" students when they are rushed, students are anxious, teacher him/herself is stressed and wants to move at a faster pace than what the student is exhibiting. Being supportive takes time and patience. When a student is struggling and the teacher is trying to teach them a new concept or activity and goes through different methodology to teach or work with the student that is supportive. when a teacher goes ahead and answers for a student or allows them to shirk their assignment or work then that is learned helpless. There are times when a teacher may be trying to hurry a lesson or activity and will help or finish a section with a student instead of the student doing it on his/her own just so they may get done.
That is such a good reminder that being supportive takes time and much patience. I have found that I often fight my own personal defaults because I want quick action and success. I am not often willing to wait for the fruit to ripen. Working with children requires much patience and willingness to work over and over with the same problem.
DeleteI agree...That patience is hard! It's hard for the parents and students as well! For young children, I really like the picture book "Leo the Late Bloomer". It addresses the fact that children take different amounts of times to reach milestones, and that's okay.
Delete#3
ReplyDeleteOne way in which adults inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness is when students don’t know how to spell and word and want it spelled for them. I have heard students in upper elementary grades ask their teachers how to spell a word, and the teacher would just tell them. Another way of contributing to learned helplessness is when a parent or teacher reads a word for a student if they don’t know what it is. They don’t take the time to help them figure the word out, or give them strategies, but instead save time by giving them the word. These are examples of enabling students. We give the students the answers they are looking for without having them put in the effort and apply strategies they have been taught. Students who are enabled will continue to do the same thing when adults are willing to help them without giving them some of the responsibility.
Being supportive of a student is when you help them solve a problem. You don’t just give them the answers; you help them with strategies that will allow them to solve the problem. They will then be able to use those strategies the next time they have a question. For example, if a student asks the teacher how to spell a word, the teacher could remind students of strategies such as sounding it out, look or listen for spelling patterns, or even look it up in a dictionary themselves. Instead of reading a word for a student who is struggling, the teacher could support them by reminding them of strategies such as looking for word families, smaller words inside of larger words, prefixes/suffixes, blends, digraphs, and looking at the words around the unknown word. Younger students could also use the pictures to help them.
I totally agree. A strategy I use for "How do I spell....?" I give them a post it note with the beginning of the word on it. This is helpful because kids often can't begin to "look it up" unless they know where to start in the dictionary. For elementary students this makes using the dictionary a bit less intimidating.
DeleteI agree with helping a student solve a problem. I always try to ask questions to help them get to an answer. I try not to just give them an answer.
DeleteWhen students ask me this, I make the first sound in the word. It may take a couple of letters or syllables, but they begin to think it through and sound it out. It may still require a dictionary, but the looking is led by them, not a teacher.
Delete3. One way that adults inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students is by not allowing students to try by giving students the answers as soon as they begin to struggle. This is not being supportive. It is being detrimental to the development of student independence. Instead, I try to provide students with the proper tools to independently gain success. I always include examples within my lessons. I explain to students the thought processes I used to create the example and relate it to the desired outcome for the assignment. I then refer students to the example after I am sure they understand the concept of the lesson. For students with "learned helplessness" I may have to point out the example multiple times, until they will actually try. I do not give them the answers or complete the work for them. After they have attempted the assignment, I again refer back to the example and ask students, that are having difficulty, if their work reflects it. If students are still having difficulty, I ask them how their work is different from the example or what their thought process was when they were completing the task. Usually through this discussion students indicate that they do have the knowledge to complete the work. Understanding this students gain confidence in their abilities. Students that have "learned helplessness" usually have to go through this several times, but each time they gain a bit more independance and are generally thrilled with themselves when they have completed something on their own.
ReplyDeleteName some ways that adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students. What is the difference between being supportive of a student and enabling a student to be helpless? Give examples.
ReplyDeleteIt is a daily struggle to navigate the line between being enabling and being supporting. Many times I find myself tiptoeing around enabling, just barely crossing over to actually help the student. I think one of the most common ways to enable helplessness is to help the students get to the answer too quickly.
When students struggle with a question, especially a math problem, I need to exercise patience to help the student think though the process. The temptation is to quickly do the problem and hope the student is able to completely absorb the information. Instead, I have to really allow the student to comprehend each step him/herself and to take risks to solve the problem, even if he/she can’t quite get the answer the first time. The hardest part is to ask a question, and just allow time for the student to struggle. I feel like it is so similar to spotting someone lifting weights. You want to give them enough support so that they will not hurt themselves, but at the same time, allow the struggle because it is in the struggle that the muscles gets the signals to grow. The same thing happens when we ask a difficult question. I need to find that sweet spot that allows the student to grow without frustrating the student into giving up. Having said all that, I found that early in my career, I lean toward enabling students by giving into their frustration a little too quickly. Now I am learning to wait just a bit longer.
