Hi
,
A major issue, is the development of fear and anxiety in the classroom?
Where students develop an association between certain subjects and fear/ anxiety?
Which is often caused by teachers?
With students being accused of being lazy, not trying hard enough, or just plain stupid, by teachers? Followed by class mates?
Which reflects the general lack of understanding of developmental differences.
Yet it also ignores the fact that making mistakes is fundamental to learning.
Too often, children endure public humiliation for making mistakes in class, rather than being encouraged to learn from them.
Though of perhaps greater consequence, is the way that anxiety/fear disrupts Working Memory?
Where given the average 'Digit Span' of [7+2/-2] in working memory.
Anxiety/fear can intrude and occupy some Digits, which disrupts, disconnects a line thought in the working memory.
Which as a result, just makes learning even more difficult.
So that instead of feeling confident about learning from making a mistake?
A feeling of anxiety becomes the focus of attention, as one fears making the mistake again?
Which inevitably results in the mistake being made again, due to the distraction. Which just reinforces the anxiety?
Their is growing body of research into this, in terms of maths acquisition. Where it now comes under the definition of Maths Phobia.
Though added to this, is that when a child starts to develop a fear/ anxiety in relation to maths/ literacy. Given that these are used daily in schooling for all of the years of schooling. The fear is built upon daily for many years!
Where I would also mention that I recently heard a lecture on PTSS, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, where the pre-conditions for such a syndrome are parallel to what many children experience in schooling.
Though it is not just teachers that contribute to this, but equally parents.
Whilst I might seem to be condemning teachers and parents, what I'm really wanting to highlight, is the need for greater understanding of the processes of developmental learning.
Where I can fully understand teachers and parents frustration, when a child seems to be 'refusing to learn'? Afterall, they have no other explanation?
So what is really needed, as an explanation that helps them to understand?
Geoff.