One morning, the students were preparing for a math test and working through a series of review questions. For many of them, the biggest challenge was not the question written on the paper in front of them, but the ability to answer it. When I checked with one of the students who seemed to be working silently, I found that he had carefully solved the first problem and was just writing down his guesses for the remaining problems. Now, as a reward for himself, he carefully drew a cartoon landscape of the city on a sheet of paper.
When I asked him why he didn’t try to solve other problems, he immediately said he didn’t know how. When I pointed out that he solved the first problem correctly and just followed the same process for the rest, he confessed that he didn’t want to do it because it would take too long. I convinced him to go back and try again, but there were only a few minutes left in class and little time to start. Caught between the day’s schedule and his own brain, he almost failed. We know that he can study and do math, but he struggles to maintain attention and concentration, and that the structure of the school makes it difficult for him and others who share his work to be as good as they should be. It has become very difficult to achieve success.
Remarkably, there are more students with ADHD this year than I remember, and it feels like the numbers are higher than ever before. will increase for a while. This may simply be because we are better able to diagnose students and understand their challenges, but recognizing student needs cannot be ignored. The students I work with represent a full range of attention challenges, from hyperactive and impulsive students to students who are inattentive and absorbed in their own thoughts. Many have officially diagnosed him with ADHD, and some exhibit reduced attention spans due to anxiety, trauma, and even causes. Racism All of these impact their ability to learn to their fullest potential and achieve at the same level as their peers who do not have the same struggles in a school environment.
Although our awareness of students’ SEL and cognitive needs has increased, schools are still based on some kind of cognitive “standard” that all students are expected to achieve. Addressing these needs and expecting children to adapt is not something we can continue to do if we truly want all students to thrive. Despite this prevalence of brain diversity, why do we continue to structure classrooms and schools in ways that are so difficult for children?
things that don’t go well
A typical classroom requires students to sit still for long periods of time, listen in large groups, and follow a strict schedule that dictates when and for how long they should study a particular subject. Masu. There are many reasons why this doesn’t work for many students, but our system forces us to choose efficiency and convenience over what works for cognitively diverse learners.
In larger classes, students who have difficulty concentrating are more easily distracted, and because teachers have more students to deal with, they inevitably receive less attention and support. Large numbers of students make it more difficult to plan for individual needs, forcing teachers to teach to an imaginary middle ground. A solid schedule makes it easier to schedule adults and services, but for kids who need time to get hooked and prefer to stay on task once they’re locked in. It’s difficult.
We have also focused on reinforcing basic skills that are siled, rather than creating opportunities for learning to be connected and authentic. Single subject and memorization tasks are easy to plan and assess, but they quickly lose their appeal if they are not tied to a narrow content or if they think that success in school is the main reason for learning. Grades and classes change every year, making it difficult for students who struggle to adapt to routines or who need their own systems to succeed. Locking teachers into a single grade and sending in new students each year comes at the expense of individual student relationships and knowledge that could help more cognitively diverse students achieve greater success. , prioritizing teacher expertise in content and routines. Grouping based on grade and age allows for standardized tests and standardized curricula, even though we know that children are not designed to meet standards.
Until recently, I have spent the majority of my career teaching students. 2 years In classes for multiple age groups. Having the opportunity to build knowledge and relationships with each student in my second year has led to great growth and success. Yet, as my district strives to provide a consistent curriculum and common experiences for all students, opportunities to teach across multiple age groups and years are being lost. Unfortunately, one thing that remains consistent is that certain students always struggle with this model.
hands-on authentic learning
A recent field trip to an urban nature center created an opportunity for several students who normally struggle with impulsivity and attention spans to engage in learning and show off their skills. When I smelled the dried buds of various wildflowers and found one with a citrus scent, one of my least attentive students exclaimed that she could use it in the soap she was making. . Learning that he makes soap at home was enough to surprise him, but then he asked her the name of the flower. Despite my repeated efforts to get him to take notes and keep track of what was where, he pulled out a small notebook, took a pencil from his pocket, and carefully wrote it down.
Another student who regularly asks what the meaning of our lessons is, is often satisfied that any activity we provide in the classroom is “good enough,” but with a map in hand, I became the leader who led the group. Treasure hunt in the forest. He was happy to stop and get directions, get feedback on where to go, and take the time to read over and over again the map and tips he had collected, none of which I had given him alone at school. I couldn’t let it happen.
These moments demonstrate the reality of learning and the power that is possible when you take students outside of standardized systems. Other authentic experiences in the arts and sciences can also provide experiences that engage and challenge students in real learning.
find the time
Now that we know what can attract and motivate these students, we can imagine harnessing their talents and creating more opportunities to grow their skills and knowledge . But since we’re already a third of the school year through and my curriculum requires me to teach certain topics for a certain amount of time, I don’t have room for the different kinds of experiences my kids need. June is coming soon and I will be passing it on to the next teacher who won’t know what I know and it will take another 4 months to learn it. , you end up wasting valuable time educating your students.
Just 15 minutes of one-on-one time with your students can create more moments of learning and connection than you would experience in a typical week. When you read a book with someone and do an impromptu word study or decoding lesson, you learn where they are operating and participating in a way that is much more difficult when that information is presented to the whole group. Opportunities arise.
However, these opportunities are the exception, not the norm. I rarely have time to work one-on-one with my student for more than a few minutes. Not to mention changing your schedule to allow for longer study periods when your kids are engrossed in their learning. You don’t have the time to personalize lessons or plan units that will interest your students who need more than a cookie-cutter lesson to capture their attention.
Why can’t these kinds of experiences be made more common in schools? They require significant resources in staff and time, but our education system can’t help students who are currently struggling to make ends meet. It can make a meaningful difference to what you can offer. Build a model around time and relationships, allow students to stay with their teachers for more than a year, increase time for independent learning, and give teachers more planning time to design experiences that meet their goals. What if we promoted a smaller class model that incorporates What are the student’s care needs? It is clear that our current model does not meet the needs of many students, and the number of students who are struggling appears to be increasing.
Given everything we know, now is the time to rebuild our schools and get us out of a difficult situation. Free size factory model And towards those who recognize children’s individuality and unique ways of learning. To ensure that all children thrive, we need to change our models to fit children’s current circumstances, rather than expecting them to change and adapt to cognitive norms.
