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How To Deal With Problematic Students: Classroom Problem Behaviors and
Solutions
Method · May 2015
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.36815.10408
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HOW TO DEAL WITH PROBLEMATIC STUDENTS: CLASSROOM
PROBLEM BEHAVIORS AND SOLUTIONS
HOUR VANNAK
vannak_hour@yahoo.com
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Issues of diversity play a role in how students and teachers view the importance of the
classroom and what should happen there. This diversity comprises of different socioeconomic
backgrounds, learning abilities, needs and perceptions. For example, some students may perceive
that they do not “belong” in the classroom setting, a feeling that can lead to decreased
participation, feelings of inadequacy, and other distractions. Teachers may make flawed
assumptions
of
students’
capabilities
or
assume
a
uniform
standard
of
student
performance. Based on this phenomenon, this paper discusses certain common problems that
arise in the classroom and suggested solutions.
COMMON CLASSROOM ISSUES
One of the challenges that may happen is that students who have some prior
knowledge of the subject tend to dominate the class. It is very common that those who
know usually speak the most, thus leaving no chance for those who are less competent to
speak out their ideas. These students are bright and confident when answering questions,
and usually are the most active in group discussion. The problem is that they tend to
dominate in every activity carried out in the classroom. University Center for
Advancement of Teaching (2009) releases a report which says it is almost inevitable that in
each class there are students who tend to talk too much and dominate discussions, which
can have a negative impact on the participation of other students (para. 2). However,
Georgii (2009) states that these dominating students or frequent class participators know
their material and are totally engaged (para. 2).
Besides, there are students who do not like to talk or participate in learning
activities. As the classroom teacher, you may notice that some students do not like to
involve in classroom activities or other discussions. Undeniably, some of the possible
reasons are they might be unintelligent, resistant, and unprepared. When students are not
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intelligent, they tend to speak less or speak nothing because of the lack of understanding of
a subject matter. Based on my observations, these students are afraid of being embarrassed
giving wrong information. So to put themselves away from trouble or other discomfort,
they choose to be uninvolved and isolated. In addition, some students are unprepared.
When it comes to class discussion, they have nothing to share with the class. Furthermore,
some others are very resistant. According to Goodman (2007), one of the reasons that
causes students to be resistant is individual psychological issues. When students are
focused on their own struggles, on their own identities as members of oppressed groups, or
on protecting their senses of self, they are often less open to exploring the oppression of
others and how they contribute to it. As a result, some students may react negatively to the
teacher – challenging the educator’s credibility, competence or objectivity especially when
they are the members of oppressed group. Many students also simply fear change (para. 6).
Beside the above challenges, you may also face difficulty in making decision of
your instruction. In a heterogeneous class, which comprises students with different
abilities, making decision on how to deliver information to cater to this diverse group of
students is extremely difficult. These challenges are described by Kerry and Sands (n.d.),
“…as dead time, boredom, lack of motivation, disruption, provision of special work,
increased preparation time by the teacher, linguistic and cognitive levels of worksheets and
texts, emotional and pastoral problems (as cited in Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 1996, p.
211).”
First, dead time is the time when a student finishes one activity and starts another.
Some students complete work quickly because tasks are often too easy for them. Other
students can manage only a sentence or two, and then they feel they have exhausted the
topic. Second, boredom results from students spending too much time waiting for the
teacher to correct the work. Third, lack of motivation is another problem in which students
who are often unoccupied and bored can easily lose interest. Fourth, disruption happens in
the classroom when bright students continually seek new diversion while the less able
simply be looking for something more relevant to do, and at the same time, the bored
students are usually potential trouble makers. Fifth, provision of special work is another
difficulty that the teacher must provide special work for students of different abilities.
Sixth, increased preparation time is what the teacher needs to do in order to prepare
lessons according to different special work. Seventh, linguistic and cognitive levels of
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worksheets and texts is another problem in a mixed-ability class in which the teacher tends
to prepare lessons catering to only the average group. Part of special provision, the teacher
also needs to cater for students who need to be stretched intellectually and to cope with
others for whom the language of text or instructions may not be clear. Eighth, emotional
and pastoral problems happen when sometimes bright students are rejected as “teachers’
pet”, and slower learners are labeled ‘thick’. Therefore, teachers need to bear relationship
problems in mind when organizing classroom work and activities (p. 211).
