8 Ways to Break the Chains of Learned Helplessness in the Classroom

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You are now tuned into Virtually I'm Possible presents Lazy Learning Land podcast,
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where we teach teachers how to be lazier,
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yet more effective to increase student performance, but decrease teacher burnout and stress.
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I'm SDot, your hostess that always gives you the mostest while doing the least.
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Also known as the queen of working and not working.
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With over 15 years experience working in the hood schools, and I absolutely
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love it, I'm here to share with you the tricks of the trade I've developed that
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will make your life as a teacher so much easier and even help you to fall back
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in love with the profession.
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Today's episode is sponsored by Lazy Learning Land on TikTok,
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where we skip all the fluff and give you the real deal applicable stuff.
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You can watch teacher tips, teacher shorts, comedic shorts, and even me interact
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with my real students during class periods, all while I'm implementing the tips that I share with you.
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So go ahead, go follow Lazy Learning Land on TikTok.
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And now for today's episode.
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All right, all right, all right, all right, everyone. Welcome to another episode
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of the Lazy Learning Land podcast. I'm SDot.
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And yo, I am about to touch on something that I promise you every teacher,
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no matter the grade level, no matter the subject area, has dealt with.
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And that's learned helplessness.
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Yeah, you know, I'm talking about the kids that refuse to try.
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You get a whole bunch of crickets when you ask your students questions.
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Kids that refuse to participate. Kids that just go into Christmas tree stuff.
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Of kids that just won't turn anything in, like the gamut of learned helplessness.
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And so I want y'all to stay tuned from the root of the tutor for this episode,
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y'all, because we're really going to dive deep into the cause and cure for learned helplessness.
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Because I promise you, attacking learned helplessness is about setting a culture.
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It's about setting an environment.
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And sometimes we as teachers, we do stuff that we're not even aware that we're
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saying or doing that could be creating the learned helplessness or reinforcing
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the learned helplessness in our students.
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So if this message isn't for you, then I bet you you're gonna get something
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from this message that you can share with a neighboring teacher or someone that
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teaches their subject area because I promise you,
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there is not 100% of teachers on every single campus doing the right thing,
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doing right by these babies.
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So like I said, we're gonna talk about the cause and cure for learned helplessness.
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So yeah, this whole thing just kind of developed because over the summer,
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I did something I swore up and down left and right. I was never going to do.
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I created a TikTok profile.
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Yes, I took Lazy Learning Land to TikTok.
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And I figured it was a good way to allow people to see me in a more personal
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way outside of just my written words for the Lazy Learning Land blog or my spoken
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word through this podcast.
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And after two months of posting, I ended up having a post go viral.
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I ain't gonna tell y'all how old I am to be talking about going viral,
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but you know, it was a pretty exciting thing for me.
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And this particular post that went viral, which can be found on my profile,
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Lazy Learning Land on TikTok, was just showing how my high school juniors and
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seniors, they got real hush mouth in the middle of a lesson when I asked a basic multiplication fact.
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Y'all, I asked these children, what is nine times four?
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I'm talking 11th and 12th graders being
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asked what is nine times four and I got crickets and
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the video then proceeds to show how none of those
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students even bothered to pick up the calculators
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that were sitting on their desk so even
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if you didn't know nine times four by heart you could have
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took a little prickly fingers and typed it into the calculator and nobody budged
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so following that It does show me matching their energy by also shutting down
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and allowing there to be crickets and me being petty once they came up to my
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desk about five minutes later, asking me for some help.
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And, you know, using this strategy is what I like to call the ultimate cure
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for learned helplessness. But I'm going to tell you this.
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You cannot implement this type of strategy if you don't have a certain type
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of culture in your classroom.
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See, it works for my kids because I've created a certain culture in my classroom since day one.
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So when I did that particular strategy, it struck gold.
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But if you don't have a certain culture or atmosphere in your class and you
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try to do this, your students may laugh at you.
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Your students may just continue to have a good time and talk and be off task, be off topic.
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Your students may not care that you're making their assignment a quiz grade
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or that you're give them a pop quiz tomorrow or a test or whatever.
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They're not going to care about the consequences because you haven't set the
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right culture in your classroom.
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And the post doesn't show that I have created a risk-free learning environment.
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This post does not show that I've been working with my students creating a growth
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mindset culture and that I've established this since the first week of school.
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So yes, to some people who go and check out that post, it may appear to be extreme,
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but But again, it is extremely appropriate because of the culture I already have in my class.
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I will also say this, y'all. I was not expecting this post to go viral.
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It was me venting because I was really pissed off that day about what happened.
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But there were thousands of comments on this post from teachers,
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regardless of their subject area or their grade level that I've just talked
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about them experiencing their students show learned helplessness continuously.
