Students and Re - engagement

Re-Engagement of Students

This time of year many students will start to come forth who have not done much in class up until this point. As teachers we are faced with the choice of setting limits and maintaining strict guidelines or coming up with differentiated paths for these students. The excuses the students include for their lack of progress or participation range from the serious issues such as losses and illness to students simply stating that they mismanaged their time.

To decide how to handle each student I base my decision on the following criteria:

1) Reason given

2) Amount of Engagement in class prior to situation

3) Level of work prior to situation

4) Students receptivity to plan and time lines I develop for make ups.

As a teacher as I understand when I undertake developing a differentiated path for our students, to get them caught up in class, that it will mean more work for myself. What makes this worth my time is that I know that ultimately they will be learning and understanding the material in order to pass. As long as I feel that they are being educated I will allow students to have extended deadlines for assignments or tests. I insist that they still complete all the work and take the exams to demonstrate their knowledge. The goal for me is that I give them the opportunity to learn and a chance to grow in their knowledge of the subject.

The rule I do have as I work with these students is that if I give them extended deadlines or schedules that they follow through in their new commitments. I do not allow extensions beyond the established deadlines. If they do not jump on the initial opportunity presented I will not work with them further extensions.

The decision to work with students on extended time lines and differentiated paths is up to the individual teacher and the type of class. I hope my post today on the decision making process I apply when deciding to make these type of decisions will help other teachers as they are faced with similar dilemmas.