Do you agree that no child should be left behind?

[Amy Rodulfo]

I think this applies to teachers of all grades across all subjects.

One particular example of this is when I taught the numbers 10-20 to a class of ten grade one students. Eight students learnt very quickly, however, after four (or possible more) lessons, two students couldn't remember. I had been repeating the same material in those lessons (but using different methods and activities) for the benefit of those two students; however, it was a waste of time for the other eight students who knew the material perfectly by then. The two students were showing no signs of improving. If I continued repeating the material it would have wasted the majority's time more, so I gave up on teaching the slower students and moved on to new materials to help the others. Was this the right thing to do? Both the options above seem unsatisfactory to me.

This is just an example. The same problem reoccurs fairly regularly with other grades and material.

It especially worries me when the students fail to learn things like phonics and the alphabet, meaning that in the future, even if they try hard to catch up, it will be so difficult without the foundation and reading ability. I worry they'll reach a point where they'll always be behind their peers and unable to catch up. But how can I prevent this? Is there any way other than giving extra help out of class?

I would be really interested in your opinions, experiences and advice.

[foreverJ]

interesting
I agree that neither option above is 'right,' but I also lean towards 'move on for the benefit of the others.' You can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
I thought about trying to give these students extra attention for the previous topic, on the side, during the class, but that might even complicate things more...

[colmmccann]

You are not leaving those weaker students behind... it is merely that they are not learning as much as those more able!

If you were a teacher in your home country then you would have to tier your lessons to the various abilities within the class - and the same goes for here in Korea.  Some pupils will not get a grasp on everything you teach, and some will!

The simplest way to explain this is in the form of a test:
- If you gave your class a test with 100 questions and they all got the 100 questions correct then your class would be deemed too easy.
- If the test resulted in none of your class passing a basic mark then it would insinuate that the test was too hard.

We are all aiming to reach a happy medium in our classes - have enough there to make it accessible for the lowest level learner and yet including elements that will be able to challenge the upper levels too.  This can be done by having different worksheets or criteria for the students to work to - or simply in the way you ask/respond to student questions.

I am crap at languages - that was not the fault of any of my language teachers but if I wanted to be better then I could have worked harder and tried harder.  Our English classes are not the last opportunity for these students to learn English - and chances are that some of them will learn more English once the burden of school and exams is no longer there for them.

Chin up - and enjoy it!  Little elements of learning will keep appearing and the penny may soon drop for some of those that are struggling... 

[Eros]

I don't think there is a right answer here.

The Korean government wants us to focus on low ability students (this is about them wanting to cut down on the amount of money parents spend on hagwons amongst other reasons but nontheless in public schools it's all about low ability students.)

My opinion however is that low ability students probably don't like English because they are not good at it and will likely in the future never use it. However the kids that are motivated to learn English for whatever reason and are good at it will likely go on in the future to use it. Why then should energy be spent on those that ultimately will not make use of what you teach them at the expense of those that will? I personally am of the school of thought of well elitism (but not in the extreme).

That being said, I know what my boss (the Korean government wants me to do) so I do that. I.e I would not have just given up on those two students as you did. I might have tried a different approach. I.e not  than repeated the same lesson over and over.

[siamagoo]

My heart goes out to those few students who are a little slower than their classmates. They start behind and can never catch up. I've had sixth graders who didn't know the alphabet. My co-teacher seemed completely unconcerned that they were just copying words by the shape of the letter.

That being said, sometimes it's best to give material a rest and come back later. I'm a fairly smart person, but I probably couldn't learn ten brand-new words in one sitting. You've exposed them to the words, now step back for a few weeks.

I do believe in teaching to the lowest common denominator. I just did a 11th grade class on "why? because." It was fun enough to interest the smart kids while easy enough to reach everyone. 'Simple' is not the same as 'boring'.

So yes, I agree that no child should be left behind, but no, I wouldn't keep teaching the same material.

[siamagoo]

My opinion however is that low ability students probably don't like English because they are not good at it and will likely in the future never use it. However the kids that are motivated to learn English for whatever reason and are good at it will likely go on in the future to use it. Why then should energy be spent on those that ultimately will not make use of what you teach them at the expense of those that will? I personally am of the school of thought of well elitism (but not in the extreme).

I disagree with this reasoning. In my elementary school we assumed that by third grade students will know the alphabet, because most students went to hagwon and learnt it there. The few students who didn't go to hagwon didn't know the alphabet (because no one taught them). Poor students, they must think that they are stupid, because class is so confusing. And there are no opportunities to catch up, because teachers aren't willing to waste their time. No wonder these students hate English!