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I mean, I had kindergartners all the way through collegiate professors,
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people who taught core subjects, electives, the arts.
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Everybody was like chiming in regarding their similar experiences with learned
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helplessness. And I was absolutely astonished to hear that this was such a universal
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issue across great levels and across content areas.
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Let's dive a little bit into the science of this. What is learned helplessness?
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What is learned helplessness?
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And according to Medical News Today, it can simply be defined as when a person
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believes that they are unable to control or change the situation, so they don't even try,
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even when opportunities for change are available to them.
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Now, for our students, this can lead to feelings of despair,
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hopelessness, a lack of motivation, and usually students that end up feeling
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like this is linked to whatever that individual person deems as a traumatic event.
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So there is such thing as classroom trauma.
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There is such thing as classroom trauma. And some of you may be thinking,
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what in the heck can kids know about trauma?
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Well, allow me to provide a few examples of what educational trauma may be for your students.
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And I want y'all to take special note that these traumas stem from negative
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experiences with their teachers, with their peers, or with academic challenges with the content.
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And this is gonna be a trigger warning because some of you may have experienced,
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educational trauma growing up. See, I'm an 80s baby.
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So, you know, we grew up in a time where the teacher was always right and the
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parents, your parents was always on the teacher side.
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Like, and you just do what you, you know, you do what you're told,
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right? You mind the adults, whatever they say, that's what you do.
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And for some of you guys, this may be a trigger warning because you've experienced
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it, or you may end up being reflective and find that you're causing certain
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types of trauma for your own students in your classroom,
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whether it's knowingly or unknowingly.
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Okay, okay. We are about to dive into the cause and cure for learned helplessness.
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We've got eight causes, and I'm going to also give you eight cures for learned
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helplessness in your classroom.
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So number one, constant failure and negative feedback.
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Now, the cause of this for your students can be repeated academic failure without
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being given appropriate support.
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Like your students can start to believe that they are incapable of succeeding.
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And also when your students are subject to harsh criticism or embarrassment
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in front of the entire class from teachers, then it reinforces their sense of powerlessness.
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Now, how can we cure this?
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In order to cure this type of learned helplessness, we have to normalize making
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mistakes and being incorrect.
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I mean, create a culture of growth mindset.
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Allow your students to put a positive spin on what they would otherwise deem
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to be a negative outcome.
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And as a teacher, you want to have some phrases in your repertoire,
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like some things in your back pocket that you say to your students,
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such as, hey, thanks for trying.
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You know, mistakes that help us learn better for the next time.
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Or I'm so proud of you for not giving up. You're really building great character right now.
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Anything that just takes it acknowledges that yes, the outcome wasn't favorable,
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but you are getting so much better because you're trying, you're growing,
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your brain is growing, you're growing as a person.
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It's gonna pay off, keep at it. You gotta crawl before you walk,
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whatever, but have some things in your back pocket.
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And I have previously in another podcast episode, I spoke about promoting a
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culture of growth mindset.
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And that is in my post, creating a risk-free environment. So if you have not
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listened to that, don't leave this episode.
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Don't leave this episode. But please do go check it out after this one.
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In a risk-free learning environment, I do talk about promoting that growth mindset
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and empowering students to just simply try, no matter how good,
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bad, or ugly the intent may be, baby, just try, just try.
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All right, so moving along to number two, teacher neglect or emotional abuse
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is another type of classroom trauma.
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Teacher neglect or emotional abuse. Now, what causes this?
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You see, a teacher who ignores a student's needs, if you dismiss students' concerns
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or you are verbally belittling to them, can create an environment where the
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student feels unworthy or incapable.
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And this is also like a form of emotional abuse, y'all, like shaming a kid.
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Overly dramatic sarcasm.
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Those types of things damages student self-esteem and leads them to have a sense of helplessness.
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So that's what causes it. The cure for this type of learned helplessness would be,
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although it is impossible to meet every student's needs at every waking moment
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that they're in your presence, it is important to make sure that your students feel seen and heard.
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So absolutely do your best to notice when a student is really happy,
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really sad, or even really angry and address the student by allowing them to
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have a safe space where they can share what is causing those extreme emotions.
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Also, you guys can kind of double check your word choice with your students
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because there's life and death in the power of the tongue, y'all.
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And you can ensure that you are avoiding words and phrases that can be perceived
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as put downs or attacks by the student.
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It doesn't matter what your intentions are. It doesn't matter what you meant
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by it. It is how it is perceived.
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Perception is people's reality.
