He was there. Dylan was sitting on the back of the boat, his eyes staring blankly in front of him, his pen at his side. All he did was breathe in and out. His name was on the paper, but nothing else. The weekly class assignment is issued by everyone else starting on Monday. Today was Wednesday, and most of the students were done around midnight. But still Dylan sat down, and I could have sworn he was flying around my head with a buzz.
Every genre has Dylan or a variation of it. Some students completed a long term assignment by going up and sharpening a pencil 63 times per class. Others come up and ask questions that they already have an answer to so that they get out of their seats. Still others interact with other students, cause of viburnum inefficiency. So what can be done to help these students? Someone can emphasize the importance of “Time Management is the Key to Success” in the marches and roar the moment from the bull’s horn, and still the efforts may fall on deaf ears.
1. Break the assignment into smallerparts
Sometimes the reason a student is lazy is how overwhelming the school project can be. In middle school, students are often faced with a big assignment and panic, not believing it can be done. And if it can’t be done, why try it in the first place? Hence the lack of work. Creating specific days in smaller portions of the assignment and “breaking” the assignment into manageable chunks can give these students more workable goals to strive for.
2. Clear and concise expectations
When the teacher is vague and uncertain in his instructions, he is the bane of the student’s existence. Clarity is the key; I remember a lot of times when the middle school homework assignments were hidden when I was a student So I decided the best course of action was to do nothing. Review what students need to work on, what the assignment or presentation will look like, and even provide examples of past student work to guide them along the way.
3. Explain the cause and effect in the Work Later and follow
Apathy seems to be growing in education. Students have too many teachers who want to take slow work for a completed degree. Rhetoric? I can hand in this assignment two weeks after the due date and get full credit. What should I do now? But alas, the real world doesn’t quite work that way and we’re not doing any favors for impressing this lesson on teenagers. Therefore, parent and teacher alike can emphasize the importance of completing a major assignment on time, or against the possibility. a much lower grade or no grade at all.
4. Provide a rubric
Providing clear and concise information, the rubric is a teaching tool that outlines how much each portion of the assignment covers. It will also outline what is necessary for a student to receive an “A” grade, a “B” grade, and so on. Giving the student the entitlement that the degree is in his control and in the palm of his own hand, the duty of perfection and excellence where appropriate.
Being a middle school teacher is a dangerous business. Students come from all walks of life. Maybe they’re witnessing Mom having to work late into the day, running around the house frantically looking for her car keys. Dad could be looming in the living room, moaning about not being able to work. great pains. Sometimes children mirror what they see; See a monkey, make a monkey! Creating a professional workplace environment with realistic expectations, short orders and realistic goals promotes achievement in every sense of their well-being and future.
More from this Contributor:
Implementing a “Touchdown Plan” for Perfect Attendance
Teaching Elimination of Redundancy for Writing Class
Do Teachers Allow Students to Choose Degrees?
