A mother came to the door before 9 o'clock dragging her seventh-grade son. She had to hit him just to get him into the room. The boy is a truant and just sits in class without participating in work or activities. This upsets me because I have tried sincerely and affectionately to get him involved.
Student Name
How does this problem relate to what we know about learning?
Cite your sources.
Given what you know about learning, how might you resolve this problem?
Pat Freeze
·This young man has at least two of the factors for being at-risk, being truant and performing poorly in school. ·One other thought is that perhaps this young man is gifted and bored. If this young man is gifted and his high potential has not been recognized, this could be causing his underachievement. ·While I can understand this mother’s frustration, hitting is never okay and could be considered child abuse as defined in the Child Abuse Prevention Act of 1974.
The Art of Teaching, Ch. 2, p. 36, para 1.
The Art of Teaching, Ch. 3, p. 70, para 9. The Art of Teaching, Ch. 2, p. 35, para 2.
Communicate that you care and will help. I would plan a lesson that I know would interest him - maybe it’s sports, or music or cars - whatever I would find the hook. I would set expectations and goals with him. I would arrange for testing to determine his potential. Certainly being dragged into class and hit in front of others is embarrassing for him. I would make every effort to get to know what was going on at home - is he being abused, getting enough sleep, involved with a young woman? I would get to the bottom of what is going on at home. While hitting might be acceptable in some cultures, I would gently discuss it with his mother and let her know the definition of abuse.
Michelle Hill
A student's family/home life has a big influence on children and schooling. There are several factors that could possibly effect this student's attitude toward going to school and participating in class.
(2) Turmoil in a student's family life can effect that child's mood. Children in divided or blended families are more likely to experience emotional problems and have a reduced percentage of school completion. (3) A family's soceoeconomic status can affect a child's personality in school. If a child does not have proper nutrition, for example, a child may not be enthused to participate or even attend school in the first place. (4) Since some children do not have a stable family life, the classroom environment must provide a safe place where they can feel comfortable.
(1) If parents value education and instill this value in their children, students are more likely to think of school as a positive thing and will be eager to get involved. Parents who think negatively of school will influence their children to think the same way. A positive attitude about education and encouragement from parents, therefore, may help this student view school positively as well.
(1) PPR, The Act of Teaching, Chapter 2, Page 25
(2) PPR, The Act of Teaching, Chapter 2, Page 24 & Page 25, Spotlight 2.1
(3) PPR, The Act of Teaching, Chapter 2, Page 24
(4) PPR - The Act of Teaching, Chapter 4, Page 95, Bullet 1
I would take more time to get to know this student and build his trust with hopes that he would open up to me. The more I get to know him, the more I will understand where he is coming from and take actions to help. This child may have parents that think negatively about education and these thoughts are rubbing off on him, his parents could be separating (causing emotional distress) and/or he may not be getting propper nutrition (causing further emotional distress.) All in all, I will continue to build a relationship with this student and do whatever I can to create an environment with the stability and comfort he may be lacking at home. It may just take him time to warm up and feel safe.
Carri Gregory
It is obvious that the child is being abused in the home. The mother certainly made that clear when she hit him just to go into the classroom. This is causing the student self-confindence and does not want to participate in work and class activities.
This student is probably in low socioeconomic household, which put the student at-risk of ultimately dropping out of school. Instead of hitting the child to get them into the classroom; the parent needs to set more of a positive role for school by getting him there on time.
PPR, Ch.2, pg. 36, Highlight 2.3: Indicators of Abused or Neglected
Children.
PPR, Ch. 2, pg. 35, At-Risk Children
If the child is being abused, report it to the authorities right away. But while the child is in school, let them know the they are in a safe place and that it is OK to talk to me about whatever is going on at home.
Brenda Hebert:
The description of the problem indicates this child might fall into the category of being abused or neglected. He is also described as being truant and disengaged in the classroom indicating he might also fall into the category of a high risk student . His emotional state should certainly be of concern as well since it will also impact his learning.
PPR; Ch. 2, pgs. 35 & 36
PPR; Ch. 2, pgs. 35 & 36
CD; Module 5, pg. 90
I would spend a great deal of time learning all I could about this child and his personal situation at home. I would of course want to ensure he wasn’t being abused or neglected and if I believed he was, I’d report it to the proper authorities. I would need to better understand all of his risk factors and living conditions in order to be more effective as his teacher but most importantly, I need to make a connection with him on a personal level. He needs to know that I care about him personally and expect and want the very best for him in school and in his future endeavors. I would also spend a great deal of time talking to him and finding out about his interests, his hobbies, what he liked about school and what his favorite subjects were. I’d also schedule a parent conference to discuss my concerns with his caregiver about his disengagement in school and truancy in the hopes of gaining additional insight. In class, I’d do my best to motivate this young man by providing lessons that take into account his interests and strengths. I’d also consider assigning him tasks that put him in a position of leadership to try and show my confidence in him as a student/performer.
