Reaching Every Student in Your Class

By Bill PagecloseAuthor: Bill Page Name: Bill Page
Site: http://www.teacherteacher.com/
About: About Bill Page ... Bill Page, a farm boy, graduated from a one-room school. He forged a career in the classroom teaching middle school “troublemakers.” For the past 26 years, in addition to his classroom duties, he has taught teachers across the nation to teach the lowest achieving students successfully with his proven premise, “Failure is the choice and fault of schools, not the students.” Bill Page is a classroom teacher. For 46 years, he has patrolled the halls, responded to the bells, and struggled with innovations. He has had his share of lunchroom duty, bus duty, and playground duty. For the past four years, Bill, who is now in his 50th year as a teacher, is also a full time writer. His book, At-Risk Students is available on Abebooks, Amazon, R.D. Dunn Publishing, and on Bill’s web site: http://www.teacherteacher.com/ In At-Risk Students, Page discusses problems facing failing students, “who can’t, don’t and won’t learn or cooperate.” “The solution,” he states, “is for teachers to recognize and accept student misbehavior as defense mechanisms used to hide embarrassment and incompetence, and to deal with causes rather than symptoms. By entering into a democratic, participatory relationship, where students assume responsibility for their own learning.” Through 30 vignettes, the book helps teachers see failing students through his eyes as a fellow teacher, whose classroom success with at-risk students made him a premier teacher-speaker in school districts across America.See Authors Posts (53)
 

www.BillPageTeacher.com

Dear Bill: “In my heart of hearts, I believe every kid can learn, so I enjoyed your book and 14 DVD’s; they are awesome.  My first question is how do I reach every kid?”   Courtney

Every kid can be reached–but not by the traditional group instruction approach and the usual classroom structure and setting.  It is not possible to reach every kid in a grade-level, age-grouped class, with a one-size-fits-all pre-set curriculum.  Predetermined, timed learning goals and a lock-step procedure with instructional units determined by the calendar do not work for all students.  Every kid taking the same test, on the same day, at the same time, after the same exposure to the same material to be scored on the same scale is not fair.  The kids aren’t all alike and they didn’t all start at the same time, with the same prerequisite knowledge, and they will not all end up with the same knowledge.  Just because administrators group kids together by age and assign them together in your classroom does not mean your students can all be taught alike.  You can’t reach the class using a single lesson plan.

Each individual learns differently.  Kids all have different experiences, interests, motivation, styles, backgrounds, personality, competing distractions, feelings, emotions, personal priorities, moods, and different family lives.  How could you possibly reach them all with group lessons?  You can’t!  However, each of the students can reach you, if you make yourself available, approachable, and receptive. There are three requirements for making yourself reachable to each of your students:

First is a reciprocal relationship of trust, caring, and mutual respect, with the teacher fully responsible for building the teacher-student relationship and the classroom learning community.  For your students to break free of the group-learning psyche, you must create an esprit de corps, a culture of learning, and class morale.  All this is not possible in a class of competition, winners and losers, and grade distribution.  Fortunately, this spirit and morale develops naturally when kids focus on their individual success through cooperation, sharing, camaraderie, and success for everyone.  It is the kind of spirit that develops in a track, chess, debate or swimming team where the collection of individual successes makes up the team success.

Second, attitude is overriding.  If a student says, “I hate math” you must change that attitude before you can reach and teach the “stuff”.  So, how do you change a kid’s attitude?  You don’t–you can’t.  Only the kid can do that.  There are two ways you can help a kid to change his/her attitude:

1.) by your own attitude toward the kid’s ability to do the math.  Why would a kid think s/he can do something, if the authority thinks s/he can’t?

2.) Change the learning conditions and activities.  If a kid continues to see things the same way s/he will retain the same attitude and the same behaviors.  S/he must understand the learning task differently.

[Note:  An article I wrote for the Gazette, Remediation Doesn’t Work, explained that the reason remediation doesn’t work is because of the kids’ attitudes, not their deficiencies.  For help changing attitudes, refer to that article.]