[ariybird]

You have to keep going for the majority of the other students. But it doesn't mean that review material shouldn't be included in each lesson. Don't spend most of the lesson reviewing. But quick reviews won't hurt the other students at all. And the can help those who can't remember now. Some people (like me) just need continuous exposure. But when I do learn it (finally), it sticks FOREVER.

I have had some students that I love to death. Saying that their English is terrible would be generous praise. Some will probably never get a handle on English. Although (and I sincerely hope) some might. But I have a personal policy for these students as well. I will help anyone who wants to learn for as long as they want to keep trying. If they are willing to put in the extra effort, so am I. Whether it is extra review while the other kids are playing a game, after school assignments, or extra basic mini lessons before or after class before they have to run to their next class. And for those who struggle, I try to assure them that it will stick in time. And try hard to never look frustrated with a lack of true progress desptie gargantun efforts.

I thinking leaving no child behind isn't really about mateiral learned and covered, it's about letting the students progress as fast as they are able. And always helping them despite it.

[jauntwithjo]

I teach middle school and still have students who are copying letters by their shape rather than any real understanding. What I wish the school could have is a class where a Korean English teacher works with those students (I don't need to see them. At. All.) to catch them up.

These poor kids aren't losing face now (so, yay for failing students moving up a grade with their peers), but if they ever are in a situation as adults that requires English, they'll be losing even more. It makes me sad, because they do try their best. 

[elzoog]

I think that the ideal should be that no child should be left behind.   The problem is, I am not a god.  I am a human being.   So if I have the following situation

Student 1)  Doesn't even know the alphabet.
Student 2)  Can read and understand native speaker 6th grade level text books.

If I try to teach 1 the alphabet, 2 will get bored.   If I try to teach native speaker 6th grade level English to student 2, 1 will get left behind.    If I could bilocate my voice and teach the alphabet, and 6th grade level English at the same time, I would be a perfect teacher.   Also, if I could put everything I know about English onto a memory chip, and have the student directly upload that information into his brain, then teaching him English would take seconds instead of years.

On top of that, I have limitations that many other humans don't have.   Since I studied mathematics in college, and was interested in "geeky" things, my social skills suck and probably always will suck.   This effects my teaching style in that I am not "exciting", but sometimes it's easier for me to come up with ways of explaining certain kinds of things. 

So, should students be left behind?   Probably not.   But the reality is, some students will get left behind because of a variety of reasons. 

[gilbert.a.h]

Other - Since I am lucky enough to be at a small school, I discuss it with their homeroom teacher (elementary school) and my co-teacher. They then will have to take extra time out of the day to help them one on one. Lucky them, however, it is such an issue here that I devoted my entire afterschool program (except first and second grade) to reviewing and memorizing what is in the textbook.

I don't think the textbook is all wonderful, however, it does have what they need in order to move on to middle school. My students won't go to a university and I doubt many of them can afford to go to high school. Some of them have no inside shoes. Some of them don't even wear the correct clothing (often boys wear their elder sister's clothes cause there is NO money...)

So I just focus on what will be the most "STANDARD" education that they can have, where everybody "gets it" and they are able to finish middle school like a "normal student"...

 

[peasgoodnonsuch]

Wow! I'm the only one so far to say extra lessons....

Personally, I think that there should always be the opportunity for the kids who want it. That said, some of those kids who don't learn and don't improve, are in that state because they don't want to learn and they simply don't care.

If you offer them extra help outside of class and they want it, they'll take it. If they don't then there's nothing you can do to make them learn...

[Cy&Leon]

No child should not be left behind, but what can you do if you lack the time or if they are mentally incapable?
 
I asked some students to stay after class with the Co-T to ask if they want extra lessons since their ability is very low. But they told me they go to Hakwon and didn't want it. What can you do if they refuse?

If you have the time, offer it. If they can master their phonics, it goes a long way.

Lucky for me, my Co-T goes around class while I teach/help the lower level ones. In addition, I give out 'helping stamps' for those that teach/help the lower level ones during class. We agreed that separating the lower levels may lead to bullying problems. So we avoided that, although it would be beneficial to them.

[GEK]

I spend extra time outside of regular class (unpaid) with students who are not at the same level as their peers helping them catch up. 

