In every class there exist a range of success. Every class has those 'A' students and most every math class has those 'D' and 'F' students and the ones in between.
It is my goal to help each of my students improve. It has been such a great year seeing so many do just that, with God's help. But I still have kids that are struggling. They have had so much time and opportunity to learn enough of what is on my 4 posters (see Poster on home page). I can spot the struggling students in my class so easily. They struggle to pay attention. This is their number 1 visible flaw. Why do they struggle paying attention?... is the question? What can I do to help them? What do they need to change to help themselves?
These low students still don't see themselves as successful math students... so this impacts their attitudes, emotions, efforts, behaviors and therefore their results. It always go back to this core belief. Successful students expects themselves to learn, improve and succeed. Unsuccessful students expect themselves to struggle, be confused and 'not get it.' This core belief causes them to have bad attitudes, poor emotions, inappropriate behavior and therefore receive low grades.
When I give my students a 'problem' they haven't seen before. The successful students are the ones, because of their belief system and their skills, to wrestle with it and solve it. Struggling students, because of their belief system mostly but also their lack of skills, quickly give up. Often times though, the skills needed to solve the problem, the struggling student possess. They are so ingrained in giving up, it is simply who they are, quitters.
I want all of my students to be problem solvers. In this life we will have problems. I want all of my students to be lousy quitters. I want them all to possess the beliefs, attitudes, learning skills, math skills, behaviors of intelligence and problem solving strategies and skills to confidently face problems they will all encounter.
So why do my struggling students have a hard time paying attention?... it is because they expect to not 'get it.' It is such an easy thing to change for so many. It is such a difficult thing to change for these last few. I refuse to give up on them. I talk to them privately before class and encourage them to belief, and try and pay attention each day. I have set them up with a neighbor who is a successful student and talked with them about working well together to make sure everybody is understanding. I talk with them during the period to encourage them to refocus, belief and try. I ask them after class on their way out how they did and/or give the encouragement or praise. I have to be patient. I have to live in 'Hope Land.'
These struggling students need to change their beliefs about their ability to learn and succeed. Then they need to try to learn and use more and more learning skill to succeed. They also need to implement into practice more and more behaviors of intelligence so they minimize the number of mistakes they make once they have learned how to do the problem. I call it Learning Well. First understand the problem conceptually. Can they explain it, talk about it, draw it? Second, they need to be able to show their work clearly and correctly. Third, they need to put into practice as many behaviors of intelligence as possible to eliminate errors. Learning well involves all three of these components. I have it up on the front of my room on a poster and refer to it often.
I want to teach all of my students to be LOUSY QUITTERS
Day 115
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