To ensure they don't just end up 'hating study'—There is a reason why children don't study (Part 2)
Q. I am a third-year university student aspiring to be a teacher. What should I do if there are children in class who do not study or cannot concentrate?
A. Continuing from last night.
③ Hating study
Continuing with measures for 'hating study'.
・Study x Friends
Group work and pair work fall under this category.
Even if it is difficult for a child to study alone, it becomes easier to engage if they are with classmates.
During math (arithmetic) class, some teachers create time for children to teach each other once they finish solving problems individually.
A. It is easier for children to ask their peers than the teacher
B. The child doing the teaching also learns
C. It saves the teacher time and effort
It is a way to kill three birds with one stone.
However, what you must be careful about with group work and pair work is the existence of children who cannot form groups or pairs.
Often in PE, there is an instruction like 'get into pairs,' but that is too sloppy.
Unless you first line them up in two rows and instruct who they should pair with, they will always pair up with their friends, and the children who cannot find a partner will remain the same.
Teachers who give sloppy instructions are the very ones who fail to see the children who cannot find a partner every time.
That teacher should realize by now that they are complicit in bullying.
From my perspective, it is also concerning when the same child ends up pairing with the teacher every time.
Of course, there are teachers who are properly attentive.
There are high school students who drop out because they cannot form groups or pairs during class.
It is good to be aware of such facts.
④ Losing motivation because studying does not yield results
A. In elementary or junior high school, they are not naturally good at studying but they try. However, they do not see results and lose motivation.
B. They passed the entrance exam for a preparatory junior high or high school and were good at studying before enrollment. However, after enrollment, the level of those around them rose, and for the first time, they felt inferior and lost motivation.
These are some examples.
・Getting the hang of studying
・Accepting that 'good enough' is okay
These can be triggers to regain motivation.
Even if they want to get the hang of studying, some children find it difficult to ask the teacher themselves (they don't know how to ask), so it is good for the teacher to reach out to them.
Regarding 'accepting that good enough is okay,' in preparatory schools, there are many children who can do various things, so they tend to think, 'I want to be better than others at this and that too.'
That feeling is important, but it would be good if they could realize that 'true confidence lies beyond comparison with others.'
It is obvious, but not every adult in the world is number one.
Yet, there are many happy people.
It can be a slow process, but if you support them so they can gradually shift to that way of thinking, they will be able to regain motivation.
In both A and B, they originally have the ability to engage in study, so if you teach them the tricks of studying or help them relax, they will start studying again.
To be continued next time.