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ESL forum >
Ask for help > Stubborn student
Stubborn student
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cauffeypot
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Stubborn student
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What do you do with a grade 4 student who has "learning disabilities" who writes garbage (in incomplete sentences with no punctuation)? I �m certainly not going to let him type up a story on the computer if he can �t produce a decent piece of writing, he goes into sulk mode if he has to do work so I �m going to save my time trying to edit his work because he �ll tell me there �s nothing wrong with it. Should I have him continue to write stories or should I just make him write complete sentences for a week? |
21 Aug 2009
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manonski (f)
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You talk about learning disabilities. Anything specific aside the fact that he writes garbage. Some students have real learning disabilities and we have to learn to work with that.
Is it a behavior problem or a learning problem that you want help for? |
21 Aug 2009
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cauffeypot
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He �s spolied is what it is. I can �t babysit him, I have other kids in the class I have to teach. He can �t follow directions, he just makes up the answers when it �s right there on the page, I end up doing most of the work. I wasted 40 minutes with him today while the lesson went ignored and my other srudents were left on their own. I can �t do that again. It �s not fair to everyone else.
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21 Aug 2009
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**********
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You have made up your mind on the subject, then. Problem solved. Just in case, I suggest these sites:
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21 Aug 2009
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cauffeypot
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Yes, but there �s no such thing as a learning disability. That �s just something some doctor made up. |
21 Aug 2009
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manonski (f)
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Have you talked to his other teachers? Are they having the same problem? |
21 Aug 2009
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cauffeypot
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I don �t no how he doesn in his other classes, but I �ve been teaching him for two years and he still can �t put a capital letter at the beggining of a sentence, even when I tell him to do it, point to the space where it should go, and physically draw in the letter for him. I think it �s time to give up on him. Unfortunately, he �s coming back in September. |
21 Aug 2009
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**********
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Some people have learning disabilities, they try hard and improve. They can develop their potencial, both in social and individual abilities, if they are lucky enough to have teachers scaffolding them, nurturing them, teachers who believe they can really make a difference. There are excellent resources in ERIC database, specially designed for teachers: www.eric.ed.gov/
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21 Aug 2009
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lomasbello
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Dont u have a physological department at your school that can help not only teachers but him to find out what exactly his problem is? I think most of the time these kind of students are calling the attention because they are somehow rejected. I know it is hard but a good idea is to work with the whole group and let him to be your helper at the class so that you can evaluate in which way he learns the best. Remember that we as teachers should work with the multiple intelligences.Try to put apart your frustration and become his friend and maybe he focuses more on what his is doing and you calm down. It is a long process and if you dont have a medical report you can not give him the required treatment. Maybe he needs some medicines to slow down the level of dispersion. |
21 Aug 2009
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crazy_turtle
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Hi cauffeypot,
To be honest i find your comment "Yes,
but there �s no such thing as a learning disability. That �s just
something some doctor made up." rather offensive. I cant imagine any doctor making up a diagnosis and I also cant imagine how you would know infinitely more about learning disabilities than a qualified doctor. If you really feel that way, you have no hope of
ever getting through to your student.
Have you ever tried encouraging other students to help him? I have had a class with some children with disabitlities and I find that it is very important they are not isolated and made to feel different from the rest of the children in the class. If you are isolating the student and disciplining him in front of the whole class, the student is likely to rebel even more.
However, if one of the other students is helping and mentoring them during the lesson, they will be less likely to misbehave because all children are very self concious in front of their peers and will always try to seek approval. If you can harness this in class, I am sure he will be ok. In my school (in Japan), we have several children with down syndrome and mild cases of autism. They are always paired with other students (usually the smartest/ most sensible) students and I have noticed a considerable change in their behaviour. The kids who act as a mentor often thrive on having the extra responsibility.
When I taught in Scotland, the approach is generally very individualist and kids with special needs are often isolated and ignored by other students. This approach simply just doesnt work.
I apologise for being blunt at the beginning of this message. However, learning disabilities is a challenge we all have to face and it will never be solved by sweeping it under the carpet.
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21 Aug 2009
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**********
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Have you found anything that could help you out in ERIC database? Manon, Lomasbello and Crazy Turtle also provided some good advice, I guess you will have enough to reason upon for the night.
Sometimes, we need to sleep over these issues to gain new fruitful insights.
I also suggest that you read the information provided by anamb7 in the other thread.
I�ll pm you and send more resources, when you tell me you�ve been through the suggested ones. Waiting here to support you.
Keep on rewarding him instantly for the answers he submits, his effort, his commitment, his homework, anything you can come up with, to show him you care.
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21 Aug 2009
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