Students that don't learn

[Evgenia]

Hello to everyone, I'm a new member of the community and currently i'm studying at The Teacher Training University in Lipetsk. I'd like to ask everyone a question and I hope you'll answer with all honesty.

There is such a notion as the student's studying status i. e. the level of their knowledge of the subject, of the background knowledge. Often a student keeps thame level for a long time so teachers put a label on them annd treat them the way they won't be able to improve their level meaning this is the limit of their capabilities. What do you think of the problem, can this be considered the lack of teaching quality and what is the student to do in this situation?

[gfell]

Are you referring to slow learners? There will always be students of different levels and different IQ's. It's the responsibility of the teacher to recognise this and adapt their teaching styles to suit all students.

The problem you are describing is how a teacher treats such students. This reflects an unqualified teacher or a teacher who just doesn't care about his/her students. In this situation, the student should approach the school principal to have this problem addressed.

[AdvantageEnglish]

Evgenia - I know what you mean regarding labeling of students...

I've seen similar problems in schools back in Australia where a relief teacher or new teacher to the school receives a list of student's names and a brief description of each student's personality, behaviour and general ability.

eg. "Michael: Very naughty and rude, talks alot in class and doesn't listen."

The first time Michael whispers to his friend, the teacher yells at him because she 'knows' that Michael is a rude boy who needs more discipline.
When Rebecca whispers, she gets a different reaction from the teacher because she is described as a "well behaved girl".

The perception of students that a teacher brings to the class affects the way the teacher treats the student - whether the perception is behaviour based or abilities based, the principal is the same. Therefore, pehaps it is possible for a teacher who has strong pre-conceptions of a student's abilities to be 'blind' to the student's true ability if it exceeds the pre-conception.

I would hope that the teacher could take a proverbial step back and assess the student's abilities with unbiased eyes...

[exported_kiwi]

Agreed, every teacher who's new to a class can't prejudge based on anothers opinion. Students react in different ways to different teachers so what's one mans trash couyld well be another mans treasure.
I always tell my students that there are fast and slow learners and I don't mind which one you are, as long as you learn. Encouragment even when mistakes are made is important. I always say that I love mistakes because I know they're listening and trying and that's so cool! I try to get them excited about making mistakes and showing them the positives rather than the negatives.

[liz26]

wait a minute.

I do not think that students do not learn, I think that everyone learns but the difference is in the way each student show their knowledge and comprenhension about a task, that depends on teacher's methodology.
Also, I do not think that if a student has some problems in learning is responsibility just from the teacher. It is necessary to take into account the extra work that students do in their home.