Very giddy class and need advice/strategies

Applemad11

I am just wondering if anybody would be so kind as to offer me advice/tips or strategies to deal with my problem. I am a teacher with a years experience post dip. I am teaching a third year class and am finding that I am having difficulty with them.

There is a key instigator in the class. This student in question is from an ethnic minority and seemingly has been written off by other teachers and is simply told to sit at the back of other lessons and told to look at a book or something to occupy himself. I have from day one tried to encourage this student and have sat during the lesson explaining worksheets etc, however this student is very VERY low ability and needs a serious amount of help and this is not feasible in a 35 min lesson with 29 other students to attend to. Literally he cannot move onto the next point without guidance and help. When I move to other students he gets frustrated and this is when he starts to cause trouble and distracts other students (there are some seriously giddy students in this class however I can control them if this student does not rile them). I feel for this student but realistically he will not even probably sit the Junior Cert as all of his Brothers failed to attend and I really believe he also will not. I am covering a very challenging course and I need to progress with my Higher level in order to finish the course and complete revision. However my class is consumed by managing and dealing with these behaviour and as I need to flit between higher and ordinary there is little chance of the students being able to work independently and quietly during the lesson

I do not want to write him off however but I need to concentrate on my other students. I do not want to discourage him but I am at a loss as to what to do and I cannot ask other staff as they will just laugh at me for even being worried about him. I am at the stage now when id nearly love if he just sat in the room doing nothing as long as he is quiet. I feel like such a bad teacher/person but please can you give me any advice to overcome this problem.

P.S I have offered extra help at lunch/after school and he laughed in my face!

golden virginia

i would recommend using Specific learning Objectives for this student, .. you have a tough mix by the sounds of it.Maybe try differentiated sets of learning objectives for each ability group.

I dont know your subject.. maybe it one of those subjects that has foundation level? If I was teaching history for example or techncal graphics, which I have taught a lot of .. or any other subject i would tell this student exactly what I wanted him to learn and how to show me what he learned ..say to this student , for example ....
at the end of this lesson I want you to tell me which countries the vikings came from, describe what the vikings looked like, be able to tell me how they came to Ireland.

Or another example .. be able to tell me how I could bisect an angle. Be able to bisect an angle showing me where your construction marks were made.

I would reward this student,, what works for me is that at the end of the lesson he either get the objectives or he does'nt.. so 3 goods in a row gets a good note in his journal. Another three goods in a row gets a good discipline sheet and a note on this his journal and another three gets a good letter home .. you can string this along all year so that at the end he gets a school award.

i find this technique really work with students who have trouble but also works with whole classes, especially second years!

flatbackfour

Are you well organised in the class. This is the absolute key.

Differenciate the tasks you are doing to cater for his ability. When you are doing worksheets make sure the first 10 questions tasks are something this kid can do.

While the others are busy working on the task go down and help him.

Dont bend over backwards to help him. He will laugh in your face he is immature. Dont take it to heart. If he works well then praise him but dont go over the top and maybe praise a few others too so he does not overly think you are concentrating on him.

Dont neglect the needs of the rest of the class. It sounds to me that your troubles could escalate if your not careful.

Would not set outward learning "objectives" for this kid. He will probably take the P............... and get flustrated if they are not met and blow up in your face.

Keep the whole class busy.

Prepare very well. Always mark copies, keep the roll, set high standards, and you will get there.


Good luck.

born2bwild

It's a really good reflection on you as a teacher that you're trying to make a difference here. Still, you have to balance the time and energy that you invest in him/her with the time and energy lost to those children eager to learn.
Sure - be organised and differentiate your lessons - nothing else is acceptable - but do not be afraid to ask your principal for some guidance in these matters.
The situation that you're describing is quite common, at least it is in my experience. In truth, the outcome is usually this: the child in question has a brief, unpleasant career in school and that will probably be the case no matter what you do. Do not misunderstand me: I'm not saying 'give up'. Keep trying; vary your methods, go the extra mile and ask for input from your more experienced colleagues, but in all likelihood the child will not stay the course (from your descriptions, I'm assuming he/she is a traveller). There is a chance, however, that the interest you are showing and effort that you are making will sooner or later, reach the child and make a positive difference in his/her life.

