I have an identified student in grade nine who struggles to focus. Today he decided to sit at the back instead of in the middle of the classroom. I said that he needed to be closer to the front. His response suggested he viewed moving up as some kind of punishment : "But I've been good back here!" I quickly pointed out that he was a good person, but that he would be able to focus better closer to the front.
How do we as teachers help teenagers when they fail to perceive "help" as a positive thing?
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I think that when teachers invest in developing relationships with teenagers, it helps them build the rapport and trust needed to break the preconceived notion in students' minds that teachers are against them. By getting to know the students more, and vice versa, teachers could understand better how to approach students, while students could receive teacher's good intentions better, allowing them to help.
ReplyDeleteI think teachers need to keep in mind that teenagrs are struggling to find their place in their world, at school, and even at home. Teenagers are limited and have to earn their freedoms. Often that's why they react defensively when offered help. It's like saying " hey you can't do it".
ReplyDeleteMaybe a simple strategy for teachers would be to explain the reason for certain action or decisions. Teenagers are very competent and sometimes just need to understand why adults do certain things.
I have witnessed this happen many times with children I have worked with and in classes I have attended. It is common for children, especially teenagers, to resist help from a teacher. At this age, I feel students are trying harder to fit into a certain peer group than concentrating on school work.
ReplyDeleteIn order to encourage students to seek help I feel students have to be able to trust their teacher. In order to gain students trust, teachers must make it evident that they care about the child as a person AND a student.
I also feel it is also important for teachers to remember not to single out students. Teachers can provide help to struggling students and also engage in conversations with other students about the given work as to not single anyone out.
Although students feel they are in charge of how they learn, it is ultimately the job of the teacher to ensure each student succeeds. I know this is quite challenging. By letting students know help is available if needed and creating a safe and engaging learning environment, I feel most students will perceive help as a positive thing.
Teachers need to first set the learning environment from day 1, as a safe and inclusive community. When teenagers are surrounded by people that show they care, they will be more likely to perceive help as a positive thing.
ReplyDeleteWhen teenagers fail to perceive "help" as a positive thing, I think teachers need to readdress instructions and suggestions to the class as a whole, instead of directly "helping" the student in particular. Teenagers will not perceive help as positive if they feel embarrassed in any way. Thus teachers need to think about how the "help" may look like to the individual and the class as a whole. The student may feel that "extra help" or "special instructions" means they are not as smart. Teenagers that come from a negative home environment may react to the help in a defensive way instead of seeing it for the good. Teachers need to show these teenage students they care by going the "extra mile" to ensure the students are getting the best for academic success.
I am a student who has learned that sitting closer to the front really does help me focus and concentrate better. I began to realize it around grade 10, and I took the initiative to move up, however the teachers I had were great influences. They all reminded me - as you did to your student - that sitting up at the front does not signify a punishment, that I am a good person who happens to be easily distracted if not sitting near the front of a classroom. The teenage years are difficult ones. I believe if you continue to encourage said student and remind them that they are a good person and possibly even a good student they will begin to understand that you are trying to help them, not punish them. Also, maybe speak to the student aside, making it a personal remark rather than a public move - I think teenagers are more likely to feel as though they are being singled out or punished when asked to move in front of their peers (I know I did). At the end of the day, a teacher can only do so much in encouraging the student, sometimes the initiative just has to be taken by the students themselves.
ReplyDeleteTeachers need to first set the learning environment from day 1, as a safe and inclusive community. When teenagers are surrounded by people that show they care, they will be more likely to perceive help as a positive thing.
ReplyDeleteWhen teenagers fail to perceive "help" as a positive thing, I think teachers need to readdress instructions and suggestions to the class as a whole, instead of directly "helping" the student in particular. Teenagers will not perceive help as positive if they feel embarrassed in any way. Thus teachers need to ensure that they think about how the help may look like to the class as a whole. The student may feel that extra "help" or "special" instructions means they are not as smart. Teenagers that come from a negative home environment may react to the help in a defensive way instead of seeing it for the good. Teachers need to show these teenage students they care by going the "extra mile" to ensure the students are getting the best for academic success.
I respect so much how fast you acknowledged confirming to the student that he’s a good student especially among his peers to avoid him the embarrassment ,as a teacher I would do exactly the same and I would also speak to him alone and explain to him briefly why I asked him to be closer to the front.
ReplyDeleteTeens usually start to build their independence in this age and resist help as they may consider it a sign of weakness. I would talk more on a one to one basis showing my sincere care for their positive progress. I may also tackle this subject among the class and lead them to engage in questions and answers to know and learn from each other opinions where it will be easier for me to comment and give advices in a friendly and indirect way .
Teachers who are helping a student should strive to make it clear that it is not a punishment. This specific misunderstanding, I would imagine, stems from an already ingrained notion that being moved closer to the teacher is a result of bad behaviour. The most practical thing I can think of is to try and adjust these beliefs that the student has. Perhaps demonstrate to that learner why the move is beneficial, or why being asked to lead a group is a good thing and not a burden. It will obviously depend on each individual situation, however, as long as the teacher can empathize with the student, as opposed to merely dismissing his/her feelings, the relationship will hopefully be one with enough trust that the learner will be accepting of the "help", even if they do not perceive it as such.
ReplyDeleteRemembering my high school experience, I was one of those students who liked sitting in the back of the classroom because I didn't want my teachers to pick me to answer questions. I realized later on that I was having a hard time focusing sitting in the back because I can see what everyone in the class was doing and that distracted my learning.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to deal with a similar situation I would respond to the student the same way you did. I would probably ask the student to move up front and if they find it as a punishment I would explain to the student the benefits of sitting upfront. I would say, "Yes, you are good. I'm suggesting you to move upfront to benefit your learning. You'll be able to focus better when you don't have other things in your view distracting you." I would approach the student in a subtle way so that I don't embarrass them.