Another big problem that students of low abilities may find learning content
uninterested, thus feeling demotivated in their learning. One possible cause is the
implementation of a teacher-centred approach inside the classroom. Referring to ESL
Glossary (n.d.), a teacher-centred classroom is where methods, activities, techniques, what
is to be learned, what is to be tested, and how the class is to be run are all decided by
teachers. Often the teachers are in the center of the classroom giving instruction with little
input from students. The teachers decide the goals of the class based on some outside
criteria (para. 1). As a matter of fact most teachers in the teacher-centered classroom have
to use textbooks to teach students and need to cover all contents by the end of the term as
set in the curriculum. As the result, students are demotivated since they have no chance to
involve in choosing what content they are interested in learning. In this case, those who
already have low abilities and difficulties in catching up with the lessons will continue to
be worse.
Bowers and Flinders (1990) describe the teacher-centered model using an analogy
from industrial production in which students become “products,” and behaviors are
expressions of “exit skills,” “competencies,” and “outcomes.” Implicit in this model of
instruction are the following assumptions:
1. Any educational process is considered culturally neutral as well as linear and
rationale
2. Language serves as a conduit for the transmission of information and
3. The teacher becomes the “manager” of the classroom with the learning process
heavily depending upon the pronouncement and enforcement of rules.
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We should note that little is required or expected from the student to the very end.
Prior to the final quality-control inspection, the student presumably rides the assembly line
quietly and dutifully accepting all data transmission in a similar manner as an automobile’s
skeletal frame moves towards the new car dealer’s showroom (as cited in Catalano, &
Catalano, n.d., p. 1-2). Based on my observation, this way of teaching absolutely is not
effective to those who have low abilities, no interest and no motivation in their study. Only
those who have high and average academic performance benefit from this method. We
really need something which is more interesting and encouraging more students’
involvement for the sake of all students including bright, average and low-ability students.
In addition, assessment administered in my classroom was static. In other words,
the assessment was not administered and reviewed regularly to meet the current needs of
diverse students. Based on Student Learning Assessment (2007), useful assessment
processes help faculty and staff make appropriate decisions about improving programs and
services, developing goals and plans, and making resource allocations. To assist with
interpretation and use of assessment results, assessment measures and indicators have
defined minimally acceptable performance targets. Because institutions, their students, and
their environments are continually evolving, effective assessments cannot be static; they
must be reviewed periodically and adapted in order to remain useful (p. 75). The school
has failed to adapt and make a change in learning contents and teaching methods to cater to
students of different abilities. As a result, those who are good and bright continue to
perform well, and those of average abilities show little improvement over the year while
those of low abilities continue to lose interest and motivation over school curriculum. In
terms of achieving learning outcomes, I was disappointed when a number of students’
performance outcomes turn out to be far less than expected than those mentioned as
objectives at the beginning of the school year. According to Suskie (2004), an expected
learning outcome is a formal statement of what students are expected to learn in a course.
Expected learning outcome statements refer to specific knowledge, practical skills, areas of
professional development, attitudes, higher-order thinking skills, etc. that faculty members
expect students to develop, learn, or master during a course. Expected learning outcomes
are also often referred to as “learning outcomes”, “student learning outcomes”, or “learning
outcome statements” (as cited in “Expected Learning Outcomes,” n.d., para. 1).
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Learning outcomes are usually clearer to students if they are written in the form.
For example: "At the end of the course students will be expected to have...” or "At the end
of the first year, students taking the Biology option will be expected to have:
•
acquired a general knowledge of the principles and mechanisms underlying cell biology,
animal physiology, genetics, ecology, animal behaviour, reproduction and development;
•
acquired a basic knowledge of physics and chemistry sufficient to understand the physical
and chemical bases of biological subjects taught in the course;
•
acquired the ability to use mathematical and statistical techniques relevant to the
biological subjects taught;
•
carried out practical work related to the biological subjects above, and produced wordprocessed reports of that work;
•
spent a minimum of 4 days on supervised field trips in the local area, becoming familiar
with the ecology and climate of the area and with the procedures and equipment used for
ecological investigation;
•
spent a minimum of one week on placement in a local school, company or commercial
laboratory shadowing personnel engaged in biological teaching or research and appreciated
the day-to-day planning and time-management required for such activities;
•
given one presentation in a seminar of peers, including the use of visual aids;
•
acquired the skills to use library and internet resources independently" (“Learning Aims
and Outcomes,” 2011, para. 15).