Applemad11

Thanks for all your great advice. The child in question was not in yesterday and my was it a different class. I actually progressed to another topic and got around to check each students work and progress. Pathetic what one child can achieve. Yes, its a given that I am particularly organised, I have differentiated the work substantially and have went as far as going through all exam papers and picking the easiest OL questions and still he is unable to progress, honestly it is such a severe learning condition he has. I have asked about resource/learning support but any hours he gets now are only for Maths as all traveller funding has been cut. Last year we had the luxury of more hours which could give scope to cover other subjects.

Yes he is a traveller and it is the norm in my school for his family not to continue with education after the JC. I obviously realise I need to progress with the class however it is so difficult with him in the class. He does (deep down) know that I am trying to help and that I do want him to achieve however on the surface he is acting 'cool' infront of his friends to save face. I guess I am asking for advice in how to deal with him as opposed to the rest of the class. How can I keep him settled essentially!! Sending him out is not an option as I feel this is running away from the issue and I don't want this I need to learn strategies on how to avoid conflict however still giving him the best I can.

I have alot of experience with troubled and very badly behaved students in very disadvantaged schools (and actually did very well with these students) however all these students were of very low ability and far easier to manage in terms of progression, however this school is a different kettle of fish as there is a large mix of academics and disadvantaged.

I have asked numerous senior staff however they have no problems as they do not expect work from this child nor have they pursued work from him. I guess I will just have to keep trying and hopefully things will improve. Perhaps I am a niave young teacher expecting too much. I am determined to get the better of this situation though :eek:

spurious

Applemad11 wrote: »

I have asked numerous senior staff however they have no problems as they do not expect work from this child nor have they pursued work from him.

I hope someone gives the family the name of a good solicitor. That is a disgrace. He is as entitled as any of their own children are to be stretched.

rebel10

Applemad11 wrote: »

I have asked numerous senior staff however they have no problems as they do not expect work from this child nor have they pursued work from him. I guess I will just have to keep trying and hopefully things will improve. Perhaps I am a niave young teacher expecting too much. I am determined to get the better of this situation though :eek:

This really makes me angry. Sure why is a child going to push themselves if the person who is meant to be doing the same has decided not to bother? I get so angry with co-workers who say to me, "Ah sure, he has no book, no copy, has never handed up homework, so at this stage I don't even expect it from him." Why should he be treated any differently to any other student? Why should the expectations be lowered for him? This is probably half the reason for him acting out. Do you have methods of monitoring homework, behaviour, classwork etc.? A school organiser? What about asking the year head to organise a time where all his subject teachers can sit down and devise a plan?

Moody_mona

But what if pushing him for homework or class co-operation results in him acting out and disrupting the class, and then no one getting work done? You need to treat students fairly and offer the help and learning opportunities equally to all students, but you cant learn it for them, there has to be a certain effort put in by students.

rebel10

Moody_mona wrote: »

But what if pushing him for homework or class co-operation results in him acting out and disrupting the class, and then no one getting work done? You need to treat students fairly and offer the help and learning opportunities equally to all students, but you cant learn it for them, there has to be a certain effort put in by students.

The way I see it, the boy has got this far, so someone has to have got round him. Someone has been able to maintain the boys concentration levels for long enough to be able to teach him. It is all too easy to just give up on him.