Another way that we can contribute to helplessness is when we bend classroom rules for the student, even out of the best intention. I have learned that my compassion to bend the rules for students can quickly enable a mentality for the student that they are above rules. They might get away with the rule here, but the real world will not accommodate them. Many students have been enabled to break rules at home, and expect the same at my school. I have learned to be the “bad cop” sometimes and follow through on all the rules. Of course, some circumstances should allow for flexibility, but discerning when to bend and when to stand my ground is part of the art of teaching.
3) Name some ways that adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students. What is the difference between being supportive of a student and enabling a student to be helpless? Give examples
DeleteI have been in many situations that I find myself almost doing the work for students because I felt that they couldn't completed the task given. I learned over the year that it's okay to let student try, failed, re-try until they feel the sense of accomplishing task set for them. I had a student that I encouraged for two years to at least complete an High School and not dropped out but she decided to do the opposite of every encouragement that I provided her so I let her go. A semester later, she came back asking if she can come back to finish, without asking why we enrolled her, she worked so hard harder than ever in her life time, and graduated high school. She told me at graduation that why she was on the street making bad choices, she always remember my quote "Not making a choice is a choice and not making a decision is a decision, so make up your mind for the best gift or talent God has given you". I like the story in our textbook about helping kids who are afraid. I like the author strategies used at the water park with the little girl. As an educator, we need to do more job letting students take their time and encourage them to be a risk taker by showing or demonstrating what a risk taker looks like. It's okay to provide meaningful feedback to students even explain to them the significant of what we are teaching them and how it will apply to real word problems. I do know that students will make mistakes on their way up in life but it's our responsibility to guide them through life expeperoneces. I will never forget Chuck Swindor remarks "Guided experience with instruction is the best teacher". Mr. Swindor was right about us guiding students through their learning experiences with instructions along the way will lead to successful adulthood. Finally, the Zip line expedition will be taken into account as I continue working with students.
3) Name some ways that adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students. What is the difference between being supportive of a student and enabling a student to be helpless? Give examples.
ReplyDeletePersonally I feel that giving too many “outs” for a student/child increases the learned helplessness. By giving children options to back out, adults agree with the child’s view of himself. Children naturally are wiling to try most things but learn fear when parents caution. Encouraging a child to try new things (while giving safe parameters) helps him achieve whatever is set in front of him. [Keep in mind that I have no children of my own, but have only learned from watching children around me and from teaching.]
At the same time though, when children face a new, difficult task they will be hesitant and if they sense even a small degree of risk, some children will back out. If children are given a very limited number of choices without the chance of an “out” they will be more prone to face the difficult task.
All in all, help the child succeed by being honest. Tell them what you see, what you don’t see. Teach them to make decisions for themselves that are constructive and beneficial. Reinforce to the child what they can do and help them think through what they can’t by asking them questions. Questioning them helps them to begin questioning whey they do what they do.
I totally agree with your concept. Helping students think through new concepts and asking them to write things down will help with their growth mindset.
DeleteThanks for sharing!
Last year, I did a long term sub job for a special education aide. Part of my job was to be in a resource room helping students with homework and tests. Almost every day I had one student who needed help with geometry, a class he needed to graduate. I sat with him while he worked through every problem. I could tell he struggled with it. I would work through a problem, showing him step by step and asking him questions along the way. The next problem I would ask him to try. I would walk him through each step of the problem. If he was stuck, I would ask a question to get him thinking. I would continue to do this with each problem, saying less and less until he could do the problems on his own. Along the way, I would say, “Good” or something similar to keep him motivated. I could tell he wanted to learn the new concepts because he did ask for help. He asked questions when he didn’t understand.
ReplyDeleteI belief the teachers in us is to help student succed in our classrooms but helping them along the way for success is the beauty of our profession.
DeleteName some ways that adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students. What is the difference between being supportive of a student and enabling a student to be helpless? Give examples.
ReplyDeleteTime is always a factor in an adults' decision which may lead to enabling. I see this with my Special Needs middle schoolers, particularly those with emotional/behavioral issues. In the interest of "picking their battles" some students come to me with restrictions or accommodations that were arranged by well-meaning teachers and/or parents.