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And you want to avoid allowing yourself to use these words such as stupid,
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lazy, pointless, disgraced, dumb, disgusted,
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saying things like, oh, I can't wait for this year to be over. Oh, I'm sick of y'all.
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Like things like that, et cetera. Like the list goes on. Those are just a few
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examples. You can definitely branch out from there.
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But you want to try to replace these things with phrases such as,
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hey, you know what? you are capable of giving better effort than this.
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Or I know this may be a challenging topic for you, but how about we focus on
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taking baby steps until we can master more of it?
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You can even try, I am really disappointed right now that you don't know,
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not that you don't know how to do it, but I'm disappointed that you are not even trying to do it.
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For those of you who are just completely over the year, you can say something
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like, you know what? This year has been a little bit tough.
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How about we work together to make the rest of the year go smoother?
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So just taking things and putting a positive spin on it really makes a difference.
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Because again, there is life and death in the power of the tongue.
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All right, third. The third type of classroom trauma is bullying by peers or bullying by teachers.
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Yeah, I said it. Some of y'all bullies. But the cause of this classroom trauma
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is when students are being bullied or teased, name called by their peers,
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or even by their own teachers.
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This helps to develop feelings of isolation, fear, and helplessness.
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And when a school itself, the culture of the school or specific teachers fail
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to intervene or provide support, then that student learns that they are unable
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to change their situation.
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So they just shut down.
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Now, what is the cure for this type of learned helplessness?
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Well, you can create a culture in your classroom, starting with yourself,
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that negative talk is not allowed.
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I'm talking about negatives can be considered as put down words or name calling.
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You want to make sure you address any student immediately.
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When you hear words such as dumb, stupid, nerd, dork, retarded,
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et cetera, even if they come up with new slang words, which,
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you know, they always do, whatever words that have those negative connotations
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to them, you want to nip those in the bud.
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Let your students know, we don't tolerate that kind of talk in this class.
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And you have to also set the example as well by not using those words.
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Even in your most frustrated moments, you want to refrain from using those words.
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Also, you need to recognize that bullying can be actions just as much as bullying can be words.
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So there are some type of nonverbal, like threatening things that students can
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do to each other that can cause the students to still feel unsafe.
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And you want to be sure that you and your students are not isolating specific
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or targeting specific kids.
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You want to make sure that actions towards others are not mean or aggressive in nature.
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This can include hand gestures and facial expressions.
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Somebody can punch their fist in their hand to another kid. Did they say anything
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out loud? No. But that pretty much means like, I'm going to F you up. That's a threat.
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Somebody can flick a kid a bird, stick their tongue out, make faces,
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eye rolling, whatever. You have to govern both the verbal and the non-verbal
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forms of bullying and teasing that can take place.
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Number four, a lack of recognition or praise.
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So another type of classroom trauma is a lack of recognition or praise.
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And the cause of this is when a student's hard work goes unnoticed or unacknowledged,
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it can lead to a strong feeling of uselessness.
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Like these kids, when they don't get positive reinforcement,
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they feel like their efforts, no matter how big their effort or how small their
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efforts are, are completely meaningless.
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It is extremely discouraging them from even wanting to try because it don't matter when I do do good.
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Nobody sees it anyway, but they see me when I do bad. So I guess I'll just keep doing bad.
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And there you have it. A lack of recognition and praise. Now,
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what is a cure for this type of learned helplessness?
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You have got to make the biggest and I say the biggest deal out of the smallest
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attempts for your students to do the right thing.
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I mean, acknowledge and praise the behaviors you want to continue to see.
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Like when the students say phrases similar to these, like, sorry,
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when you say phrases similar to these to your students, such as,
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hey, thank you to the students who are doing blank.
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I really appreciate you being on class on time to class today.
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Thank you for working quietly and independently on this assignment.
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Wow. What a great suggestion you just gave to your group. I'm sure you are full
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of more brilliant ideas.
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You have all your materials out for class today. That's what I love to see.
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Hey, thank you for waiting patiently. What can I help you with?
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Even your most troublesome kids, y'all, they will give you something small that they do good.
00:17:03.923 --> 00:17:07.403
And if you can start picking up on even those smallest things,
00:17:07.863 --> 00:17:13.123
baby, baby, it's going to shift the room. It's going to shift the room.
00:17:13.903 --> 00:17:17.743
Students like to feel seen, even when you praise them for doing the smallest
00:17:17.743 --> 00:17:20.903
things correctly, it literally charges their battery.
00:17:21.163 --> 00:17:25.523
And if you make a conscious effort to give compliments throughout the day,
00:17:25.943 --> 00:17:27.403
throughout every class period,
00:17:27.943 --> 00:17:31.583
that the more you practice, the better at it you're going to become,
00:17:31.723 --> 00:17:35.543
the more second nature it's going to be, and the more empowered your students
00:17:35.543 --> 00:17:41.103
are going to feel, and the better the classroom culture is going to become.