Third, kids have to take responsibility for their learning.  Actually they already have responsibility, but schools keep taking it away.  Returning responsibility to the students is the only way you can change your teaching role from being a demanding task-master trying to get kids to meet your goals in your way to being a facilitator helping them reach their own goals. Student responsibility does not mean kids must do what they are told.  It means legitimate ownership and involvement in decisions affecting their learning progress—and their lives.

Students can’t be responsible for anything in which they don’t have a voice. Their participation must be guaranteed, not merely allowed.  If they don’t get to make decisions and your decisions don’t work—that’s exclusively your problem—you need to make new and better decisions.  If you are in charge of kids’ learning you are also in charge of their failing.  With your guidance and help, the kids can take responsibility for their own learning decisions.  They, then, can change the decisions, make better decisions and work seriously toward meeting their own goals and adapting their procedures as necessary.

Check out my article, Responsibility Equals Participation for further ideas and information.

Courtney’s Second Question :
I have another question: “Your DVD on individualizing has lots of practical suggestions, but do you really have 154 different strategies for the 154 different kids in your classes?”

My answer is an unequivocal, “No way! Impossible!  Not a chance!” I don’t have and couldn’t possibly have 154 learning plans.  I have only one strategy: helping each kid learn.  To do that, it is the students who have to deal with 154 different strategies—one each—their own.  Fortunately each kid has only his/her own learning objectives and the strategies for meeting them.

When students learn to take responsibility for their own learning goals, procedures, diagnoses, analysis, assignments, evaluations, progress, and sequences for their specific personal learning goals, all I need do is be resourceful to them, establish a learning community and help them as individuals.  I can intercede at any point, can check their learning decisions, and can help them as a mentor.  The one thing I cannot do is take their responsibility. I have my responsibility, they each have their own, and we never confuse the two. When the students concern themselves with their how and what they are doing, I don’t have to worry about their responsibility—just mine.

One of the best features of having 154 different kids and assignments is that anyone and anything can be a resource.  The kids are constantly looking and finding ways to help meet their goals.  I like to think I am a good resource, maybe even the best one around, but kids learn rapidly, when they know what they need, that anyone or anything who knows the material can be a resource.  When students are seeking answers for their own satisfaction and needs—books, technology, people, and things become an important and independent resource.  More importantly, requested answers are truly meaningful and useful.  If they can’t get a question or problem answered, they can move to a different subject or activity, until they get help.  My students always have plenty to do and know what they need to know.  Helping them reach the point of taking responsibility for knowing what they need to learn and independently pursuing the knowledge is an important part of my teaching.

I have just initiated a web site www.billpageteacher.com to offer my remaining DVD packets on a while they last basis.  The 14 DVD’s are made from my videotape staff development series, which I used and sold nationwide.

With Joy in sharing,  Bill Page

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Bill Page, a farm boy, graduated from a one-room school. He forged a career in the classroom teaching middle school “troublemakers.” For the past 26 years, in addition to his classroom duties, he has taught teachers across the nation to teach the lowest achieving students successfully with his proven premise, “Failure is the choice and fault of schools, not the students.” Bill Page is a classroom teacher. For 46 years, he has patrolled the halls, responded to the bells, and struggled with innovations. He has had his share of lunchroom duty, bus duty, and playground duty. For the past four years, Bill, who is now in his 50th year as a teacher, is also a full time writer. His book, At-Risk Students is available on Abebooks, Amazon, R.D. Dunn Publishing, and on Bill’s web site: http://www.teacherteacher.com/

In At-Risk Students, Page discusses problems facing failing students, “who can’t, don’t and won’t learn or cooperate.” “The solution,” he states, “is for teachers to recognize and accept student misbehavior as defense mechanisms used to hide embarrassment and incompetence, and to deal with causes rather than symptoms. By entering into a democratic, participatory relationship, where students assume responsibility for their own learning.” Through 30 vignettes, the book helps teachers see failing students through his eyes as a fellow teacher, whose classroom success with at-risk students made him a premier teacher-speaker in school districts across America.

Questions and comments are welcomed and answered: billpage@bellsouth.net