Last year I got new student at the end of the first semester. In addition to learning differences, he also has emotional/behavioral concerns. In an effort to not frustrate him, he had always had a lock-and-key set up on his locker. So, every morning and every afternoon he would come to my classroom, take his key from the magnetized hook, open his locker, take what he needed, and then return the key to me. He never needed to be prompted to go, never forgot a step in the process. After a couple of weeks it was clear that he was intellectually more than capable of learning how to open a locker like a typical student. I had also learned enough about him to know that he was very sensitive to the opinion of his peers and looking foolish. One day, after a successful math class, I asked him if he would like to learn how to use a combination lock. He was willing to try, so I got a free-standing one that he could use in the privacy of my classroom during independent work time. Once he learned how to physically manipulate it, I got the combination for a locer near my room. For a few days I would dismiss him a few minutes early so that he could work on it without the noise and audience found in the hallway during a passing period. He had it mastered and was taking locker breaks with his typical peers within 2 weeks. He was very pleased to return the lock-and-key set to the assistant principal, explaining, "I don't need this anymore." Later, we showed his mom when she came in for a meeting.
Learning this skill was a bonding experience for he and I, and something we reference as he has moved on to more challenging academic and social goals. He is leaning, little by little, that he can learn to do whatever he is willing to practice.
#2: A couple years ago I had a student who really struggled with oral reading fluency and comprehension. I worked with him in a small group setting every day, focusing on basic phonics skills. He also qualified for additional reading instruction so he was getting reading instruction in my classroom, then an additional 45 minutes of reading/comprehension instruction. Even with all of this support, he didn't seem to be making the gains. As his teacher, and working with him every day, I knew there was something that we were missing. He just wasn't getting it and it wasn't because he wasn't trying. He got frustrated because he wanted to read better but he struggled so much. I started researching things I could try in the classroom to possibly help him or help us get some answers. I came across a dyslexia article talking about using various colored overlay papers to help students read. I thought it was worth a try. I got various colors and had him try using them during our small group reading instruction. We finally had that Ta-da moment. I gave him a blue color overlay and it was like listening to a different child read. He wasn't a perfect reader but much improved compared to his normal reading fluency. He was as excited as I was when he used it and saw the difference. I shared the result of this with his guardian and she tried it with him at home and saw the difference as well. She decided to take him to the doctor for possible dyslexia or a learning disability. After multiple testing, he fell into the category of being dyslexic. Since they won't give a student an actual dyslexic diagnosis at that age, they labeled him with a learning disability but included in his diagnosis the dyslexia tendencies they saw during testing.
ReplyDeleteI still keep in contact with his guardian and she tells me every time she sees me how well he is doing and he even passed iRead in 3rd grade and has passed ISTEP every year!
I love to hear stories like this. You know you are a great educator when you don't give up on a student. That child will always be grateful that you went out of your way to help him. You took the time to continue to search for what he needed. That is awesome that he has had so much growth and I am sure his confidence has grown!
Delete2) One of my biggest challenges from an individual student came on a student that didn't test well but paid attention in class, participated in class discussions and seemed well aware of the material being covered. When it cam time to take the tests, he struggled. His grades were reflective of the effort and understanding that I knew he had in the class. After the first couple of tests, I had the student start coming to me for study sessions and really had to reapproach his understanding of the material to exam knowledge. His essays were always stellar. On the other hand, his multiple choice answers were subpar.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, I spent time reteaching him basic test taking strategies. Of course, at the beginning of these sessions he seemed annoyed to be doing such basic things. After doing this for a couple of times, I would give him practice test questions and make him use those test taking strategies that we had been working on. To his surprise, his ability to take a multiple choice test was improving. We were beginning to make successful strides. We continued this practice for several more sessions, each time I would give him a practice test at the end and every time he would continually improve his score and do better than the previous week. By the time we were ready to take the next test in class, he made remarkable improvement in his multiple choice answers. The study sessions gave him the confidence he needed to improve his test taking strategies. He indicated to me later that his test scores in his other classes had also improved.
I am worried that we contribute to learned helplessness with the way that we write IEPs. I am NOT a licensed teacher for students with learning disabilities, and I am FAR from an expert in this field. However, it seems to me that providing extra time for students with IEPs is not always beneficial.
ReplyDeleteOnce, years ago, I gave all of my 8th graders a project to complete. They had an entire quarter to do it an turn it in. It was weighted heavily in their grades. I had a student who did not turn it in, and he received a zero, which dramatically dropped his grade.
I was a fairly inexperienced teacher at the time, and I know now that I did not provide enough scaffolding for this type of project to get him through the many steps involved. Clearly, his TOR (a first year teacher herself) was not helping him along the way either. That's on us as his teachers. Still, he had 9 weeks to complete a project that he could have done in a weekend.
Because his IEP indicated that he was allowed extra time on assignments, we UN-finalized his report card, gave him an incomplete, and provided him with another 9 weeks to complete the project.