00:17:41.743 --> 00:17:47.263
A big plus, okay, is students get easily jealous of other students.
00:17:47.563 --> 00:17:53.103
And when you compliment one or two students, the rest of them are going to try to impress you as well.
00:17:53.823 --> 00:17:57.123
Almost immediately. They're going to sit up straighter. They're going to look
00:17:57.123 --> 00:17:59.723
like they're working more intensely. They're going to be quieter.
00:18:00.023 --> 00:18:03.303
They're going to help somebody do something. They're going to ask to do a favor
00:18:03.303 --> 00:18:06.423
for you, run an errand for you, help you with something around the classroom,
00:18:06.583 --> 00:18:10.763
whatever it is. But they're going to try to, you know, sharpen up a little bit
00:18:10.763 --> 00:18:12.223
so that they too can get a compliment.
00:18:13.203 --> 00:18:20.203
And I covered this in greater detail in my post, in my podcast episode,
00:18:20.783 --> 00:18:22.643
Hold Expectations, Not Grudges.
00:18:22.743 --> 00:18:29.943
So I really do go deeper into that positive reinforcement under Hold Expectations and Not Grudges.
00:18:30.043 --> 00:18:35.063
But again, you got to finish this episode before you go moseying in over there.
00:18:36.023 --> 00:18:39.783
We have reached the halfway point. I thank you for all of you who are still
00:18:39.783 --> 00:18:43.543
here rocking and kicking it with me, especially for those of you who I may have
00:18:43.543 --> 00:18:47.603
stepped on your toes with the first four ways that teachers create classroom trauma.
00:18:48.343 --> 00:18:51.163
But we're going to keep rolling through. We are number five,
00:18:51.623 --> 00:18:54.323
inconsistent or unfair discipline.
00:18:54.783 --> 00:18:58.763
And a lot of teachers are guilty of this one. But the cause of this is students
00:18:58.763 --> 00:19:01.723
who experience unfair or inconsistent discipline.
00:19:02.083 --> 00:19:07.003
They struggle with trust. They struggle with a sense of having control because
00:19:07.003 --> 00:19:10.103
they just feel like no matter what they do, they are being targeted.
00:19:10.863 --> 00:19:15.543
Unpredictable consequences for behaviors can create an environment of fear and
00:19:15.543 --> 00:19:22.043
helplessness in your students where they feel they are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
00:19:22.916 --> 00:19:26.956
What is the cure for this one? For this type of learn helplessness,
00:19:26.996 --> 00:19:30.656
y'all, we as teachers have to treat every student the same.
00:19:30.996 --> 00:19:37.276
Yes, I am aware that it is a very cliche saying, but you cannot allow students
00:19:37.276 --> 00:19:39.716
to be able to recognize who your favorites are.
00:19:40.216 --> 00:19:43.796
Your students are watching. They are listening and they are waiting for you
00:19:43.796 --> 00:19:45.516
to slip up and show your favoritism.
00:19:46.216 --> 00:19:53.576
They're waiting for you. They are waiting for you to give them an excuse to act up or to shut down.
00:19:53.916 --> 00:19:57.436
Give them an excuse to lash out and call you out.
00:19:57.896 --> 00:20:01.756
Don't you help them make you the scapegoat for their behaviors.
00:20:02.536 --> 00:20:07.796
You have got to try to avoid making exceptions for students who are normally
00:20:07.796 --> 00:20:10.236
good kids. They're normally a good kid.
00:20:10.836 --> 00:20:15.656
Hold your best and your worst behaving students to the same standard.
00:20:15.656 --> 00:20:21.476
Your rules are your rules and you address anyone who is out of compliance with your rules.
00:20:21.936 --> 00:20:25.096
For more tips on being fair and consistent across the board,
00:20:25.276 --> 00:20:31.836
check out my post, the podcast episode, Don't Be a Fool, Post Your Classroom Rules.
00:20:31.916 --> 00:20:35.456
Look, you see this one post is just connected to so many other episodes that
00:20:35.456 --> 00:20:39.576
I have done, but y'all, I promise you, if you take the time to go back and listen
00:20:39.576 --> 00:20:43.336
to those other ones, the connections that you will make to this post with those
00:20:43.336 --> 00:20:46.796
will astronomically give you a large amount,
00:20:46.996 --> 00:20:49.796
a copious amount of information.
00:20:50.056 --> 00:20:53.876
Look at this math teacher using these good vocabulary words.
