2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
As we know, the students themselves, their parents, teachers, specialists and school administrators are involved in preparing students for the final exams. In many institutions there is a situation that the guys are very worried about the assessment situation, which will affect, if not the choice of their whole life, then their life over the next year, at least. On top of all this, they are under pressure from the excitement of parents and educators, actively "helping the negligent to take up his mind." Thus, many graduates devote an entire segment of their lives to the pursuit of a high score, thereby violating the optimum of motivation, defined by R. Yorks and D. Dodson as the dependence of the best results in solving complex problems on the average intensity of motivation. Simply put, the Yorkes-Dodson law says: "Treat the complex easier, and the simple - more attentively, and you will be successful!"
What is really behind the exactingness, constant moralizing and intimidation on the part of teachers towards graduates and their parents? This is also the impossibility of teachers to regulate their own emotional state. This is the teacher's fear of public and his own condemnation of his activities, which does not bring the desired result, and the fear of children's disappointment from the impossibility of entering the desired university, and the lack of confidence in his own competence as a teacher and, even worse, as a person.
Many teachers will say to this: “Well, of course, everyone can reason like that! Have you seen modern adolescents and young men? Especially ninth graders! They absolutely do not care about us and our efforts! And the only thing that somehow makes them master a minimum of knowledge is the fear of a “pheasant” or non-entry”.
I agree that the situation looks exactly like this. Over the years of my work at school, I myself have heard thousands of promises to “take hold of your mind”, which, alas, were not fulfilled. But let's look at the situation from the other side. What is behind teenage protest bravado and youthful procrastination? This is often just avoidance of failures and learned helplessness, which we, teachers, together with our parents, diligently cultivated in them all school years. These are our doubts about the abilities of the first grader, and the subsequent stuck labels, and unrealistic expectations - all that make the child doubt whether he is accepted as he really is.
Ask yourself, are you ready to consider someone who has failed the State Examination and Exam in your subject as a good person? Are you able to see the person in the student? It is gratifying if you sincerely give an affirmative answer, recalling examples from experience with a smile. But the sad reality is that not all professionals in their field, even those with impressive results, can do this.
Now let's think about how we can really help graduates in this difficult matter? After all, the main material of the school curriculum has already been passed, there is very little time left for preparation, and emotional processes are becoming increasingly important.
The first issue that I would like to highlight within the framework of this topic is the subject of emotions. When you see children agonizing over exams, the first thing to ask yourself is, "Who is the first to worry here?" And instead of the traditional "Don't worry!", "Stop being afraid!" and other similar phrases, say honestly, depending on your answer to the question: "I also worry about you / you" or "I would also worry about you / -a in your place." Many adolescents and young men are experiencing difficult misunderstanding on the part of adults. And in this way you can convey that you understand their feelings and are ready to accept them.
Second point. A lot of teachers, out of good intentions and trying to cheer them up, say: "I am sure that you will pass this exam." And they are also proud of the fact that they differ from their colleagues, who broadcast the opposite version: "You will not hand over everything." As a practicing psychologist who has a lot of contact with adolescents, I can say that both options are harmful. First, both are lies. We cannot know for sure whether a student will pass the exam - this is still a lottery. But insincerity will certainly be perceived by adolescents as your significant drawback, if not consciously, then at the level of intuition. Secondly, by saying this, we are expressing our own expectations of the adolescent. In an effort to correspond to them, he does not see the acceptance of himself as he really is, and does not accept himself. This only heightens anxiety. More suitable, in my opinion, option: "I believe in you" or "You can handle this."
As a separate item, I would like to consider the options for responding to one of the favorite phrases of graduates before the control and trial exams: "I will not pass", "This is not mine", "I will not succeed." If you see a teenager saying this in order to gain support, the answer from the previous paragraph will come in handy. I would like to show another one, when it is a certain protest or challenge on the part of the student (this is more common in the 9th grade than in the 11th grade). Firstly, as, probably, it is already clear from my note, you should not convince that you need to "do at least somehow", "try at least a minimum", and apply all such sayings. This will only reinforce him that he really falls short and that you continue to expect results from him anyway. Secondly, if you see that this is exactly the case, the "dispute over estimates" option is great. An approximate answer in this case is: “Perhaps, but I don’t believe. Try to prove it. I'm ready to give you a point higher today if it's really not yours. " The hardest part here is sticking to the agreement and showing that you will respect him even if you fail. In any of the outcomes, the student will definitely receive your attention and support. If he, nevertheless, copes with the task or part of it, he will get the opportunity to see what is not so bad. If he does not cope or deliberately does not do it, he will win the argument and receive the authority, attention and respect that he needs so much.
In conclusion of my small message, I would like to say that it is quite difficult to keep track of the motives of one's own behavior and the behavior of students. Doing this always objectively is even more difficult. Nevertheless, if every teacher at least listens a little to himself and the children in the process of preparing for exams, there will be much less anxiety and fears within the walls of schools.
Love yourself and your students!
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