I think of it this way:  I can spend the extra time with them outside of class.  They get "closer" to their peers' levels and the whole class benefits.  Would I rather be surfing the internet and making fun of something or other on waygook.org?  No, not really.  That time spent levels out my classes and makes them easier to teach.  This makes my job easier.   

[flasyb]

I used to teach adults in Peru at a private institute and their policy was to teach to the "high end of the middle". I think that meant that whilst the students who are less talented when it comes to languages can still learn some things it's best to teach to a reasonably high level so that you challenge your average/reasonably talented students and at the same time teach a few things that the best students can learn so that they feel like they're progressing too. Ultimately, the "worst" students (or those who understand less in class) are less likely to excel in languages (and may be suited to other fields/subjects) and so the focus should be on those who need it most and are likely to achieve. It's one of those points of endless debate in TEFL theory but my personal opinion is that we should nurture talent whilst trying to get the less talented students to not be afraid of English and encourage them to participate. It's the hardest balance to strike in the classroom and I'm constantly worrying about failing the less able students as a teacher at the same time as failing to improve the more able students to their true potential. It is a situation we can never solve but must constantly try to improve as teachers. It is not something that will ever be resolved but perhaps there are approaches more efficient than others. I'd love to hear some ideas on those.

[Amy Rodulfo]

Thanks for your answers.

[dwebsterlfc]

I agree with most of the other posts on here. Nobody should be left behind but it's impossible to teach such a massive range of ability levels in one class. Somebodies going to always to left behind or help back, most of my classes have at least 35 students in, and they range from solid conversational English to not being able to sound out words.

Luckily my school has just appointed a new English teacher who will teach the lower level students so that I can get more work done with the more advanced students... happy days.

[Rutten]

I spend extra time outside of regular class (unpaid) with students who are not at the same level as their peers helping them catch up. 

I think of it this way:  I can spend the extra time with them outside of class.  They get "closer" to their peers' levels and the whole class benefits.  Would I rather be surfing the internet and making fun of something or other on waygook.org?  No, not really.  That time spent levels out my classes and makes them easier to teach.  This makes my job easier.   

i would love to do this but the students are so busy doing other things (homework, cleaning the school, other classes, things that other teachers have told them to do) to even begin to talk to them about in-class material outside of class. plus it's almost next to impossible to do this when you have hundreds of students, of which maybe 10-15% might require this 'extra time'. also if my SCHOOL cared about these 'left behind' students then they would fund and promote extra lessons but they just leave it to the parents to put them in a hagwon most of the time.

[Gunpo_Erin]

maybe extra lessons

we all have different strengths and learning styles.  it's near impossible to create a lesson to cater to all learning styles.

the students who are not learning as fast as the others may have an "AHA" moment one of these days and start picking it all up super fast!

I had some students when I taught kindergarten here- while they UNDERSTOOD everything I said, they could not respond to me in English.  Then I had other students who could answer me in English but could  not read or write. 

Maybe try to find out what the students are interested in and try to incorporate that into the lessons?

Keep plugging away!  Keep us posted!

[matrim44]

Extra lessons are great if you can get it done. I can't. School won't let me.

The most basic thing you can do to not just write the the stragglers off is include elements from previous lessons in future lessons. Have a review portion, or just integrate the target skills into future activities.

You must also have material that challenges the high level students. It's okay if some material goes over their heads; you shouldn't devote too much time to it.

It's a difficult and delicate balance to see that there's something in the class for everyone, and you can't always do it. There will be outliers on both ends of the aptitude spectrum. Just do your best, and then don't worry. 

[Nukrain]

This is an interesting read.  I've had the same problem, at all 3 of my schools there always
seems to be 1 - 4 students that are slow.  I've found that there motivation is just not there,
they find it difficult to understand and to learn so they can't be bothered, one student in particular
would just sit there and then distract everyone else.  My teacher has given
up on those low students.  Can't blame my teacher.

What I've found is that when I gave more
attention to these students and try to help them and encourage them and say you're doing a good job
keep trying.  When everyone else gave up on them...guess
what?!  They are now motivated to learn English, and is paying more attention and participating
in class events even though their English level is low, they always ask for help and clarification.
One particular student is speaking more English than before.  This student likes candy, so to reward him I tell him to speak to me in English try to...and he will be rewarded.

But, I don't ignore the rest of the other students.  I also reward them but I don't want to hold the rest of the class back
with my lessons. I'd just spend a bit more time with the low ones to help them.  It's also great when your co teacher is also there to help the rest of the students.