So here's a question directed at those of you out there who are teachers (ESL or otherwise). What do you do about chronic failures? This semester, I am teaching three classes of ZII (second level). Two of my students are taking ZII for the second time, having both completely failed it last semester. The students have very different personalities. One tries very hard, but never comes up with the right answer. The other doesn't try at all, and doesn't come to class half the time either. Last Friday I administered the first quiz of the semester, which focused on the present simple of the verbs to be, to work, to do, to study and to teach. Nearly all of my students in all three classes received As, and most of the students who didn't make As made Bs... but the two students who have already sat through (and failed) an entire semester of ZII totally bombed the test, receiving the two lowest grades of all of my students. I will ask them both to come to my office hours, although I had one of these students last semester, and he never appeared during my office hours, despite repeated requests. Perhaps I will fare better with the other one. It's very frustrating. Suggestions? Helpful hints? Anything?
9 comments:
Jane,
I don't think there are ever failures in a learning situation. Yes, there are students that challenge us personally. I think they are an invitation to go into our own process, to examine what assumptions we might be making about them.
Fundamentally, I think learning is what happens when neither the student nor the teacher make any effort. In other words, I think learning is what happens when we are not doing.
If the student cares about their learning, s/he will take the initiative to do something about it.
Thank you for the question and I'd love to continue the conversation.
well, okay... to specify by "chronic failures" i mean those students who do not make a passing grade on anything in class (although i assume you already knew that). I'm not really sure I understand your second paragraph at all though.
I got the following response from my father via email. Thought I'd post it here to add to the "discussion"
You can't help those who don't want to do the work. The student who comes to class, does the work, and asks for help will get all of our sympathy. It is then very hard to fail that student. However, what do you do for them if you pass him and he can't really do the work? I was faced with that issue at LCCC a lot. If I liked the student then if they came close to a passing grade I might give them a "D".
As for the student who doesn't do the work, fails the tests, doesn't come to class or meetings; the answer is obvious "F". That student may be using your class as a dodge from work or a way to get money from parents etc. Just document your decision and fail him.
You could just do what an American teacher would do.
Pass 'em to get 'em the heck out of your class. :-)
That is, I say, that is a joke, ma'am. A funny. A real flag-waver. I made a funny and you're not laughin'.
Hi Jane, I was just wandering the net on a Fri night 'cause I'm sick and wound up here. Long time no see!
Hope Russia is fun, you've had a more interesting five years, perhaps, than my 5 years at OSU.
Having taught a few quarters at OSU, I think the thing to do with the one who tries is to sit them down and talk to them about how they're working. Rather than just focusing on time spent and effort expended, try to identify the learning problem. If they were here at OSU, I'd try and have them tested for learning disabilities, but that option may not be open to you. I think that there's clearly a problem, though, so in any time you're meeting with said person focus on the underlying problem (which might be as simple as a work-style issue, you may be able to propose an alternative) rather than the specifics of what they didn't get. Give assignments, not for credit, on the side (or, depending, give them some credit for it). Try alternative learing methods, try and diagnose.
I teach ESL up here in Petersburg and am extremely familiar with 'chronic failures'.
IMO the larger part of these 'failures' has to do with the fact that these kids KNOW that I have absolutely no authority over them and that no matter what they will receive their diploma at the end of the course because hey, that's what their parents paid for.
Most of them are only in class because their parents make them come. They are only interested in playing with their cell phones and talking to each other in Russian.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him learn to use the present tense of the verb "to be".
This is not your fault. Do your best, and when the kid decides he wants to learn he will.
Tom!! I haven't heard from you in ages! Did I ever tell you that there used to be a commercial in San Diego featuring a character named Tom Dolan? What are you studying in grad school? I keep waffling on whether or not I should go... I think I would probably get fed up w/ all the BS.
As far as diagnosing whether or not my student who tries and continues to make failing grades has a learning disorder, or doing anything about that if it were so determined, I'm afraid Russia isn't exactly the best country for dealing with such things. I like the idea of giving her extra assignments though... We shall see.
Phil, in my school, the students won't receive their "certificates" if they don't deserve them (i.e. if they fail the classes). Both of the students I mentioned are taking the ZII level for the second time... and failing for the second time. It's very frustrating to me, and no doubt to them too. The one kid obviously doesn't want to be there, and nothing I've done has encouraged him to develop an interest in English. Meanwhile, the girl tries hard, but if she ends up in ZII for a third time, she's simply going to give up and/or hate it...
Was wandering some Russia blogs, found this one, and decided I'd throw my $0.0000000002 (or about Ru0.000000006) into the fray.
About the one who's trying: maybe I missed it, but I don't recall you saying anything about what she *is* good at. When I was teaching middle school (great fun, if you like that kind of thing), I regularly had students who, theoretically, couldn't learn stuff (no, I wasn't a special ed teacher). Certainly, they'd convinced themselves they couldn't learn.
Now, I'll admit, I didn't have to work across a language barrier, but I was generally successful when I'd *look* for all the places where a student showed real potential. First, that helped me find what strengths the student had to work with; second, it allowed me to show the student that, no, in fact, s/he wasn't *always* a failure. I'm a big believer in what I'd call "rational self-confidence boosting" (though there's probably some really slick jargon for the concept): you present a child with solid, concrete evidence that s/he can succeed, and use that to say, "Ok, now we're going to try this *other* thing." The key, to me, is the concrete examples; that's what differentiates it from the "self-esteem-everybody-is-wonderful-all-the-time" pap. Once you show them the concrete examples, cognitive dissonance sets in and they either (a) have to decide that the success wasn't a success (pretty hard, considering it's an objective fact), or (b) they might actually be able to achieve some successes. Note "might" and "some": no panaceas, no "Oh! You can do anything!", but real, cold, hard, incontrovertible facts that, yes, they might just succeed.
If you can find some of the good traits in the other student, you might be able to bring him around, too. You may have already tried this, but I'd be curious about what *he's* hoping to gain from the class. Obviously, he has to be there; if he's going to be there, what's he want from it? Maybe he'll never pass, and maybe he doesn't care. Or, maybe the one failure (coupled with failures outside the class) crippled him, and now he just thinks he's a failure (I've counseled many a student that I had to help past that particular obstacle). Yes, there's the possibility that he'll end up still failing, and still being a waste of time (this does happen); however, if you can find something that motivates him (American car magazines? U.S. reality TV shows? Comic books? Intentionally avoiding things like "MAXIM," though they *are* likely to appeal to adolescent males ... ), then you might be able to use the appealing thing to get him active.
Good luck!
-- Thomas
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