Teenagers can easily identify help not as a positive experience as they are going through this certain phase of life where they are trying to act as free birds as their first love at this point is freedom. They do not want any kind of interference so they can easily assume coming guidance as a obstacle in their freedom. Teachers really need to be very careful about the choice of words while talking to the students as it can make or break the relationship. If students are given some space they will be able to emerge as confident learners. Teachers should always keep on looking for opportunities where they can help the students without sending them the wrong signals. It is the attitude of the teacher which can either build or defeat a student
ReplyDeleteRemembering my high school experience, I was one of those students who liked sitting in the back of the classroom because I didn't want my teachers to pick me to answer questions. I realized later on that I was having a hard time focusing sitting in the back because I can see what everyone in the class was doing and that distracted my learning.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to deal with a similar situation I would respond to the student the same way you did. I would probably ask the student to move up front and if they find it as a punishment I would explain to the student the benefits of sitting upfront. I would say, "Yes, you are good. I'm suggesting you to move upfront to benefit your learning. You'll be able to focus better when you don't have other things in your view distracting you." I would approach the student in a subtle way so that I don't embarrass them.
-Sujeetha Pannerselvam
The instant verbal response of the teacher was great! I would allow the student to sit in the back that day to avoid drawing attention to him and his behavior. At the end of the day I would pull him aside and let him know the reasons why I would like him to sit towards the front of the class. I would also discuss the possibilities of changing spots within the class in order for him to not feel like it is a "fixed position" for him.
ReplyDeleteI have found that teenagers in particular are more able to accept help if it is done while also respecting their privacy. A private word off to the side might help them listen to the reasons for the help, but it would also give them a chance to voice their opinions on the matter, allowing their voice to be heard, their concerns listened to. I also think that moving everyone around in intervals would help in not singling out a particular student.
ReplyDeleteTeenagers and their personal struggle with what we view as "help" has been noted for many years. We need to look inward and remember how many times we were offered "help" and we understood it as intrusive and overbearing. I thought it was outstanding that you reinforced the thought that the student "is a good person" but I would have left it at that for that particular day. Later, or the next day, I would have reinforced that being closer to the front of the class has proven to be beneficial to both this student and others. I can only hope that the student was having an "off" day and he too would have realized that your intentions were only meant to help.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important that we make a clear distinction between how we perceive and treat teenagers with their behaviour and level of achievement.
ReplyDeleteIf we communicate a message of value toward the teenager concerned, then 'helping' in an area of learning or behaviour would probably be taken better, and respected.
It is important that we do not blur the lines of value for their person with their behaviour. It is equally important for the teenager to understand that. I think you did well in affirming him first as a person, and addressing the behaviour secondly as a separate entity. I also realise it takes time for this way of communication and thinking to sink deep into us for it to be a response for us to choose, or for it to become natural.
- Grace Chung
I can see the issue here as the student reacting to a bad experience may be with another teacher or with authority figures.He In his mind moving to a closer spot is associated with punishment or as aresult to bad behaviour.
ReplyDeleteI see the importance of setting clear guidlines to the student teacher relationship is really important.with every teacher because the student interact with different teachers and each one of them has different expectations and what is acceptable for one teacher is not neccessary ok with another.
Heba Raheb
As teachers, we have the best interest for our students. We have a desire to help them achieve thus it is important that we communicate this desire to our students. It is important that we are aware of the language we use with students and how it’s communicated. We need to be clear with our requests and explain our reasoning’s behind it. In doing so, will students gain understanding and clarification. The last thing we want is for students to misinterpret what was said and take offense. In this situation, I think that you handled the situation well. You corrected the students misunderstanding and clarified for him that your request was based on wanting him to focus and learn the material; it was not because of his behavior. Clarifying this is important as the student could have been reluctant and felt a sense of embarrassment. In my approach, I think I would have allowed the student to sit there for the day, and later speak with him privately about moving closer to the front. I would not want to single him out or embarrass him in front of the class thus I think that speaking to the student on a one on one basic can be an effective approach towards expressing your concerns and desires to help.
ReplyDeleteI can understand this student wanting to have the freedom to choose where they sit, despite knowing where they would learn most effectively. I have a daughter who would get much more work done in a study carrel placed fairly near her teacher. Here's the problem; she is a very social child. She loves her friends and wants to work with them. This is positive because she can learn from students who are more advanced than she is, but negative because she often gets "lost" or "off track". She is only 10, but already social acceptance is an important part of her existence. When we think about this high school student we must remember that social interaction would be even more important to them, so what does the teacher do? Perhaps this student could be encouraged to experiment with both locations and see which seat yields the best results? Another tactic I might use would be to encourage the student to be their own best advocate. If their friends tease them about having to sit at the front, the could reply "I am choosing to sit here so I will succeed in school. We can hang out between classes and at lunch". If this student is already jaded about school, and has lost interest in trying it will be harder to convince them of these options, but as a caring teacher we must at least try.
ReplyDeleteI agree the way that you handled this situation. It is evident that you were looking out for the best interest of the student. It has nothing tyo do with being "good". The student can learn better by sitting closer to the front of the class because their are less distractions. Yet, on the other hand i can understand that some students have preferences as to where they would like to sit. For instance, some students like to sit with their friends while others have a preference to their view.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that the student has some bias about moving to the front of the class as some sort of punishment. Though our intentions as teachers are often good, students have different perceptions due to the various experiences they've had. Perhaps a private conversation with the student could've eased the student's qualms.
ReplyDelete-- Diana Sebamaalai