Students who refuse to do any work. (Need advice from teachers and maybe some students too)?

Question

I am currently working as a class within a class teacher for special education in a middle school and I have noticed that many of the students COULD do their work and do very well but they just refuse to do anything. I see some of the same students all day long but in differnt classes and all day long all they do is put their heads down and sleep and refuse to do anything. These kids are not mentally r****d, they have learning disabilities and many have behavior problems but if I could just get them to do their work, I really feel like they could be sucessful. Any advice?

Answer 1

Have the parents hauled in to explain why they are allowing THEIR children to fail, setting them up for a poor future.

Answer 2

Most middle and high school teachers have this same problem.  If the teacher reads aloud or shows an academic movie, half the class is asleep.  Most kids benefit from small structured group work. They get a chance to exchange ideas. They do get off topic and have to be brought around again, so its not the optimum learning experience, but is certainly better than sleeping.  When I first started groups, I was very frustrated.  Then when I learned to structure challenging questions and projects and set  short deadlines, ( " You have five minutes and then all pencils must be down and you will be ready to account and share"), everything started to roll my way and grades began to improve.  One thing does not work and never will... the teacher who just stands there and talks for 45 minutes without any student interaction.  Most teacher seminars are that way and I have to fight to stay awake.

Answer 3

maybe it isn't that they dont want to do the work maybe you aren't challenging them enough and they need a different approach to the work. try different learning styles. take a hands on approach? i hope it all works out for you. but i know as a student i learn more and enjoy more of the classes i have with unconventional teachers.

Answer 4

Involve the parents; even if the parents themselves are the problem you can at least get an idea of where to start. Also check into counseling: are there any other problems you're unaware of? A lot of it could be do to the attitudes they'd been experiencing thus far, like the teachers not wanting to deal with it. If they've never been made to do anything why would they start now? Try pulling them out of the classroom and putting them into small groups with a specific exercise or work to do. Explain that there will be breaks but no sleeping/head down. Think in terms of rewards and punishment (extra recess-shortened recess time) and see if that helps. Work at their pace and allow for a little distraction and once an hour have them walk down the hall for a change of scenery. I'm not a teacher so that's about all I can do, but it helped with an Alzheimer's patient! I've also worked with kids who had learning disabilities/behavioral problems/ etc. and we did the small groups and walking around things, along with the frequent (FREQUENT) breaks.

Answer 5

Have each of them list any interests or hobbies they have and try to find a way to tie them in. Find out if they are on drugs. You won't have any luck teaching a stoned kid. Find out if they are having family problems. If a kid is abused or only gets to sleep at school, they won't do well. Come down on their parents and presure them for answers.

Answer 6

These kids are used to other teachers letting them sit there and do nothing.  No one's challenged them before and they have given up.  They have little self respect right now and you are doing a good thing for them to want to help them.  What you can do is, if you won't get in trouble for it, bring a book or movie to school and go over it with them.  Get them interested in it.  Have them write about it, have them do things that are actually usually done in college prep english classes, for instance.  Have them make observations.  Have them do related artwork.  All that.  Get them thinking, get them interested in something and get them learning again.  Never let them just sit there.  If you see someone sitting, ask her why, if she needs help doing something.  Do it every time.  Eventually the students will get used to the idea that they will not sit in class, they will work, and they will want to. If you are likeable, it's that much easier too.  They'll want to do it just to please you, at first, but then they'll be doing it for themselves after a while. Good luck, and try talking with the other teachers about this stuff coz they will have their own opinions too, and some might actually oppose you, but you know you are trying to teach and do right.

Answer 7

i have friends who where like that in hight school. One of the helpers gave my friend a book with all the assignments and stuff in it as well as notes and sat him in a quiet room threw his class time away from other stubents. He made it threw hight school that way.