In my former classroom, only a number of bright students performed well and
achieved all the expected learning outcomes, while the average group achieved some of
them. However, a number of students of low abilities who have no interest and no
motivation in learning have failed to achieve these expected learning outcomes. As a
matter of fact, there is a big gap of learning achievement among students. As a teacher I
would always want a balance among all my students in terms of learning outcomes
achieved by the end of the school year. It is one of the biggest challenges I need to
consider and find ways to overcome.
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SOLUTION DESCRIPTION
1. From Teacher-Centred to Student-Centered Learning
In general, the problems arise in a heterogeneous classroom comprising students
of different socioeconomic backgrounds, prior knowledge, abilities and so forth. In order
to cater to this diverse group, you may have to ask permission from the institution to adopt
student-centred approach instead of teacher-centred approach. However, before we
proceed to go in details about student-centred learning environment, we should know the
differences between a teacher-centred and student-centred instruction described by Allen
(2004) as follows:
Teacher-Centered Versus Learner-Centered Instruction
Concept
Teacher-Centered
• Cover the discipline
Learner-Centered
• Students learn:
o How to use the
Teaching goals
discipline
o How to integrate
disciplines to solve
complex problems
o An array of core
learning objectives,
such as communication
and information
literacy skills
• Courses in catalog
6
• Cohesive program with
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systematically created
Organization of
opportunities to
the curriculum
synthesize, practice, and
develop increasingly
complex ideas, skills,
and
values
• Faculty cover topics
• Students construct
knowledge by
Course structure
integrating
new learning into what
they already know
• Learning is viewed as
a cognitive and social
act
Pedagogy
• Based on delivery of
• Based on engagement
information
of students
• Lecture
• Active learning
• Assignments and
• Assignments for
exams for summative
formative purposes
purposes
• Collaborative learning
Course delivery
• Community service
learning
• Cooperative learning
• Online, asynchronous,
self-directed learning
• Problem-based
learning
Course grading
• Faculty as gatekeepers
• Grades indicate
• Normal distribution
mastery of learning
expected
objectives
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Faculty role
• Sage on the stage
• Designer of learning
environments
• Teach (present
• Engage students in
information) well and
their learning
those who can will learn
• Help all students
master learning
Effective teachings
objectives
• Use classroom
assessment to improve
courses
• Use program
assessment to improve
programs
(as cited in “Teacher-Centered vs. Learner-Centered Paradigms,” n.d., p. 2)
Hall (2006) indicates that student-centred learning is about helping students to
discover their own learning styles, to understand their motivation and to acquire effective
study skills that will be valuable throughout their lives. To put this approach into practice,
teachers need to help students set achievable goals, encourage students to assess
themselves and their peers, help them to work co-operatively in groups and ensure that
they know how to exploit all the available resources for learning. The main principles of
student-centred learning are:
•
The learner has full responsibility for her/his learning
•
Involvement and participation are necessary for learning
•
The relationship between learners is more equal, promoting growth and development
•
The teacher becomes a facilitator and resource person
•
The learner experiences confluence in his education
•
The learner sees himself/herself differently as a result of the learning experience (para. 13).
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The main problem most teachers have today is that students have no right or
choice in choosing their own learning styles. Whether or not they like the way you teach,
they must conform to it, and follow your instructions. Therefore, in a student-centred
learning environment, as a teacher, you may have to allow them to participate in choosing
their learning styles ranging from learning activities to seat arrangement. To do so, you
have to prepare several activities that will bring about learning objectives and let students
choose some of their favourite activities. You should go by majority; however you need to
consider what kind of students are in the majority in choosing a particular activity. You
have to observe as well whether low-ability students raise their hands to support the
proposed activity. In addition, you also can let each one of them (ranging from bright to
low-ability and unmotivated students) brainstorm their own activities and propose to the
class. Then you will judge whether or not those activities will bring about learning
objectives. Furthermore, you should discuss with the class of the seat arrangement. In a
traditional classroom, the seat arrangement is in rows, thus those who seat at the back
usually have less interaction with the teachers. But in this classroom, you may need to
propose several arrangements and let them decide or you decide for them.
