How to Help Kids Who Won't Listen in School
Sometimes kids just will not listen. Students not listening in class is not only bad for their education but for the class atmosphere as a whole. The first thing for you as an educator is to look within yourself. When confident of your own teaching you can try to understand the problem and deal with it. The causes of students not listening are many and varied.
Instructions
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Look within yourself as a teacher. Children are capable of sensing nervousness and weakness in their teachers. It is important to project an air of confidence and authority even if you feel nervous inside. Kids will respond well to a confident educator who appears to know what she is talking about.
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Re-evaluate your teaching methods. Are you using the same teaching style all the time? Try mixing things up a bit. Different kids respond to different teaching methods so try to include visual and kinesthetic (action-based or practical) teaching as well as making them listen to you.
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Talk to other teachers. If you are certain the problem comes from the student you need to examine all the possibilities. Find out how the student is performing in other classes. Often if a student feels he is falling behind in a subject he will give up and withdraw from it. Help him re-engage with a quick chat. Remind him it's never too late to try and give them some catch up worksheets.
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Monitor the class as a whole. Are students being socially excluded or bullied? If they are, talk to other teachers and the school counselor. Do not become the teacher students resent for not helping them with bullies. There are plenty of resources to help you deal with bullying, such as the website No Bully.
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Deal with the mood maker. In many classes there is one student who makes or breaks the atmosphere in a class. Identify who this is and see if they are on your side. If they do not respect you then you can find a significant portion of the class against you.
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Ask the school counselor to monitor a class with you or to talk to the kid or kids who are not listening in class. They will be better able at diagnosing any physical or psychological problems. These can range from ADHD to hearing impairment via a bad situation at home.
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Tips & Warnings
Talking to the student directly is often a good idea, but be careful in how you deal with him. Some need a metaphorical kick up the backside but many others respond better to a quiet understanding word. If you feel you do not know the student well enough talk to other teachers or school counselors.
Sometimes there are no easy fixes for students who do not listen. They are not all lazy or disruptive. Many have a good reason for doing so, but this does not mean you should ever give up on them.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit school room image by Alfonso d'Agostino from Fotolia.com
