I know this student, I am actually the mom to one of these students and once again why didn't I stumble upon this information sooner. My procrastinator thinks he is not smart, thinks his friends are all smarter than him and this article sheds some light on one reason he may procrastinate in some subjects. I know it was the culprit in Physics Junior year. The title of this post is the title of an article I came across in Education Week. Evie Blad states that: "Some students engage in so-called self-handicapping behaviors not because they don't care. Rather, those students care a great deal about success and they are trying to protect themselves from the negative emotions they might feel if they fail at an academic task. So they put off studying for the big test, giving themselves an excuse in advance for a low score. And they might not always realize why they are doing it." Do we want to engage in an activity that is going to make us feel bad about ourselves, no. I know I tend to avoid activities that are going to frustrate me. Not practicing, not studying gives you an excuse up front for failure. An athlete might not practice as hard, well of course I lost I didn't practice. "Students are more likely to self-handicap if they perceive an outcome as certain when it's actually uncertain. The combination of a low sense of control (inability to do well on a test) over a situation and a high regard for the outcome (wanting a high score) can lead to a fear of failure." Boy do I know this kid, he sits in my room every year. Sometimes there are more than one of them. I usually catch on, but sometimes I do just think they are lazy or unmotivated. Then I feel really bad once I realize that this is their coping mechanism. So what do we do as teachers? The article brings up Growth Mindset and the movement towards encouraging students to learn from their mistakes, normalize failure. Students won't be so scared if they know it is OK to fail they will have a chance to learn from the mistakes and succeed. What do you think? Does this describe your child? Students, do you think you do this? Teachers is this kid sitting in your class. I look forward to approaching this student in a different way this year, maybe sitting them down and talking to them about what I have observed. I'll let you all know how it unfolds.
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he title says it all, something I have forever struggled with. I hate assigning a grade to work, I much rather provide feedback. Many times students are just doing something because it is a grade. Parents are going to open Skyward and see that grade. I don't really mind giving zeros, if you attempted nothing I am not able to do my job and provide you any feedback. Now a zero will come with consequences, you will be at a mandatory tutorial. Last year I started my journey to come up with a more authentic way to assess the students in my class and that is where I discovered Standards Based Grading, SBG. I rolled it out with my Algebra I students and boy did it take some getting used to. Assuring them that they are not going to fail. A 1 did not represent 1%, but it represented that you are just an emerging learner. I thought they'd all jump for joy, I'm not going to give you big unit tests, I am going to assess you with smaller objective quizzes, I am going to sit one on one with you and watch you work, you were going to demonstrate where you are and I would discuss how you felt about your progress with you. Change is hard! Assuring them that at the 6 weeks grading period as long as you did not have a string of zeros, meaning you are sitting comatose in my room, you will not have a failing grade. Positive Mindsets By the time most students cross the threshold of my room they are feeling pretty dejected and down about their mathematical abilities. It is Resource Math. At some point in their mathematical journey it was decided they couldn't cut it in an on level math class. Much to their surprise I am going to expose them to on level math. "But we are in Special Ed. Miss" Well I am going to specially educate you on the same stuff your friends are doing in their math classes and guess what you will be able to do it. Encouraging these babies to thing positively about math is a struggle to say the least. By adopting SBG I found many more smiles on their faces. Yesterday you were at a 1, emerging. Today how do you feel you are doing, a 2 maybe, you are starting to get it. They aren't feeling as bad about themselves. They are more willing to practice and make mistakes because mistakes aren't so bad. Promoting Perseverance Ultimately this is what I want to do. They will walk out of my room after 3 years and will graduate and will transition into adult life. Life is full of obstacles and things they will find hard, life is hard. Math is hard, get over it, we have to do it. When they ask me "why do we have to do this, it is hard", yes it is math is very hard but we together are going to take it on, make many mistake and we will persevere together. No correcting or retesting for a 70, you get to redo and retake everything for full credit. That is how I send the message that mistakes are OK, let them know that your hard work and perseverance will pay off in the end. It might take you longer to master a particular skill, why penalize you for that. If you work hard, practice, make mistakes and learn in the end you will be rewarded for this hard work. This system gives kids hope, and hope is a great thing. Without it what a sad depressing place 1.206 would become. Some of my peers feel this method creates an inordinate amount of work for me. No, not really. My retakes cover a couple of objectives and are short 3-6 questions, maybe a little longer. That is all I need to assess if you have grown. Now the 6 weeks grading period has ended, and I do have to assign them a customary grade. I am going to give a 0% to the student who has really done nothing, no. Why you may ask. Well it goes back to hope, is there any chance a 0% will average to a 70% in a semester? No. Some people thing by giving them at least a 50% I am rewarding them for doing nothing. I don't see it that way, I see it as giving them hope. Now granted I have not done my job is someone has sat in my room for 6 weeks and done nothing, I need to give myself a 0% as well if that happens. I have no done my best to motivate this student and build the relationship needed for them to trust me and for them to value this journey I am trying to take them on. Pressure Do you function well under pressure, I know I don't. Now imagine sitting in a class that you have struggled with your whole life. Chances are you haven't done to well on the math STAAR test either. You need to have passing grades so you can do the stuff you love about school, football, band, wrestling, choir......but most of your classes are so hard for you. You have a learning disability. Who is going to learn under all that pressure. SBG in my opinion helps alleviate some of this pressure. When you walk into 1.206 you know that you can make mistakes and it is OK. That bombed test is not the end of the world. You will continue to persevere and retake that quiz and learn from those mistakes. Learning will occur. Getting Enough Grades Since I am still operating under the standard way of grading and I am told I must have "x number of grades" SBG sometimes was at odds with this. Giving a grade just to give a grade really sends the wrong message. Does that tell you where you are on your journey? But my mom wants to know what my grade is? This is something I am still working on, an authentic way to assess and show mom that grade. I am working on spreadsheets, google forms, it is still a work in progress. Guess what guys I am making mistakes and learning and preserving. But what do you mean this is not for a grade? That is another one. How about we do this to learn and to discuss and to help one another. Those words passed through the lips of some of my learners this year. It is not about the grade! So, Where Are We As a special educator I am a datataker. I need a system that quickly lets me know where they are and where they need improvement and how can I alter my instruction to help them be successful. A system that will mesh my "data" for their IEPs and assessing them on their curriculum. I came across David Wees, students are not just mistake makers they are sense makers. It is imperative to get insight into how they are thinking. This is a journey I am on. I have implemented more writing, so they can explain their process. For those who really struggle with writing I allow them to verbally explain their process. I like what Mr. Wees says, I want my children treated where they know their ideas matter and they get to talk to each other where they can come up with alternative ways of thinking. When students are explaining things to me I find that they realize wow I know some math and that feels good. Wrap it Up I think I have rambled on long enough. As you may gather from this post, I like SBG, it matches up with my philosophy and really suits my personality. Now am I an expert, heck no. Last year was a huge learning experience for me. I am looking forward to this school year and implementing it in both Algebra and Geometry. I was really unhappy with how I was assessing my students and SBG has turned that around. I have learned a lot from Dane Ehlert and his When Math Happens website. I see 2017-18 as a chance to implement more of what I have learned from him and other experts. Thank you Dane for sharing your journey with the world wide web. See you soon!! Adrienne Jones |
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