Can I just ask op, is there any student in the class with resource hours? In our school, we try to manage group teaching, when a child has been allocated hours in resource, the resource teacher also takes two or three other students that may be finding the subject difficult and teaches them at a pace they can manage. The child who has the resource hours gets the benefit of interacting with others and also the other students get the benefit of working in a smaller group. Inspectors are now encouraging this method rather than withdrawing the pupil from classes.

golden virginia

I think as well as pushing him and having high expectations that he will learn, rewarding good effort and behaviour works too. Have you tried a positive discipline system such i suggested earlier, it does work!

seriouslysweet

Two things, are there not steps in place to suspend him or her? The common good must be taken care of here. Also, have parents been brought in? In my school one girl had her mother sit with her in class as was written into the school discipline code, it really really worked.

rebel10

seriouslysweet wrote: »

Two things, are there not steps in place to suspend him or her? The common good must be taken care of here. Also, have parents been brought in? In my school one girl had her mother sit with her in class as was written into the school discipline code, it really really worked.

I don't think suspension would make a difference to his behaviour. I have students who are similar to the op. This is what I can imagine is happening. The student is finding subjects difficult or can not give the attention others can. He doesn't want to appear to be weak in front of the others, so decides to act up because it takes the attention away from the fact that he is weak.
Suspension is just an easy, short term fix for the situation. Also, do you really believe bringing his parent into school with him will resolve the situation?

spurious

For a child like that (and there are many like him in some schools) the school needs to hammer on the doors of the resource keepers and initiate an educational programme for him that meets his needs.

We set up a mechanics, bicycle/motorcycle repair and basic welding workshop for a few kids like that in our school - through wily dealings by the Principal we managed to get it at no cost to the VEC or Dept. and a small group of kids went on a limited timetable learning skills that were relevant to and desired by them.

They went from having slap dash attendance interspersed by periods at home to attending every day. We worked with a local youth community projects so that they would have somewhere to go when not in the workshop or associated classes.

'The system' just doesn't work for some kids.

flatbackfour

Applemad11 wrote: »

I have asked numerous senior staff however they have no problems as they do not expect work from this child nor have they pursued work from him. :eek:

And you wonder why he kicks off in your class!!

This is why some teachers just need to be sacked.

"Sure hes a traveller who gives a fu........."

boogle

If a child in your class is taking time away from other students because of poor abiltiy, then you need to seriously evaluate your options. I'm sorry, but if the Dept has withdrawn resources from students who should have help in class, then I think that we, as teachers, should show them the effects of their duplicity (which is what the whole integration agenda has been)

Good teachers are multi-taskers, but we have to draw a line somewhere.

Qualitymark

If he laughed in your face when you offered him extra teaching during break, it's almost certainly because he would feel humiliated by such teaching; he'd feel it showed him up to the other students as inferior.

The best thing you can do for this child is to reward any improvement he makes, and reward his good behaviour in class. This is tough to do if he's deeply sensitive, as any verbal praise is likely to be perceived as patronising, but even an appreciative nod and a simple "Good", as you'd give to other students, will be a great reward.

Rather than setting him targets (at first), which may scare him into avoiding the risk of not meeting them, I'd set yourself targets with him: can you teach him to bisect an angle today, for instance.

Remember, the teaching you give this child will not only affect him; it will also affect the others in the class, who will see and model your attitude and your actions.

Qualitymark

Incidentally, about halfway down this very interesting New Yorker piece

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=all

there's a section on a teacher having exactly the problem you're having.

Fuinseog

Applemad11 wrote: »

I am just wondering if anybody would be so kind as to offer me advice/tips or strategies to deal with my problem. I am a teacher with a years experience post dip. I am teaching a third year class and am finding that I am having difficulty with them.

