He answers too quickly
Impulsive, he has difficulty controlling himself. He has difficulty restraining his desire to speak and to respond. The reaction of others sometimes surprises him.
I helped him to take a reflective look at his attitude: is it more important to give the answer or to express himself at all costs?
We analyze together, based on real responses, what is relevant and what is expressive: responding spontaneously is no guarantee of accuracy.
I try to help him concentrate and suggest some easy exercises. Before raising his hand:
- to repeat the question asked;
- have a formulated answer before launching it out loud;
- count 1, 2, 3 in your head before answering;
- only allow three answers during the class hour.
I have to be patient so as not to return the annoyance he causes to him, but I have to make him aware of it.
He doesn’t understand what is expected of him
He has difficulty decoding the teachers’ requests and expectations. He no longer wants to respond, he fears mockery.
For homework, I help him identify:
- the task to be accomplished;
- the purpose of the exercise;
- the necessary equipment;
- the medium on which to work.
Together we look for ways to achieve the set goal and we establish criteria for success.
I make him rephrase what is expected.
I let him work alone, then we check together whether the success criteria are met.
For lessons, I invite him to find out whether he prefers to repeat or write. He is the only one who knows the path that suits him best.
I advise him, before answering, to always rephrase the question.
I remain patient, mistakes are part of learning.
He is always wrong
He prefers to keep quiet, he doesn’t want to get involved anymore. That would be taking too many risks! He gets demotivated and dreads questions.
I help him to face his mistakes so as not to run away from them, but to analyze them without feeling guilty: together we look for the logic of his mistakes in order to overcome them.
I accompany him in the search for elements to discover and links to make.
I rely on his successes in other areas (sports, art, DIY, etc.) to identify the procedures that suit him.
I understand that error is not a dead end, it is a springboard. I make constructive remarks to support his self-confidence.
I encourage discussion to reconcile him with school
Others understand faster than him
It takes him some time to assimilate the concepts and questions asked, he lets others speak and withdraws into a protective bubble.
When I feel discouraged, I take the opportunity to make him talk about his desires, his wishes, and his ideas. I help him to project himself positively. I also question him on the answers given in class by others: are they always good? Who dares to answer? How?
I work with him on some terms that he doesn’t understand and that bother him: analyze, compare, indicate, explain, interpret, conclude, etc.
I propose a contract: dare to give at least one answer per course.
I made him realize that to learn, you have to fumble, try things out, and sometimes fail.
He can’t stand making mistakes
He feels devalued when he makes a mistake. He has a phobia of making mistakes, which can inhibit him or make him aggressive. He is afraid of being judged.
I undertake a reflection with him around the phrase of Socrates “Falling is not failure, failure is staying where one has fallen”.
Together we are looking for ways to make mistakes an ally, a factor of progress:
- I take some of his mistakes and understand their logic: they were not stupid;
- we are entering into a real research process to counter them;
- together we move the student’s error towards a learning error.