I accept my responsibility in that particular scenario. Still, what did that child learn from the events other than no one believed he could accomplish what the other students could accomplish so he was always going to need a lot more time and a lot more help.
We do the same with calculators. We create a provision that a student can use a calculator without ever writing the IEP to encourage students to rely less on it. Here at the alternative school, I have students who have to use a calculator to perform basic functions like addition and subtraction. Isn't this what we're talking about?
I also realize that some students' learning disabilities are such that they will likely never learn some of those basic facts. I'm not talking about those students here.
I tend to be politically incorrect and unpopular, so I apologize if anyone finds me offensive.
My job is to work with the students who didn't pass the IREAD test 2 times. These are 4th graders who will have take the test a 3rd time.. I started working with fluency and vocab with this group. We started with Wilson trick words and when they had mastered those I told them we would move to TIER Two words...This excited them so much...They couldn't wait to get more words. Then they wanted to move onto TIER Three words.....what a blast! This gave them such confidence and all of my students passed the test and felt so accomplished.
ReplyDelete#3 Adults can contribute to learned helplessness in students by voicing their expectations (or lack of expectations) toward that end. Saying things like “I’m not surprised” or “It’s to be expected” or “That was probably too hard, sorry” when a student struggles or fails may be meant to express a lack of disappointment, but still contains the notion that success was never anticipated. If the expectation of improvement is not also voiced it enables the student. It is well and good to expect less from certain students if that is realistic, but it is not supportive if they are not encouraged to do their best. “This isn’t really your thing, so it is okay if you only get these parts done. Don’t worry about it.” is not as helpful as “This isn’t really your thing, but I think you can get these parts done, and maybe you will be ready for more once those are finished. We will see when you get there.” In the first case there is no room for disappointment and permission has been granted to not struggle because it is accepted to be fruitless. In the second, it is acknowledged that something may be less difficult for other people, but that student is expected to achieve something and more expectations can be anticipated once the first are met. I think we do the first kind of thing more than we care to admit because we are tired, we have other things to worry about and we don’t want to set ourselves up for foreseeable disappointment.
ReplyDeleteWe enable students by doing too much for them when we try to help. We pull them along instead of guiding them carefully enough to learn the steps. I see this even in eight graders who have experienced enough times to expect that if they say the right things someone will do it for them. If they this enough times eventually that person may get tired and give up on them, eliminating expectations. The other possibility is they will get by with having just enough done for them without having to struggle to meet minimum acceptability.
Also, when our expectations are too low students figure this out. It does not help their self-efficacy if they do not feel they are taken seriously.
This year, I have several students that needed more guidance and re-teaching. My school is made up of a lot of ELL’s so getting to them quickly and working with them in small group or one-on-one is vital. They need pictures, diagrams, etc to help them with many of the concepts being taught. One group of students that I have been working with since day one have been having trouble with fluency, vocabulary, and context clues. I would go step by step with these students, showing pictures, videos, anything that would help them understand what the question was asking and what the directions are. We worked hard in the past week on context clues and while they seemed to get it my exit slips or quick checks showed they did not. I pulled these students back and worked with them to pull the sentence apart, looking at the words/phrases around the unknown word to help them understand. Sometimes these students fall in the cracks, don’t speak up or ask questions so working with them individually or in groups helped them succeed and understand what our goal was for the day. I would always try to help keep my kids motivated, not just doing worksheets but getting them up and moving- games, chart paper questions, using the Kagan Structures helped my students on the task at hand.
ReplyDelete1) How can teachers/admin/support personnel foster a sense of competence (being effective in one's environment) in student (elementary, middle school, or high school). Name some specific strategies.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is important to recognize children's accomplishments with regular goal-setting and checkups. I believe that the children should be involved. This way, students are aware, they are actively involved and working toward what they want, and they recognize progress even before you make note of it.
One example of this in my fourth grade classroom is that I have students graph their test scores. They keep track each time they receive a reading comprehension, grammar, or other language arts test. Then, they track and discuss the trend in their scores with me. This enables students to become accountable, to make a plan for their learning, and to recognize their growth without some giant unrelated hoopla. We also share these with parents at conferences (and it's great math and graphing practice).
3) Name some ways that adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students. What is the difference between being supportive of a student and enabling a student to be helpless? Give examples.
ReplyDeleteThe story our author told about the aunt who told the young boy that he didn't have to go zip lining with the rest of the family is a perfect example. The aunt was in fact helping the boy with learned helplessness. She was inadvertently telling him that he couldn't do it and it was okay to forget it. Whereas, grandma told him nothing doing. She told him how it was going to be. He went and he was glad of it.