00:20:55.276 --> 00:20:59.736
So for number six, the sixth type of classroom trauma that creates this learned
00:20:59.736 --> 00:21:06.636
helplessness is trauma from home or community seeping into the classroom.
00:21:06.936 --> 00:21:12.596
Now, this one isn't as much what teachers do, but it is also how you kind of
00:21:12.596 --> 00:21:17.996
help the students to navigate it or how you react to it in your classroom.
00:21:18.156 --> 00:21:21.716
But the cause of this is definitely external trauma such as abuse,
00:21:21.916 --> 00:21:24.076
neglect, or instability at home.
00:21:24.256 --> 00:21:28.716
It literally carries over into the classroom because it affects your students'
00:21:28.856 --> 00:21:34.236
attitudes, their moods, whether or not they come to school or not. It just affects a lot.
00:21:34.736 --> 00:21:38.896
And students that are experiencing this type of trauma, they may already feel
00:21:38.896 --> 00:21:40.576
helpless in their personal lives.
00:21:41.433 --> 00:21:45.833
So you may be fighting a battle with them connected to their personal lives as well.
00:21:46.753 --> 00:21:52.553
And when it comes down to this, you know, negative school experiences can also
00:21:52.553 --> 00:21:55.993
reinforce their beliefs that they are carrying with them from home,
00:21:55.993 --> 00:21:58.853
that they have no control over their circumstances.
00:21:59.613 --> 00:22:04.733
How do we cure this type of learner helplessness? As I mentioned in my post,
00:22:04.873 --> 00:22:10.493
hold expectations, not grudges. you have no clue what students face when they
00:22:10.493 --> 00:22:11.513
are not in your classroom.
00:22:11.953 --> 00:22:16.313
You may be their only potential source of stability and positivity.
00:22:16.573 --> 00:22:24.073
You can only control your students' life experience when they are present with you face to face.
00:22:24.453 --> 00:22:28.633
With that being said, you have to be consistent and predictable,
00:22:28.633 --> 00:22:33.553
a source of safety and security. You have to speak affirmations into your students
00:22:33.553 --> 00:22:36.113
daily. You have to help build up their self-esteem.
00:22:36.633 --> 00:22:41.133
As far as academics, but also their self-esteem for themselves as people.
00:22:41.453 --> 00:22:45.993
You have to instill in them that they may not be able to control the life that
00:22:45.993 --> 00:22:51.073
they have right now in the present, but by working hard and applying themselves,
00:22:51.313 --> 00:22:55.693
that they can control the type of life they will have in the future.
00:22:56.313 --> 00:23:00.933
That they can write their own story if they do the right things now.
00:23:01.713 --> 00:23:04.833
Can't tell you how important that is.
00:23:05.513 --> 00:23:08.393
And I have to live by that because like I
00:23:08.393 --> 00:23:11.613
said I work in the hood I've worked in the hood for all my teaching years
00:23:11.613 --> 00:23:15.273
so that's something we have to drill in and sell in our kids every day because
00:23:15.273 --> 00:23:19.713
society already doesn't want to see them be successful and they already have
00:23:19.713 --> 00:23:23.073
the odds stacked against them just because their parents are who their parents
00:23:23.073 --> 00:23:26.473
are they're born it's a neighborhood that they have to grow up in I mean the
00:23:26.473 --> 00:23:29.733
statistics are just overwhelming for the inner city kids.
00:23:30.811 --> 00:23:35.831
Now, we are down to the final two, down to the final two. Number seven,
00:23:36.411 --> 00:23:38.591
cultural or racial discrimination.
00:23:39.331 --> 00:23:45.591
The cause of this is students who face discrimination or microaggressions in
00:23:45.591 --> 00:23:47.571
the classroom based on their race,
00:23:47.891 --> 00:23:54.051
gender, their discipline record, or other aspects of their identity can then
00:23:54.051 --> 00:23:56.471
start to feel powerless and prejudged.
00:23:57.311 --> 00:24:01.451
This can result in learned helplessness, particularly if the teacher or the
00:24:01.451 --> 00:24:05.391
school itself fails to create an inclusive environment.
00:24:06.231 --> 00:24:09.671
What is the cure for this? So I'm going to step on some toes because some of
00:24:09.671 --> 00:24:12.471
us don't realize that's why it's called microaggressions.
00:24:13.211 --> 00:24:17.011
Some of us don't realize we have some tendencies. And, you know,
00:24:17.371 --> 00:24:19.131
we just might get caught to the carpet on this one.
00:24:19.251 --> 00:24:23.171
But we see the discrimination and microaggressions come out the most when we
00:24:23.171 --> 00:24:26.031
get students whose discipline history already.
