"I can't do it! I don't understand!" says the 7 year old with dyscalculia when I present her with an equation 4+2=?. No matter what I seem to do or say she just keeps on repeating that she does not understand and then results in tears.
Working with children who have learning difficulties, they build a coping mechanism and this is the #1 thing that most will do and say. Usually once the child gets to this point, they have shut all doors and it'll be very hard to break these doors down. Here is a list or pointers to help you prevent these breakdowns during your class:
1. Something has triggered her breakdown. Review your teaching style, how did you present the concept to her? Maybe she responds better with using a different teaching approach. For example, my student broke down when I presented her with a sight word and the mnemonic to help her remember how to spell it. Basically she didn't like the fact I gave her a mnemonic and told her that she needed to use that specific one to help her remember the spelling. Next class when I had to teach her a new sight word, I didn't give her a mnemonic but instead let her create one and used the one she created to help her remember.
2. Look for cues. Basically once the child says "I can't do it!" repeatably, doors are put up and it will be near impossible to teach anything. Usually they get more fidgety, they loose concentration and start to stop listening to your instructions. Be flexible, and change up the lesson. Maybe your student just needed a stretch or play a fast game. Teachers should recognize that students with these tendencies will be far less likely to become emotional problems if they can feel the steadfast sympathy and understanding of their teachers and have the necessary individualized instruction.
3. Do not tell the child to tough it out or ignore her requests and assume that she will get over it. The child is probably not able to express exactly why she is frustrated, all she knows is to say "I can't do it! I do not understand!". Especially when you don't acknowledge their feelings & emotions it'll just make the situation worse. All she is learning will be that her best effort will usually result in failure. When you ignore the child, she will go into overdrive - they'll teach themselves another coping strategy---> I'll suck it up and just memorize it without understanding it, and then I can get past this.
4. Did the child have a good day or having one of those bad days? We all have those days and maybe the child isn't responding today because something happened at school or she is just over tired or she is hungry. Don't be too hard on yourself - just be flexible. Be able to change the lesson up.
5. Take note of the environment that you are having your tutor session. Are they sitting up properly in a well lit area? Are there a lot of distractions around them - books, toys, siblings, windows, loud music, people walking around?
Working with children who have learning difficulties, they build a coping mechanism and this is the #1 thing that most will do and say. Usually once the child gets to this point, they have shut all doors and it'll be very hard to break these doors down. Here is a list or pointers to help you prevent these breakdowns during your class:
1. Something has triggered her breakdown. Review your teaching style, how did you present the concept to her? Maybe she responds better with using a different teaching approach. For example, my student broke down when I presented her with a sight word and the mnemonic to help her remember how to spell it. Basically she didn't like the fact I gave her a mnemonic and told her that she needed to use that specific one to help her remember the spelling. Next class when I had to teach her a new sight word, I didn't give her a mnemonic but instead let her create one and used the one she created to help her remember.
2. Look for cues. Basically once the child says "I can't do it!" repeatably, doors are put up and it will be near impossible to teach anything. Usually they get more fidgety, they loose concentration and start to stop listening to your instructions. Be flexible, and change up the lesson. Maybe your student just needed a stretch or play a fast game. Teachers should recognize that students with these tendencies will be far less likely to become emotional problems if they can feel the steadfast sympathy and understanding of their teachers and have the necessary individualized instruction.
3. Do not tell the child to tough it out or ignore her requests and assume that she will get over it. The child is probably not able to express exactly why she is frustrated, all she knows is to say "I can't do it! I do not understand!". Especially when you don't acknowledge their feelings & emotions it'll just make the situation worse. All she is learning will be that her best effort will usually result in failure. When you ignore the child, she will go into overdrive - they'll teach themselves another coping strategy---> I'll suck it up and just memorize it without understanding it, and then I can get past this.
4. Did the child have a good day or having one of those bad days? We all have those days and maybe the child isn't responding today because something happened at school or she is just over tired or she is hungry. Don't be too hard on yourself - just be flexible. Be able to change the lesson up.
5. Take note of the environment that you are having your tutor session. Are they sitting up properly in a well lit area? Are there a lot of distractions around them - books, toys, siblings, windows, loud music, people walking around?