In my own life, my youngest daughter did not want to learn how to drive a car. She took driver's ed but it was a lot of tears and anxiety. She did not want to get her license when the time came. After she got a car of her own (a small compact car that she felt comfortable driving, then she felt more confident and actually enjoyed driving. Now she is able to drive her friends places and is enjoying her new found freedom. It took a lot of work on my part to convince her that she would in time enjoy and need this skill. I really could have encouraged her to wait until she felt ready but I knew that unless I pushed her that time would never come. I certainly wasn't going to drive her places all the time! Living in a rural area, a car is the only form of transportation available!
(1) Traditionally, I experience difficulty with students not completing homework assingments due to a lack of resources in the home. For example, we daily complete an AR folder, which is a reading monitor program where the students must read for thirty minutes daily, acquire a parent signature, and complete a reading comprehension activity. This activity is selected from a grid and presents varying options to meet students' learning styles.
ReplyDeleteEmphasizing that the presentation of work, while secondary to content, is significant in a product, the students may need lined paper, colored pencils, a straight edge, etc. to complete a selected activity. When beginning this daily routine with the students, I have been meet with the statement such as "I don't have ___, which is why my work does not meet the requirement."
This statement by students allows for a discussion on one's environment and the control they can take to be successful in the future. Talking with the student, we develop a plan by identifying what the underlining problem truly is, poor planning, and then how we can address it. For example, the problem is not that a student didn't have colored pencils, the problem is the student did not plan to successfully complete a project that needed colored pencils. As such, we discuss possible options. The simplest options relate to either selecting a seperate activity that the student did have all the materials for. If, however, a illustration is the best means to represent a reading, a student could have checked out a pencil pouch I have in the classroom, which has such supplies and take it home. This would eliminate the inability to meet all expectations of the assignment. The second strategy requires a student to select an activity before going home, so that the materials can be gathered. (Other strategies have been developed before depending upon the student and the specific problem, but the previous example is the most common solution.)
While not all students need to partake in this type of discussion and a more inclined to problem solve independently, these conversations do allow for students to develop key skills in working within their environment. The strategy I employ with my students then is focusing on the problem and the solutions. (I am clear to emphasize solurtions, because there are multiple ways to addrress the core difficulty. This is significant for students to recognize, so that they can develop multiple ideas and then analyze for appropriateness later.) By identifying what they know and what they want, they are better able to approach later environments and identify ways to meet their needs in the future. This skill set is significant not only in their education, but later endavors as well.
Delete1. In order to help foster competence in my students I set several goals each grading period. In my classroom we set A.R. Goals each grading period. Their goal is determined on what they accomplished last grading period and what they think they can do this grading period. We discuss what interfered with them reaching their goal or what make them be able to achieve their goal. We also discuss ways to improve or how to push oneself to reach thier goal or to reach beyon that goal. I also set math goals for my students every grading period. I believe the students must experience goal setting and talk about what strategies that can use to get the outcome they are looking for. It is well worth the time it takes!
ReplyDeleteI have a student currently who is going through a lot of growing. All her life people have given her extra chances because of her mother. K is now 17 and is struggling to grow up and face the consequences. K has been in 5 foster homes. Two she was taken out of because of sexual abuse. She was given back to her mom numerous times to watch her mom pick drugs and me over her. To get back at her mom she rebelled. She came to me after being in juvy and was facing felony charges for attacking a guard while there. When I met K. she was trying to gain her mom's attention and was telling the team about her upcoming birthday. You could tell the mom could care less. K. did not want to come to an alternative school. I told her if she came, I would have a birthday cake waiting on her. She came and the cake she described to me was there. K. has been a tough cookie to crack. She wants no one to love her or care. She pushes everyone away because she feels they will let her down. She abandonment fears are fierce. If I am not in the room, she becomes very disruptive. There was a day that she could not handle anyone caring for her. She became physical and violent. She tried to crawl over a table to get at a staff member and threatened to kill two students. Knowing what she had done to the guard and knowing our bond, I had to put her in a physical restraint and remove her from the classroom. She flipped. She had never had someone who cared for her restrain and calm her down. It took 3 hours!!! K. did not return to school the next day. Actually, it took a week for her to return. I would call or email each day asking how she was and the students would Facebook her telling her it was okay to come back. She admitted she was ashamed and was scared and thought I would hold the behavior against her. I smiled and gave her a big hug. I told her how could I be mad at one of my "children". Since that time K. has managed to get enough credits to jump her from a freshman to a senior. The felony charges were put on the back burner as long as she stayed with me and behaved. Three weeks ago, she messed up. She was doing things that violated her probation. Plus, her mom allowed it so K. would get out of the house. Instead of facing the judge she ran. To this day, she still has not turned herself in. However, she does call me and checks in. K. knows what she needs to do. We talk about her future and how I can help her. However, I make it known she needs to do this and I will still love her. Crying ends the conversation. We over came the obstacle of no one wanting her and loving her unconditionally. Now, it is up to her to trust. I fully believe she will be back. I can't wait. I miss her.