00:24:26.531 --> 00:24:30.051
Precedes them. Before the student actually shows up to our classroom,
00:24:30.291 --> 00:24:32.711
you know, we get that kid's QM record.
00:24:32.911 --> 00:24:36.331
We talked to the teacher from last year. They're the kid that's always in a discipline office.
00:24:36.591 --> 00:24:42.951
Their reputation precedes their actual presence the first day of school to your classroom.
00:24:43.591 --> 00:24:47.471
These kids have already been stamped as troublemakers and they are treated as
00:24:47.471 --> 00:24:49.291
if they will never be more than that.
00:24:49.711 --> 00:24:55.751
People do not give them the opportunity to grow and turn over a new Also,
00:24:56.091 --> 00:24:59.931
in the more well-to-do schools, and I'm going to say this, and this may not
00:24:59.931 --> 00:25:02.331
be a popular opinion, but I don't care.
00:25:02.691 --> 00:25:07.211
In some of the A schools, the more well-to-do schools, the schools that have
00:25:07.211 --> 00:25:15.251
more well-off demographics, there are students who come from the poverty side of the railroad tracks.
00:25:16.173 --> 00:25:21.813
OK, they're not as well to do. And these students are already labeled as troublemakers,
00:25:22.153 --> 00:25:26.613
as lower performing or as less likely to be successful.
00:25:26.853 --> 00:25:29.993
So they are not worth the teacher putting in the extra energy.
00:25:30.233 --> 00:25:36.113
So those kids get lost in the shuffle because they come from the poorer side of the railroad tracks.
00:25:36.853 --> 00:25:40.273
I'm just saying, I'm going to say what other people might not say.
00:25:41.033 --> 00:25:45.693
And then you have all these underlying beliefs for these and other students
00:25:45.693 --> 00:25:51.393
and they show they show baby your slip is showing you can't hide it that's why
00:25:51.393 --> 00:25:52.813
it's called microaggressions,
00:25:53.493 --> 00:25:57.433
no matter how much educator tries to lie to themselves and say that they treat
00:25:57.433 --> 00:26:02.873
everyone the same again microaggressions some of that stuff is so a part of
00:26:02.873 --> 00:26:06.193
your dna or so a part of your personality that you don't even recognize that
00:26:06.193 --> 00:26:08.513
you're doing it but you know who does them children's know.
00:26:09.273 --> 00:26:11.873
The children's are picking up on it. They're talking about it.
00:26:11.993 --> 00:26:15.333
They're going home and talking about it. They're going to administrators and talking about it.
00:26:16.313 --> 00:26:20.473
So these things are done without having to be thought about.
00:26:21.013 --> 00:26:24.873
In order to fix microaggressions, you're going to have to fix your beliefs.
00:26:25.173 --> 00:26:29.333
In order to fix discrimination, you're going to have to fix your beliefs if
00:26:29.333 --> 00:26:31.173
you want to be able to help fix your students.
00:26:31.413 --> 00:26:37.133
Because no student is going to feel safe with a teacher. they feel like judges
00:26:37.133 --> 00:26:41.373
them or has already put them in a box and labeled them.
00:26:42.514 --> 00:26:48.774
And last but not least, number eight, unaddressed learning disabilities or challenges.
00:26:49.294 --> 00:26:53.694
The cause of this is when a student's learning disability or specific academic
00:26:53.694 --> 00:26:55.314
needs are not being addressed.
00:26:55.574 --> 00:26:58.554
Do you have kids that get special services? They have an IEP,
00:26:58.714 --> 00:27:02.614
they have a 504, or they have other paperwork that allows them to get accommodations,
00:27:02.614 --> 00:27:05.934
but you as the teacher are not providing those accommodations or the school
00:27:05.934 --> 00:27:07.314
is not providing those accommodations.
00:27:08.194 --> 00:27:14.174
These students may struggle to keep up with their peers at the regular pace of the academic rigor.
00:27:14.594 --> 00:27:19.494
And over time, these students may begin to internalize the idea that they are
00:27:19.494 --> 00:27:26.414
not smart, that they are not smart enough, that they are incapable of academic success.
00:27:27.134 --> 00:27:33.534
What is the cure for this? Yo, I cannot tell you the amount of students I have
00:27:33.534 --> 00:27:38.554
encountered over the years at the high school level who have learning disabilities,
00:27:38.554 --> 00:27:42.074
who show multiple signs of being ADD,
00:27:42.254 --> 00:27:49.474
ADHD, who are potentially on the autism or the Asperger's spectrums,
00:27:49.474 --> 00:27:50.894
but they are undiagnosed.
