Heather is a bright middle school student who usually does well in language arts. She loves to read and enjoys a wide range of authors and types of literature. However, she doesn't like to write. She finds writing tedious and occasionally doesn't do her best work on writing assignments. Currently the class is learning to research a topic and write informational reports, being cautious about
citing sources and presenting ideas in their own words. During class, Heather becomes impatient about summarizing ideas in her own words and complains to the teacher that she hates this assignment. The teacher responds by saying, "Didn't you learn to summarize in elementary school? If you actually read the article you'd be able to do this in a snap. Stop complaining and get busy."
First, discuss who owns this problem of Heather's hating the assignment.
Thenexplain why this teacher's approach is NOT effective.
Next, describe what the teacher might do to deal with the problem positively.
Suggested Response:
First, the student owns the problem. Heather hates the assignment, but the teacher is still able to teach and meet her instructional goals. The teacher doesn't own the problem, but the student does.
The teacher's approach is not effective, because she implies accusingly that Heather didn't read the material. She insults Heather by stating that she should have learned summarizing skills in elementary school. She also implies that Heather is not trying.
In this situation, the teacher needs to use empathetic listening. She needs to hear the intent and emotions behind Heather's statement and paraphrase the message back to Heather. In doing so, the teacher keeps the line of communication open. The teacher will then be able to learn why this is so difficult for Heather and what tips the teacher might give to help Heather take the next step. The teacher might also explain why this type of writing is important for Heather and the other students.
Text Reference: The Need for Communication
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