ReplyDelete#2 Twice a week for one month all second grade students get to take swimming lessons. One of my students was refusing to go because he was afraid of the water. I called home and talked to his parents about the situation and how I still wanted him to go swimming and over come his fear of the water. I decided to keep pushing him with swimming because I didn't want him to let fear control his life or not do things because of fear. The next time he went swimming I asked for him just to put his feet in the water and by the end of the lesson he actually got in the water and was smiling. The next lesson that week he was swimming during the lesson and enjoyed it. What I look for when encouraging the child to take a risk is the knowing that they can do more than what they are currently showing. For students to be able to take these risks there needs to be a relationship of trust. The student needs to know that they can trust you and that they have someone cheering them on to success.
ReplyDelete1) How can teachers/admin/support personnel foster a sense of competence (being effective in one's environment) in student (elementary, middle school, or high school). Name some specific strategies.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the biggest ways to foster a sense of confidence is by fostering a trusting relationship with students. It's easier to struggle and make mistakes when you are in a trusting/safe environment.
I also, point out to a student what I see after they have been successful--- the smile on their face, the twinkle in their eye, or their strong posture. Working at it pays off! Which reminds me--- giving them the time they need! I think as teacher we are so aware of the time vs what needs to be taught that we sometimes rush students.
Finally, I find myself giving students prompting questions or strategies that will help them lead to the solution without giving it to them.
Challenging students to do their best is what I strive to do the most. When a student struggles and says that they can't do that...I prompt them, guide them, give them cues, and allow plenty of time to let them process what needs to be done! I try to get my students to trust me and in return...I know how far I can push and when I should let down a bit.
ReplyDeleteI have a kiddo in class who lacks motivation almost daily. He constantly says that he can't do it, is too tired, always has an ailment but I continue to push him and push him. We are now at the point where I have nonchalant cues for him. He had a jogging test at the start of the year (pre-test) and he did not do well. The second test he did okay but asked to retake...I let him retake it and he BLEW it out of the water. I made a big deal about it and posted his picture on our PRIDE wall. That made him so happy and I really thought that was the spark to start the fire...but in the end...it's a daily struggle with my little friend! But I continue to push him and to help him take some risks!
I also have another young lady who right away whines and says that I can't do this/that/whatever! I have to talk her through these new challenges...reinforce positive comments. I also have to give tough love.
It's daily where I have kiddos with ailments and excuses...I also have to give them tough love and tell them that they are okay...sometimes things are hard but you need to try, practice, and improve. It you fail...okay---try again!
Although I have several responsibilities at work my main responsibility is teaching children with Emotional Disabilities. We spend a lot of time talking about appropriate behavior, choices being made, consequences of those choices and what would have been a better outcome if a different choice had been made. I have the students set behavior goals and then those students monitor and record their behaviors. By recording their own behaviors they begin to recognize their feelings and when they start to get angry and have an attitude change. Sometimes this is a lengthy process, sometimes it goes quick and smooth. By the time the students are back in their general education classroom, they have the required skills, knowledge and qualifications to be successful in the general education classroom.
ReplyDeleteOvercoming an obstacle - practice, practice, practice and baby steps. My 5th grade students started a dance unit today on Tinikling. This is the 3rd year they will have worked on this type of dancing. It is challenging, takes a great deal of coordination, ability to stay on the beat, be light on your feet and focus. Many of the students really struggled when they began in 3rd grade so I broke down the steps even more than I normally would, and allowed the students to self-pace and differentiated the lesson to each child's ability level. As 4th graders we built on the skills from the previous year, discussed what was hard the year before and how we could improve or what could be done differently and students gained more confidence as they recalled the previous year's material. Students were given ownership of the dance when they created their own routine. If someone was still really struggling I worked with them individually and then let them work with a friend to practice together. Lots of small steps and individualized goal setting allowed students to find success through their own hard work. As 5th graders they have showed a great deal of excitement about an activity that was "so hard" in 3rd grade. It certainly doesn't mean the dance is easy now. They will be challenged with new skills this year, but they have gained confidence through time, patience, practice and their own effort. I am in a unique position to see the same students for a long period of time and one of the things I find most rewarding is when a student or group of students finds not just success, but joy in an activity they once thought was "impossible" by sticking with it and having the support along the way.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students. We do this in a few different ways and for a few different reasons. With state testing, we don’t always have enough time for students to learn through discovery. (It puts a damper on education! Sorry for my opinion)! We need to spoon feed; step by step. Ideally, we are supposed to teach to the advanced students, yet we need to show each step for the slower students. We need to reach all students in a short amount of time.
