"Help me please"

I've been back at work for just over a week.  There was the inservice for new teachers with a full day on the math books I've got and this week is the inservice for everyone.  Yesterday, I attended a one hour inservice on rich tasks and ways to do it so it is more effective.

At one point we looked at two different classrooms to see how they did the same task.  In one classroom, the teacher observed, asked students questions on their thinking, and eventually every group ended up writing down some very coherent explanations for how they got the answer even if the answer was wrong.

In the other class room, we saw the teacher give the students the problem before wandering around the room but the first group asked her how to do it so she tried to offer suggestions but ended up helping them before moving on.  Then the next group made the same request and by the third group, she was at the board showing them all how to do it so in essence she did it for them.  I recognized that scenario because my students at the last school were always asking me how to do it.

I know part of the reason they did that was because they'd had a middle school teacher who taught but  didn't do much if they played around, walked out of the classroom, etc. The other part is that I gave up after watching them basically do nothing for most of the period, especially when they all asked for the same help.  They wanted me to show them how to do it.

As part of the discussion between the middle school teacher and myself, we acknowledged that we do give in especially if the class is running out of time and we want them to "get" it before it ends.  Furthermore, when we try to institute the check with three classmates before asking for help, it doesn't seem to work because they ask three classmates "You got it done?" and the three answer nope.

Most students I deal with seem to think the ask three classmates means you see if they have the answer but they usually don't because as soon as they perceive they are stuck, they ask others who are stuck rather than initiating a conversation about the problem and why they are having trouble.  They haven't developed the persistence they need for these types of tasks.

I think many students honestly do not feel as if they can do the work especially if they have gaps in their learning.  These gaps can make them feel "stupid" and they withdraw but I think we need to change their view of themselves and failure in math.  I like the idea that when you do not get the correct answer you have failed instead you just found a way not to do it.  If we have students think of it as not having found the right way of doing it rather than failure, we might be able to turn their self image around and perhaps help build a better mindset.

It seems too often we praise the kids who do well but we don't always take time to praise the students who struggle for trying or for their persistence, or when they figure out where they made a mistake.  This type of praise can encourage a student to work longer and harder because they start to feel valued and see their choices are valid.

It has been suggested teachers often talk too long and in too much detail rather than letting the students try to figure things out by themselves.  Perhaps you could pass out sheets with the information so students can work together to figure it out, or talk for a few minutes before having students predict what the rest of the lesson is about, or have students do some sort of exploration before you teach the lesson so they can predict what the rest of the lesson is about.

It is a hard thing to counter learned helplessness and as a teacher with a soft heart, I hate when they ask me again and again to help them with it because when they've done nothing for half a period, I give in because I need them to get it.  Since I'm in a new district, I haven't met my new students yet and I don't know what attitudes they will have.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.