From the Viewpoint of a Professional

From the viewpoint of a professional in your degree area (Administrator, Special Education Teacher, General Education Teacher, or School Counselor), share how you would respond if you were the educator encountering the situation described below. Then, respond to at least 2 other classmates by dialoging what might be the best approach in helping this student.

Case Study: Buddy is a new fourth grade student at Any Elementary School. Although he has not been there long, he has already established quite a reputation as you often hear his name mentioned when you walk through the Teacher's Lounge. During a Math Lesson one day, you noticed that Buddy became extremely frustrated and shut down. Although he did not disrupt other students, his facial expressions showed he was not going to work on this assignment anymore. When you briefly spoke to him about finishing the independent assignment, he expressed that he didn't want to do it and was not going to do it. He would not talk to you anymore at that time; he just sat there with a distant look on his face; he had definitely "shut down"

I would first ask Buddy what is causing him the frustration in the assignment, maybe I could offer him some help in understanding the assignment better. I would ask Buddy to describe the assignment/situation in his own words. If Buddy would be open to pairing up with another student who has a clear understanding of the assignment, sometimes peers can better reach and explain instruction. It may be the possibility that we as the teacher have not explained the assignment in understandable terms. I would give additional explanation as necessary to help Buddy come to an understanding of the assignment. I would definitely offer Buddy some techniques that may help get him back to focusing on completing the assignment such as Encouragement / Use positive feedback for even the smallest accomplishments. Offer a snack or water break to fuel the brain, have a work area where there is no distractions. Maybe by breaking the assignment into smaller task may help Buddy to not be so frustrated with the assignment giving him manageable units to complete taking small breaks in between those units. I would also involve the parents in helping to implementing these strategies to Buddy to learn how to focus his attention and when to take a break if he finds himself becoming overwhelmed with the work.

Keeping open communication with Buddy is essential, although