Rebecca Ayers
This problem describes a teacher who is taking a humanistic school of though approach to the student. In this problem the student’s ability to learn may have be students because his social and emotions learning is underdeveloped. This student is a disengaged student, and likely an abused child. This student could be suffering from feelings of inadequacy (PPR, Ch 2, Pg 40, and Disengaged Student). Our emotional state is directly related to our ability to learn and can affect our thinking (CD, Module 5 Feelings Count, pg 90, Emotions affect Learning). Emotions can affect students in several ways "it can limit their capacity to balance emotional issues and school work, it can create anxiety specifically about school work, and it can trigger emotional responses to classroom events" (CD, Module 5 Feelings Count, pg 90, Emotions affect Learning).
As a teacher I would try to create a safe classroom and get the student engaged by building their confidence. I too would take a humanistic approach to this student. I would let him/her know that their feelings are important. I would try to place myself in that student’s shoes a find creative ways that are sensitive to that students need to teach him/her. I would use techniques such as listening, discussion of values and morals that helps the student identity their feelings (PPR Ch4, Pg 95, humanistic approach to Teaching and Learning). By teaching education through morals it would be important for me as a teacher to be a role model, and create a family atmosphere. I would set aside one on one time for that student so they could process their feelings ( CD, Module 5, Feelings Count, pg 90) I would also try to get tat student engaged by building social relationships through group work and projects (CD Module 5, Feelings Count, pg 93). I would also take that student for how he/she is and not take his/her actions personally, because it is not about me.
Problem
A mother came to the door before 9 o'clock dragging her seventh-grade son. She had to hit him just to get him into the room. The boy is a truant and just sits in class without participating in work or activities. This upsets me because I have tried sincerely and affectionately to get him involved.Student Name
How does this problem relate to what we know about learning?
Cite your sources.
Given what you know about learning, how might you resolve this problem?
·This young man has at least two of the factors for being at-risk, being truant and performing poorly in school.
·One other thought is that perhaps this young man is gifted and bored. If this young man is gifted and his high potential has not been recognized, this could be causing his underachievement.
·While I can understand this mother’s frustration, hitting is never okay and could be considered child abuse as defined in the Child Abuse Prevention Act of 1974.
The Art of Teaching, Ch. 3, p. 70, para 9.
The Art of Teaching, Ch. 2, p. 35, para 2.
I would arrange for testing to determine his potential.
Certainly being dragged into class and hit in front of others is embarrassing for him.
I would make every effort to get to know what was going on at home - is he being abused, getting enough sleep, involved with a young woman? I would get to the bottom of what is going on at home. While hitting might be acceptable in some cultures, I would gently discuss it with his mother and let her know the definition of abuse.
(2) Turmoil in a student's family life can effect that child's mood. Children in divided or blended families are more likely to experience emotional problems and have a reduced percentage of school completion. (3) A family's soceoeconomic status can affect a child's personality in school. If a child does not have proper nutrition, for example, a child may not be enthused to participate or even attend school in the first place. (4) Since some children do not have a stable family life, the classroom environment must provide a safe place where they can feel comfortable.
(1) If parents value education and instill this value in their children, students are more likely to think of school as a positive thing and will be eager to get involved. Parents who think negatively of school will influence their children to think the same way. A positive attitude about education and encouragement from parents, therefore, may help this student view school positively as well.
(2) PPR, The Act of Teaching, Chapter 2, Page 24 & Page 25, Spotlight 2.1
(3) PPR, The Act of Teaching, Chapter 2, Page 24
(4) PPR - The Act of Teaching, Chapter 4, Page 95, Bullet 1
This student is probably in low socioeconomic household, which put the student at-risk of ultimately dropping out of school. Instead of hitting the child to get them into the classroom; the parent needs to set more of a positive role for school by getting him there on time.
Children.
PPR, Ch. 2, pg. 35, At-Risk Children
PPR; Ch. 2, pgs. 35 & 36
CD; Module 5, pg. 90
As a teacher I would try to create a safe classroom and get the student engaged by building their confidence. I too would take a humanistic approach to this student. I would let him/her know that their feelings are important. I would try to place myself in that student’s shoes a find creative ways that are sensitive to that students need to teach him/her. I would use techniques such as listening, discussion of values and morals that helps the student identity their feelings (PPR Ch4, Pg 95, humanistic approach to Teaching and Learning). By teaching education through morals it would be important for me as a teacher to be a role model, and create a family atmosphere. I would set aside one on one time for that student so they could process their feelings ( CD, Module 5, Feelings Count, pg 90) I would also try to get tat student engaged by building social relationships through group work and projects (CD Module 5, Feelings Count, pg 93). I would also take that student for how he/she is and not take his/her actions personally, because it is not about me.