Allen is a tall and lanky 11th grader. He is
handsome, popular and athletic, but rather than play sports, would
prefer to spend his leisure time with a few close friends with
whom he enjoys mountain biking, camping and other less competitive
outdoor activities. Allen is a good artist, yet has never explored
formal instruction in the community or at school. His parents
have kept a portfolio of his work since he was a child. In school,
Allen enjoys literature and drama. He recently played a central
role in a school theater production and received rave reviews
from both faculty and fellow students.
Although he was looking forward to the 11th grade,
Allen has had more difficulty than last year, especially in two
of his academic courses—Biology and History. His mid-term
progress reports indicate that he is failing Biology and has a
'D' average in History. His other grades range from A’s
in Physical Education and Health to B’s in English and Math.
Reports from both his History and Biology teachers
indicate that although Allen demonstrates excellent verbal skills
and participates actively in class discussions, he has not used
his in-class time to complete academic assignments. During these
times—especially when students are working independently—his
teachers say he seems 'tuned out' and has difficulty staying focused
and on-task. His history teacher says that although he is a good
reader, and seems tuned-in to the topics that interest him, his
performance is very inconsistent.
Allen received an ‘A’ on a three-dimensional,
project map he recently designed to illustrate colonial expansion.
His parents and teachers were all surprised by the amount of effort
he put into it. On other, less interesting academic assignments,
however, he has often “procrastinated” and failed
to complete much of the work.
The large number of lines he rapidly memorized
in drama is a testament to Allen’s remarkable memory. He
has impressed friends and teachers alike by demonstrating this
impressive strength in a number of his classes when reviewing
for tests and quizzes. Of course, this strength is also a source
of frustration for those who feel Allen should be a top student
with “his kind of ability”.
Homework is a real problem for Allen. He rarely
completes assignments, and the work he turns in is usually sloppy
and hastily done. His science teacher told his parents that Allen's
assignment calendar was “a mess.” Allen, in turn,
has told his parents that he’s really bored in history and
science classes, and can’t seem to get excited about the
material they are covering. He also says he has a real problem
focusing on all of the details in these classes. Although he has
an excellent memory, he says he can’t stay tuned-in long
enough to let all of the information “sink in”.
What baffles everyone is that Allen is performing
much better in other classes. He enjoys math, says that
it keeps him busy, and that it is always a challenge. Also, he
finds it helpful to have time to complete his homework in class.
He’s also extremely interested in English because students
have the opportunity to role play, read aloud, and really get
into their work. And, since Allen has always enjoyed reading,
he doesn’t feel that English is as much work as history
and biology. Allen’s English teacher also directs the school
drama productions. Allen says that this teacher knows him better
than anyone else, and helps him stay focused when he “fades
out”.
Allen’s Physical Education teacher, also
a head coach, has asked him to try out for football, but Allen
is not interested in playing on the same team as his older brother
who is one of the stars. To his friends, Allen has expressed the
fact that he is really jealous of this brother—a twelfth
grader at his school—who consistently makes the honor role,
yet seems to work half as hard as he does.
Despite his parents support and encouragement, Allen is beginning
to be irritated by their involvement. He feels that they are always
on his back about keeping up with his homework and projects. His
reactions have led to some rather stressful confrontations.
- Memory: able to rapidly consolidate
the large volumes of material in drama and other content subjects
- Excellent verbal skills
- Excellent social skills
- Reading
- Mathematics
- Drama and acting
- Biking, camping and outdoor recreation
- Art
- Organization
- Time management
- Staying focused and on task—especially
in History and Biology, but also in other academic situations
where the tasks are not inherently and consistently gratifying
- Completing and submitting assignments
on time
Discuss with Allen the difficulty he is
experiencing in History and Biology. Explain that the demands
of these classes (e.g., the volume of information and the attention
to detail) make them difficult courses for many students.
Encourage Allen to be honest and specific
about which elements of these classes are hard for him. Discuss
the fact that all students have a combination of skills (an individual
profiles) that affect how well they perform both in and beyond
school, making some tasks easy and some more difficult.
Discuss Allen’s strengths. Help him
understand that there are many ways he can use his strengths to
improve his performance in biology and history. Allen needs to
know that he may also employ specific strategies to help him stay
focused and engaged—even when he is not terribly excited
about the content being covered.
It is important to help Allen understand
that although he may be experiencing some difficulties in current
situations, he has many attributes that will bring him success
both in and beyond school. Remind him that his social skills,
creativity and interests will always be greatly valued by others
on a personal level.
Ask Allen about his plans beyond school,
where he sees himself a year or two after graduation, and what
he would like to be doing. Use his response as a means of framing
his future. In an effort to give meaning to work that may
seem meaningless now, reinforce the fact that his current activities
in school may help him reach his goals.
- Suggest that Allen try to find ways
to integrate some of his outside interests into his more difficult
classes (e.g., by combining camping and biology, or by planning
a cycling tour of an historically relevant site or region of
the country).
- Explain that it is often difficult
for high school teachers with heavy responsibilities and class
loads to tune in to the needs of individual students. Encourage
Allen to meet privately with his biology and history teachers
to openly discuss his concerns, and to explore ways to improve
his performance in their classes. Be sure he understands that
this important step often leads to a much greater level of understanding
between the student and teacher. Have Allen and his teachers
brainstorm possible solutions to the problems he is experiencing,
especially in the area of attention and maintaining his focus.
- Encourage Allen and his teachers to
explore how he might use approaches that have worked in the
past as guides for future work. For example, his past success
with the history map and his interest in art and math might
be used to help him plan possible approaches to future history
and biology assignments. Again, Allen needs to understand the
importance of discussing these potential options with his teachers,
well in advance of upcoming projects.
- Help Allen exploit his memory and his
artistic skills by showing him mapping and webbing techniques
that can help organize details in both biology and history.
Encourage him to design his own memory plans, and to think of
ways to use his interests and creative talents to organize biology
and history information.
- Take advantage of Allen’s interest
in literature, reading, and drama by having him research, locate
and read biographies, historical events, plays, and descriptions
of scientific discoveries that appeal to him and also tie in
with the content in his classes.
- Identify a third-party individual,
such as a person who shares Allen’s interests and affinities,
to help Allen review the progress he has made on his organizational
plan (e.g., assignment calendar, notebook organization). Suggest
that this review occur biweekly or more frequently. Having someone
other than a parent play this support role might reduce some
of the tension between Allen and his parents.
- Modify seating in history and biology
so that Allen is sitting close to the action in class.
- Use agreed-upon teacher cues and prompts
to signal Allen when he needs to re-engage with classroom activities.
- Create a checklist that Allen can use
after each class to review how well he focused throughout the
class. Have him discuss the findings of this checklist with
his organizational manager.
- Suggest that Allen monitor his work
at home, setting a timer or alarm clock/watch to sound at equal
intervals during his homework time, so that Allen can continually
check his attention status and make adjustments when necessary.
|