Usually, when I keep making the same mistakes over and over which results in frustration, the cause is usually tiredness (T). I know my husband tends to overdo a task because he wants to get it done but his blood sugar drops when he misses a meal (H). This causes mistakes and/or frustration with whatever he is working on. We always laugh and say he is hangry (hungry + angry). It’s a real thing!
This can happen with my students. Some of them don’t eat breakfast so by mid-morning they can’t concentrate and tend to make a lot of mistakes. When this happens, I try to get them to take a break and have a cookie and some water. You would be amazed at how this little thing can make a difference. Sometimes I make them go on to a different task and come back to the one that frustrated them later. They usually can accomplish things easier then.
Sometimes they are so afraid of making a mistake, that they are paralyzed with fear. Then I try to find them a buddy to help them. This usually works better than if I try to help them. When I help them, they see it as a sign of failure or weakness.
Many students come from dysfunctional homes and may not get enough sleep the night before. If they are really tired, I may let them put their heads down for 10 minutes. There is no use in trying to badger them into working on assignments when they are too exhausted to focus. If this occurs so much that it interferes a lot with their progress, I have to call home or set up a meeting.
Sometimes just these little adjustments can make a world of difference!
How do you handle situations like this? Please share.
Photo by Artur Kornakov on Unsplash
No comments:
Post a Comment