As mid-year approaches and reports are prepared, the issue of how to better assist disengaged and unmotivated students often comes to the forefront. Unmotivated children tend to opt out, do the bare minimum required and can be difficult to teach. They may be unwilling to participate in discussions, frequently look bored, tune out, distract others, […]
Did you know that up to 20 per cent of students in any year are described as disengaged? [1]Angus, M., McDonald, T., Ormond, C., Rybarcyk, R., Taylor, A., & Winterton, A. (2009). Trajectories of classroom behaviour and academic …continue This impacts significantly of the student’s learning outcomes. Many do not catch up academically in later years. [2] Angus, […]
In every class there are students who struggle to learn. Over time, some will begin to believe that even if they try, they will be unable to achieve. As a result, they may give up easily, be less willing to have a go, avoid trying new things, or asking for help, further reinforcing their perception […]
It can be tough figuring out why some children have trouble starting and completing work. Are they tired, bored, hungry, preoccupied by something going on at home, or maybe they don’t fully understand the task? Or it might be something a bit harder to spot like anxiety. One in five children and adolescents have elevated […]
I’ll let you in on a little secret… IQ is not, I repeat NOT the best predictor of student success. If you work in a school you probably already know this but many students, parents, governments and other members of the community do not and it’s time to share this with them. Last week I […]
Research reported in The Age, lead by Professor Patrick Griffin, was conducted on 36,000 Years 3 to Year 10 students in reading comprehension, maths and critical thinking from 500 Catholic and state schools in Victoria. Once tested students were grouped according to ability and taught by teachers at their ability level for 6 months. Researchers found that […]
Currently some politicians, media commentators and education bureaucracies have a narrow focus on literacy and numeracy, measured by NAPLAN, as signifiers of school success. However, many teachers and parents agree that while all children need to be literate and numerate, it is also important to help them achieve their personal best – from those with […]
A recent inquiry into gifted students in Victoria found that a large number were ‘dumbing down’ in order to fit in. This is not isolated to Victoria. It is an Australia wide issue. These children are often bored and frustrated, acting out in the classroom or in some cases simply not coming to school. Many are underachieving […]
You have probably heard that praising children is beneficial. However some types of praise may actually be detrimental. Praise that identifies innate qualities about the child such as talents or strengths, for example, ‘You’re really good at maths’, ‘What a good artist you are’ or ‘You are so clever’, may be causing children to under […]