ReplyDeleteSome ways I know I have contributed to learned helplessness is with vocabulary words. I give the students the words and definitions that will be on the test. The ESE students need the extra assistance (and won’t put the extra time into figuring out the definition). When reading aloud, although I try to wait for the student to sound out words, after hints, reminders,... I will tell them the word. Again, time is of the essence in education. I also give students step by step instruction when writing essays. We will start off with noticing parts of an exemplary essay example, yet the students still need information showing and explaining each necessary part of an essay.
On the other hand, I do ask many questions to direct students toward the answer. I remind them that I am not going to be their answer source and that they will need to be independent and resourceful along their life’s path. This book has made me realize I need to continue to teach more with discovery than with too much assistance.
3) Name some ways that adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students. What is the difference between being supportive of a student and enabling a student to be helpless? Give examples.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I am always competing against the clock. There is only so much time in the day and the school year to get everything done. Then throw in NWEA and ISTEP testing on top of everything else and that really puts a crunch on everything. I personally do not get enough time to review everything I do throughout the year. I find myself just passing papers back without having any time to review the right answers. I hate it. In turn, I’m inadvertently contributing to the learned helplessness in students. If they have a question about something and we didn’t have the time to go in depth I have to just “give” them the answer instead of leading through the process of finding it.
Before I started at my current school, homework was basically frowned upon. Keep in mind that I teach 8th grade. When I started here I couldn’t believe it. We are now being told we need to incorporate more homework but it is like fighting an uphill battle. The kids are so used to not having to do homework and it is so frustrating. Asking them to do anything is like pulling teeth.
2) Discuss an instance in which you helped a student overcome an obstacle. How did you decide when to push and when to pull back as you tried to get the student to try something new? Are there key things to look for when encouraging a child to take a risk? What are they?
ReplyDeleteTeaching in a school with 74% free and reduced lunch students, I am constantly helping students overcome obstacles. I have a student who is constantly being told by her mother that she is not as smart as her brother. I have talked to the parent about the damaging consequences of such talk, but it seemed to always resort back to her being negative with her child. This child was afraid to take a chance in most of her schoolwork, but primarily reading. I held many one to one conferences with her to build confidence and to motivate her to not be afraid to fail. We established reading goals that were high, but achievable. Then of course, we practiced reading over and over until she was a confident reader. Kids are what you tell them they are. By constantly giving her confidence and praise as a reader, she started to believe in herself and was willing to take a risk. Now she is willing to read in front of her peers.
#3: Adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students without even knowing that is what they are doing. As a parent myself, I have seen and heard many times adults expressing expectations or talking about what a child did or did not do. These expressions, like in the example teach kids learned helplessness without even knowingly. It is difficult to see kids make mistakes, fall down or do the wrong things. While this is how they learn. We as adults needs to allow kids to make some mistakes, learn from them and to work hard. As a parent and teacher we can be supportive of students, encourage them and listen to them. We should not mend all of the problems or fix things so that they don’t have to go through trials or heart ache in their lives. I have learned the best way to be supportive of students is to listen to them and not be judgmental or mend things for them. Encourage them to fix mistakes and work through problems. Tell them life if not always easy or fair and we have to learn to work thought things and make the best of the situation. Letting a person just be walked on or fixing things for them will only enable them to want others to take care of problems the next time. Teaching students and giving them the tools needed to work through problems will only make them stronger for the next obstacle they face in life.
ReplyDelete3) Name some ways that adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students. What is the difference between being supportive of a student and enabling a student to be helpless? Give examples.
ReplyDeleteThe population of students which I teach are prime to suffer from learned helplessness. They don't want to step outside of their comfort zones so they would rather sit and not contribute to class discussion. I get the 'I don't know " answer frequently and I refuse to accept it as a response. As an educator it is easy fall into the trap of just skipping over students who practice learned helplessness. Another time it is easy to skip over reluctant student is when practice whole class reading. My students like to either say" I don't want to read" or they conveniently don't know where we are at in the text. For the sake of time it would be easier and quicker just to move on to the next student. I don't allow my students not to read. I make them read at least one sentence. If they try the I don't know where we are at, I either show them or have another student show them so they can read their one line.
The teacher can provide a number of tools, such as group support, sentence starters or scaffolded questions to support the student in sharing.