There is a key instigator in the class. This student in question is from an ethnic minority and seemingly has been written off by other teachers and is simply told to sit at the back of other lessons and told to look at a book or something to occupy himself. I have from day one tried to encourage this student and have sat during the lesson explaining worksheets etc, however this student is very VERY low ability and needs a serious amount of help and this is not feasible in a 35 min lesson with 29 other students to attend to. Literally he cannot move onto the next point without guidance and help. When I move to other students he gets frustrated and this is when he starts to cause trouble and distracts other students (there are some seriously giddy students in this class however I can control them if this student does not rile them). I feel for this student but realistically he will not even probably sit the Junior Cert as all of his Brothers failed to attend and I really believe he also will not. I am covering a very challenging course and I need to progress with my Higher level in order to finish the course and complete revision. However my class is consumed by managing and dealing with these behaviour and as I need to flit between higher and ordinary there is little chance of the students being able to work independently and quietly during the lesson

I do not want to write him off however but I need to concentrate on my other students. I do not want to discourage him but I am at a loss as to what to do and I cannot ask other staff as they will just laugh at me for even being worried about him. I am at the stage now when id nearly love if he just sat in the room doing nothing as long as he is quiet. I feel like such a bad teacher/person but please can you give me any advice to overcome this problem.

P.S I have offered extra help at lunch/after school and he laughed in my face!

I find it interesting that you are doing your best to help someone, whom the more experienced colleagues have written off. You will get no thanks for this, but you will get a lot of grief. Personally, I would go with the flow. If the other teachers ignore him, why should you do otherwise?

Fuinseog

spurious wrote: »

For a child like that (and there are many like him in some schools) the school needs to hammer on the doors of the resource keepers and initiate an educational programme for him that meets his needs.

We set up a mechanics, bicycle/motorcycle repair and basic welding workshop for a few kids like that in our school - through wily dealings by the Principal we managed to get it at no cost to the VEC or Dept. and a small group of kids went on a limited timetable learning skills that were relevant to and desired by them.

They went from having slap dash attendance interspersed by periods at home to attending every day. We worked with a local youth community projects so that they would have somewhere to go when not in the workshop or associated classes.

'The system' just doesn't work for some kids.

all very idealistic, but in Ireland there is a recession and cutbacks are an immediate result of this.

Qualitymark

Fuinseog wrote: »

all very idealistic, but in Ireland there is a recession and cutbacks are an immediate result of this.

Don't have to be. In Mount Temple in the savage recession of the 1970s-80s, one teacher was acting as an ad hoc career guidance teacher. He discovered that many of the students were failing to get jobs because they didn't have a driving licence. So he got his car refitted with dual controls, insured it for teaching, and started a Driver Ed class. Within months, the number of Sixth Years who got jobs straight after the Leaving began to climb, and continued to do so.

From that New Yorker article, and apposite to Applemad11's original query:

Novice teachers often struggle with the basic behavioral issues. Hobson told me of one such teacher, whose students included a hugely disruptive boy. Hobson took her to observe the boy in another teacher’s classroom, where he behaved like a prince. Only then did the teacher see that her style was the problem. She let students speak—and shout, and interrupt—without raising their hands, and go to the bathroom without asking. Then she got angry when things got out of control.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande#ixzz1Z9YQKfaz

rebel10

Fuinseog wrote: »

I find it interesting that you are doing your best to help someone, whom the more experienced colleagues have written off. You will get no thanks for this, but you will get a lot of grief. Personally, I would go with the flow. If the other teachers ignore him, why should you do otherwise?

:eek: What?? You are paid to teach the boy, if others aren't choosing to this then they aren't doing their job, and so are failing him. That attitude makes me so angry. Sure, you will have tougher students to deal with, but there should never be an option to just ignore them! The other teachers can ignore him because they are happy to just not carry out their jobs and to be honest this is the most sickening thing about our educational system. There are plenty of teachers struggling day in and day out with situations like this, but it is those that give up that give the rest of us a bad name. :mad:

seavill

Fuinseog wrote: »

I find it interesting that you are doing your best to help someone, whom the more experienced colleagues have written off. You will get no thanks for this, but you will get a lot of grief. Personally, I would go with the flow. If the other teachers ignore him, why should you do otherwise?

One of the most shocking things I've heard a teacher say to be honest