Question

Kelly is a ninth grader with above-average abilities. He earns "Bs" in all of his subjects, except for biology, which he barely manages to pass. As his biology teacher, you have tried to help him many times, but you have observed no real progress. Kelly tells you that he has difficulty doing his homework because of anxieties and basic "resistance" to the subject. He simply doesn't know how to get started and stares at the question until he gives up and puts the homework assignment away. What would you do to help Kelly?

Answer 1

Answer: 1) Help him to Develope a strong self-image

2) Create something relevance for Kelly that will enhance the learning activity.

3) The teacher should build a case for Kelly about his learning toward biology.

4) Design a self-management program that Kelly could adopt to improve his academic performance.

Explanation:

Developing a strong self-image as a learner—regarding oneself as someone able to acquire new skills, knowledge, behaviors, and insights are crucial

Some students resist learning because they are afraid. Students like doing what they already know. They hold on to beliefs that have served them well, especially those passed on from parents. 

Students resist learning when they don’t see how or what an activity contributes to their efforts to learn. If it looks like busywork or a waste of time, students resist. Brookfield points out that this is particularly true when learners are paying for their education themselves.

It’s not a particularly pleasant thought, but sometimes students resist because they just plain don’t like the teacher. Maybe objections to the teacher are justified or maybe they aren’t, but sometimes teachers themselves cause resistance

A self-management program could be designed to assist Kelly in reaching his goals of reducing his anxiety towards his homework. First, it would be useful to have baseline data on the frequency and intensity of Kelly's anxiety. Specific goals would be set and and written down so that you and Kelly can monitor his progress. it may not be wise to allow Kelly to set his own goals.

Due to Kelly's tendency to stare at the question and not get started, one goal might be to reduce the amount of time he stares at the question by some percentages.

Another approach might be to set an alarm clock, which will alert him to get started. Gradually, the time limits set on the alarm clock could be reduced. Kelly, who loves to play computer games, could reinforce himself with time for playing his computer games only when he reaches his stated goals.