There he was. Dylan was sitting in the back of the class, eyes staring vacantly ahead, pencil at his side. All he was doing was breathing in and out. His name was on his paper but nothing else. The weeklong assignment issued to the class was begun by everybody else on Monday. It was currently Wednesday, and most students were about halfway done. But still Dylan sat, and I could have sworn I witnessed a fly buzz around his head.
Every class has a Dylan or a variation of him. Some students stall completion of a long term assignment by getting up and sharpening their pencil 63 times per class. Others come up and ask questions that they already know the answer just to get out of their seats. Still others interact with other students, causing a snowball effect of inefficiency. So what can be done to help these students? One can stress the importance of “Time Management being the Key to Success” in marquee lighting and bellow the importance from a bullhorn, and still the attempt can fall on deaf ears.
1. Break the Assignment into Smaller Portions
Sometimes the reason behind a student lagging is due to how overwhelming a large classroom project can be. In middle school, students often look at a large assignment and become flustered, not believing it can be done. And if it cannot be done, why attempt it in the first place? Hence, the lack of effort. Creating specific due dates on smaller portions of an assignment and “chunking” the assignment into sizable parts can give these stressed out students workable goals to strive toward.
2. Make Expectations Clear and Concise
Being a vague teacher and being non-specific in instructions is the bane of a student’s existence. Clarity is key; I can recall many a time in which the goals of an assignment were unclear in middle school when I was a student so I decided my best path of action was to do nothing. Review what students need to be working on, what the assignment or project should look like, and even provide past student samples of work to guide them along their way.
3. Explain Cause and Effect on Late Work and Follow Through
Apathy in education seems to be growing. Students have too many teachers who are willing to accept late work for a complete grade. The rhetoric? I can still hand in this assignment two weeks after the due date and be provided full credit. Why should I get it done now? But alas, the real world does not quite work that way and we are providing no favors in instilling this lesson to impressionable teenagers. Therefore, parent and teacher alike can stress the importance of major assignment completion on time, or face the possibility of a much lower grade or no grade at all.
4. Provide a Rubric
Paralleling the importance of being clear and concise, a rubric is a teaching tool that outlines how much each portion of an assignment counts. It will also portray what is necessary for a student to receive an “A” grade, a “B” grade, and so on. Giving the student the entitlement that the grade is in their own control and in the palm of their own hands puts the responsibility of completion and excellence where it belongs.
Being a middle school teacher is a risky business. Students come from all walks of life. Perhaps they witness Mom getting to work late on a daily basis, running around the house frantically searching for misplaced car keys. Father might be hung over on the living room couch, moaning about not going to work due to a large headache. Children will sometimes mirror what they see; monkey see, monkey do! Creating a professional workplace environment for them with real expectations, concise instructions, 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 the Elimination of Redundancy to a Writing Class
Should Teachers Allow Students to Choose Their Own Grade?
