Quote:
Originally Posted by Lateralus
I think teachers need to identify 'at risk' students before it comes to the point where they have been failed, and address the student's needs to assure they stay engaged in the school community. If I had a student who have problems with behaviour, like you mentioned, I probably would have racked my brains to figure out why the student was behaving that way - behaviour is a message. Bullying also makes me really anxious. Students don't learn when they are depressed or unhappy. I think as a teacher creating a supportive learning environment where the children feel safe and able to freely express themselves and experiment with knowledge is another concept that supports effective learning.
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I agree with you, Lateralus, that your final sentence should be the main goal...creating a supportive learning environment where kids feel safe.
The public school my child attends fails at this in some ways: the teacher sometimes shouts and speaks in a way that humiliates children, and has them miss recess, heads down on the table, if they forget something (like to bring homework in). The teacher uses candy as a prize (groan).
However, the teachers all do try to prevent bullying and try to cater classwork to kids' different skill levels within the same class. Kids who are below or above grade level in their skills get "flagged" to receive special attention, so that they don't fall too far behind or get too bored. Students with behavioral problems have a special "tutor" with whom the kids spend time. These kids are removed from class for a half hour for this special class.
The main behavioral problem that teachers face with some kids is that the kids refuse to do what you ask. This is when the teachers try a variety of incentives and disinsentives, with varying degrees of success. Telling a kid, "You're not a mouse, you're a human child..now ACT like one" isn't very helpful. Giving the child a special checklist on which she keeps track of her successes (such as being helpful and following instructions during 15-minute segments of the day) to allow her to earn some privilege (computer time) seems to work better.