00:27:51.794 --> 00:27:54.994
They are undiagnosed either because the parent don't pay enough attention to
00:27:54.994 --> 00:27:58.534
them or doesn't take enough interest in their child. They're undiagnosed because
00:27:58.534 --> 00:28:02.074
their parents absolutely refuse to have that type of stuff on their child's
00:28:02.074 --> 00:28:05.734
record because they're shamed, whatever the case may be.
00:28:05.854 --> 00:28:09.034
But there are lots of students that are undiagnosed.
00:28:09.214 --> 00:28:14.014
And I just want to point out that ESC strategies, 504 strategies.
00:28:14.974 --> 00:28:19.834
Students with disability strategies, all of these strategies are good for all students.
00:28:20.394 --> 00:28:22.634
So if you have students that need
00:28:22.634 --> 00:28:26.774
accommodations, providing those accommodations for all of your students.
00:28:27.859 --> 00:28:33.099
Actually benefits all of your students, no matter how well off your other students may be.
00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:38.279
And if you keep that in mind, then your students don't have to have the paperwork
00:28:38.279 --> 00:28:42.939
to benefit from teaching, from being taught and from learning organizational
00:28:42.939 --> 00:28:47.279
strategies, academic strategies and self-regulation strategies.
00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:52.619
Because they're receiving them because you're using them with those kids that are already coded.
00:28:53.299 --> 00:28:57.939
I recommend teaching to the dumbest kid in the room. This may be an unpopular
00:28:57.939 --> 00:29:01.679
opinion, especially for these teachers that teach honors and feel like,
00:29:01.819 --> 00:29:03.839
oh, well, I'm teaching honors, so I shouldn't have to dumb it down.
00:29:04.139 --> 00:29:06.799
Or these kids are in this grade, they should know this stuff by now.
00:29:07.499 --> 00:29:12.699
I don't care if you want to get more of your students engaged, involved.
00:29:12.859 --> 00:29:16.099
If you want to move more of your students towards academic success,
00:29:16.319 --> 00:29:19.279
you absolutely have to teach to the dumbest kid in the room.
00:29:19.419 --> 00:29:22.719
And y'all know when I say dumb, I don't mean dumb, but you know what I mean?
00:29:22.919 --> 00:29:25.339
You got to teach to the lowest kid in the room.
00:29:26.099 --> 00:29:29.819
Structure your direct instruction to meet the needs of your lowest students.
00:29:30.099 --> 00:29:33.679
That way you can capture all of your students in your lesson.
00:29:34.219 --> 00:29:36.339
Make practice activities scaffolded
00:29:36.339 --> 00:29:40.599
from low rigor to medium rigor all the way up to the high rigor.
00:29:40.899 --> 00:29:45.899
Because if you use scaffolded and tiered assignments, then you are creating
00:29:45.899 --> 00:29:49.079
ways for your lowest students to feel like they can be successful.
00:29:49.359 --> 00:29:53.079
Yes, maybe your lowest students may only be able to answer three out of the
00:29:53.079 --> 00:29:57.299
10 questions, but at least that we're able to get the first three questions. That feels good.
00:29:57.639 --> 00:30:02.099
Versus you giving them 10 questions that are too hard and they get zero out
00:30:02.099 --> 00:30:05.079
of 10 questions. Who are you helping then? Nobody.
00:30:06.253 --> 00:30:09.993
But what about the smart kids? Your smart kids can be fine.
00:30:10.253 --> 00:30:14.113
That means your smart kids, if numbers one through five are your low to medium
00:30:14.113 --> 00:30:19.113
level questions, then your smart kids are going to be able to speed through
00:30:19.113 --> 00:30:20.333
numbers one through five.
00:30:20.513 --> 00:30:23.433
And then six through 10 will be what's on their level.
00:30:23.553 --> 00:30:28.873
But it's okay to reinforce the basics with even more well-off academic students.
00:30:29.173 --> 00:30:33.233
It's okay. They are not gonna die from doing five questions that are a little
00:30:33.233 --> 00:30:34.913
too easy for them. I promise.
00:30:35.533 --> 00:30:40.893
It will actually slow their gravy train down and keep them from finishing all your work too quickly.
00:30:41.613 --> 00:30:45.933
So again, to combat this type of learning helplessness, you guys have to keep
00:30:45.933 --> 00:30:50.153
the goal in mind that all of your students need help to be successful.
00:30:50.493 --> 00:30:56.073
I cover many more strategies in my post, creating a risk-free learning environment
00:30:56.073 --> 00:31:00.853
that really breaks it down on how you can reach all of your students,
00:31:00.853 --> 00:31:04.473
even when you have varying ability levels in your classroom.
00:31:05.313 --> 00:31:12.573
Oh, so we have reached the end, the conclusion for the cure for learned helplessness, okay?