Discuss an instance in which you helped a student overcome an obstacle. How did you decide when to push and when to pull back as you tried to get the student to try something new? Are there key things to look for when encouraging a child to take a risk? What are they?
ReplyDeleteI had a student come to 4th grade that did not pass the 3rd grade Math ISTEP+. The moment the word math is mentioned, she gets anxiety and shuts down. From the first day, I sat down and talked with her. We talked about how everyone has strengths and weaknesses. We talked about how she loves to read, but to get better at math, she has to put more time in and practice. She also lacked self confidence and never wanted to be called on because she didn’t want to get anything wrong in front of her peers. When I teach new skills, I always show more than one strategy to use to solve the problem. I tell students to pick what strategy is the best for them. The students must also always show their work and be able to explain what they did and why. My students know that I hold high expectations and I expect their best. At the beginning of the year, she would try to get out of required work and think I would miss that she didn’t complete the work. I really had to build her up and celebrate each small success when she was doing her work. Even if she miss the question, when I looked at her work, I could say you are on the right track and you did 2 of the three steps correctly. Then we would practice more. We take NWEA and when we took the test for Mid Year, she already passed her targeted goal for the spring based on the fall test. She has had great growth. She now volunteers to explain her math processing skills and doesn’t fear getting it wrong. I have created an atmosphere for students to take risks and that we always learn from each other even when they make mistakes. Also when she took the ISTEP, she almost shut down in tears, but kept going and finished it. I have seen her confidence built. I think the small group help, constant praise, and multiple strategies for solving problems has helped. I think students are willing to take risks when you have built positive relationships with them and the class. Plus, I talk about how I make mistakes and how I learn from each example.
Learned helplessness is a day to day battle for my classroom. There is a huge difference between school and education. For my students, school has taught them if they are good or bad students. Most of my students have special modifications that must be met. And of those students, many believe they are failures because of needing those modifications. They have been told at one time or another that they cannot do the work. This simply is not true. In many cases, I work with students to discover how they learn. I believe that helping them discover their learning strategies is the first step to helping them become not only autonomous, but also how to set their own goals for the future.The difference between being supportive and teaching a student to be helpless, I believe is in expectation. Each student has his/her own set of expectations: for home, for school, for behavior. If a student knows what is expected at school, he/she will strive to work at that expectation level. That determination comes from the teacher. By setting reachable goals, teaching students to advocate for themselves and re-affirming as each goal is met enables them to become self sufficient and autonomous.
ReplyDelete2) Discuss an instance in which you helped a student overcome an obstacle. How did you decide when to push and when to pull back as you tried to get the student to try something new? Are there key things to look for when encouraging a child to take a risk? What are they?
ReplyDeletePart of my job lets me work with the students that need help passing the ECA or ISTEP. I was able to look at their scores and would come up with individual lessons for them to work on. I would help each student try to succeed with their type of problem. I was helping a student remember how to solve equations in two variables. I had put a sample problem up on the board and showed them how to solve the problem 3 different ways and then told her to choose which one she wanted to use. I was great seeing her finally understand what she was supposed to be doing. After she took her test she came to me and gave me a hug and said that I helped her out so much by letting her make her mistakes and then seeing where she went wrong. One thing that I try to do is to make sure that the student doesn't feel too overwhelmed by the problem at hand. If they get too overwhelmed then they will just want to shut down instead of doing the problem by saying it is too hard. I like to put up steps on how to solve these types of problems so all they have to do is follow the steps and solve.
1) My school has used NWEA data to both point out areas that need improvement, but also to foster a sense of competence. Reviewing the data with student's individually allows an opportunity to point out what they are really good at. We also set seasonal goals, both personal and academic. When students reach their goal, or even get closer to it helps them achieve a sense of accomplishment. My 8th graders really love stickers as a reward!
ReplyDelete3) Name some ways that adults sometimes inadvertently contribute to learned helplessness in students. What is the difference between being supportive of a student and enabling a student to be helpless? Give examples.
ReplyDeleteI can think of ways I have allowed my own daughter to be helpless when it comes to completing meaningless and numerous homework assignments. It feels more like a punishment to parents, especially working parents. Even as a teacher I think if I give students help in completing a task than I must be helping them feel a sense of accomplishment. Too often this does not promote "real" accomplishment when I have guided their thinking. I have to be more aware of HOW to tackle assignments in the right mindset.
As an educator, I would like to encourage other educators to think about what we ask our students to complete through assignments. Is it within their reach as a learner? I think students must experience success before they can reach beyond their current level. I promote the ZPD as a Reading Intervention teacher at my school. My students need a game plan. They need end goals in mind and ways to get to those end goals.