00:31:12.933 --> 00:31:17.493
We've discussed eight causes and eight cures for learned helplessness.
00:31:17.633 --> 00:31:22.253
And as teachers, we've got the power to shape the learning experiences of every
00:31:22.253 --> 00:31:24.473
single student who walks into our classroom.
00:31:24.693 --> 00:31:28.833
The examples of learned helplessness and educational trauma,
00:31:28.833 --> 00:31:34.393
they show how deep the wounds can be when students feel unsupported or they feel unseen.
00:31:34.913 --> 00:31:37.893
But just as these traumas can be inflicted in the classroom,
00:31:38.153 --> 00:31:40.633
they can also be healed in the classroom too.
00:31:40.793 --> 00:31:43.693
But that is up to you as the educator.
00:31:43.953 --> 00:31:49.913
And the question we must ask ourselves is, are we willing to be the change that our students need?
00:31:50.093 --> 00:31:53.753
Are we going to be the catalyst for this positive change in their lives?
00:31:53.913 --> 00:31:57.833
Are we going to be committed to creating a classroom environment where every
00:31:57.833 --> 00:32:01.673
student feels safe, seen, and feels capable of being successful?
00:32:02.491 --> 00:32:07.371
And it really and truly starts with us. Us as educators, as the teacher,
00:32:07.571 --> 00:32:10.831
as the adult in the room, we have to foster a growth mindset.
00:32:10.831 --> 00:32:15.331
We have to acknowledge students' efforts and use positive reinforcement.
00:32:15.491 --> 00:32:19.091
We have to create a space where our students can feel valued.
00:32:19.531 --> 00:32:24.631
We have to pay attention to our language. We have to be cognizant of the words
00:32:24.631 --> 00:32:29.211
that are coming out of our mouths, of our gestures, even of our own facial expressions.
00:32:30.051 --> 00:32:34.771
Teachers, we have got to provide consistent discipline and treat every kid from
00:32:34.771 --> 00:32:36.771
the worst kid to the best kid the same.
00:32:36.991 --> 00:32:41.631
We've got to recognize the emotional and cultural challenges that our students
00:32:41.631 --> 00:32:46.731
face and that they bring with them to school every day. And we have absolutely
00:32:46.731 --> 00:32:50.691
got to build a foundation of trust and respect.
00:32:51.411 --> 00:32:57.191
You see, trauma may walk into your classroom, but it does not have to stay in your classroom.
00:32:58.071 --> 00:33:03.011
Be the teacher who helps students to break free from the cycles of learned helplessness
00:33:03.011 --> 00:33:05.551
that have plagued them year after year.
00:33:06.011 --> 00:33:11.491
Be the guide that helps them to see their potential and also empowers them to
00:33:11.491 --> 00:33:16.511
take control of their own learning journey, therefore showing them that they
00:33:16.511 --> 00:33:19.451
can take control of their own life.
00:33:20.031 --> 00:33:25.051
You see, together, we can ensure that no student feels powerless in our classrooms.
00:33:25.051 --> 00:33:27.011
So let's challenge ourselves.
00:33:27.291 --> 00:33:31.371
Let's challenge our other fellow educators to be the change that our students
00:33:31.371 --> 00:33:35.431
need so that they can heal, grow and thrive.
00:33:37.871 --> 00:33:45.751
Thanks for tuning in to today's episode of Virtually Impossible Presents Lazy Learning Land podcast.
00:33:46.291 --> 00:33:51.071
Comment below your thoughts on the eight causes and cures for learned helplessness.
00:33:51.071 --> 00:33:57.251
What are some cures you are willing to implement to create a safe and inclusive environment?
00:33:58.751 --> 00:34:04.971
You know, that environment where all students feel safe and confident that they can learn.
00:34:05.551 --> 00:34:09.711
And also, what are some things that you are already a rock star at that have
00:34:09.711 --> 00:34:11.171
worked for you in the past?
00:34:12.131 --> 00:34:16.931
Since there is Strength and Lazy, be sure to like, follow and subscribe to this
00:34:16.931 --> 00:34:23.511
podcast, My blog on virtuallyimpossible.net and our social media platforms on TikTok,
00:34:23.891 --> 00:34:30.631
which you can find us under Lazy Learning Land on Pinterest as virtually Impossible
00:34:30.631 --> 00:34:36.851
and on Instagram as virtually_Im_possible.
00:34:36.851 --> 00:34:40.011
So you can feel at home among other lazy learners.
00:34:40.331 --> 00:34:44.471
This is your girl S.Dot signing off. And until next episode,
00:34:44.751 --> 00:34:51.471
remember to live long and lazy and never, ever, ever work too hard.