Jones (2007) states that in the perfect classroom, students would have swivel
chairs on wheels, so that they could quickly and comfortably change position to face each
other for pair work, turn around the other way to form a different pair, and turn around to
face the teacher whenever necessary, or move into a full circle for a whole-class
discussion. But, of course, in reality most classrooms have furniture that isn’t easily
moveable; sometimes students have to sit in rows in a lecture room, with seats facing the
front. Real classrooms are often crowded (p. 8).
But even if we can’t move the furniture, the students can move. For pair work,
students sitting side-by-side can move their upper bodies to face each other. Sometimes a
person in the row behind may be more accessible than the person beside: The one in front
can turn around, sitting backward to face the one behind. With groups of three sitting in
row, the middle students can move back slightly, so that the ones on the left and right can
see each other. Groups of four may be less comfortable because two of them will have to
move back, but groups of four could
consist of two students from the row in front and two from the row behind – then they can
all see one another (p. 8).
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It’s also important that all the pairs or groups are accessible to us as we go around
the class while they’re working together. We need to be able to monitor all the pairs and
groups. If the rows are very long, the students in the middle may be too far from the aisles
for us to get near them. Students in the middle need the teacher’s attention too. The only
way around this is to rearrange the class regularly so that those students, usually in the
middle of a row, can sometimes be on the aisle (p. 8).
In a learner-centered design, the content is selected and organized with the major
focus on the needs and desires of learners. Personally, I believe that students of different
abilities will find the class more enjoyable when they have a chance to study content
(which is related to learning objectives despite taken from another source rather than
textbooks) they have chosen and desired for. Armstrong (1993) gives an illustration that, in
secondary schools, students are usually given a chance to advise some mini-courses that
they want to take. This idea is based on the assumption that students have certain common
needs that should be addressed in the curriculum (as cited in Raihani, n.d., p. 51). It is
undeniable that if some learning contents are chosen according to students’ interests, they
will virtually be motivated and be serious about their learning. Furthermore, it is common
that some students feel bored and less conscious if the teacher does all the talking.
Therefore, it is very important that you should address their needs. To be more specific,
these needs might include a range of classroom activities before, after or at the end of each
teaching. This will help to bring about refreshment as well as active learning in a more
interesting way.
2. Using Inquiry-Based Approach As A Main Method In Student-Centred Learning
Environment
Inquiry-based learning is a learning process through questions generated from the
interests, curiosities, perspectives and experiences of the learner. When investigations
grow from our own questions, curiosities, and experiences, learning becomes an organic
and motivating process that is intrinsically enjoyable (“Inquiry Learning,” 2006, “What Is
Inquiry Learning,” para. 1). Adopting an inquiry approach ensures that students have the
opportunity to examine concepts, issues and information in a range of ways, and from
various perspectives. Students are encouraged to become active investigators by
identifying a range of information, understanding the sources of information and looking
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for bias in it. They are thus better able to evaluate data and to draw meaningful conclusions
which are supported by evidence. Rather than examining an issue from any one
perspective, students are challenged to explore other possibilities by applying higher order
thinking skills in their decision-making endeavours (“Inquiry Based Curriculum Model:
Developing Deep Knowledge and Understanding,” 2008, para 1-3). I think this learning
approach is best suitable to most students – bright, average, low-ability, motivated and
unmotivated students. This approach will intrigue their attention and enjoyment about the
lessons learnt.
As evidence, Sweetland and Towns (2008) have conducted a study involving over
1400 students and found that inquiry-based approaches in middle and high school language
arts classrooms allow both low- and high-achieving students to make academic gains. In a
large-scale study that included sites in California, Florida, New York, Texas, and
Wisconsin, researchers observed 64 classrooms to determine whether the teacher primarily
focused on fostering student inquiry into literary themes or whether they emphasized
simple recall of details of plot and character. A variety of achievement data were also
collected. The analysis revealed that discussion-based inquiry approaches were
significantly related to the improved student performance. Further analysis controlled for
initial literacy levels, gender, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity, and the researchers
concluded that these approaches were effective across a range of situations, for students of
varying levels of academic ability, whatever classrooms they were in (p. 3). Using the
inquiry-based learning approach in the classroom, the teacher serves as “a facilitator of
learning” guiding students through the inquiry process. You may employ the inquiry-based
learning where you can involve students in the learning process through focusing on
questions, problem-solving activities, and the use of critical thinking. You may have to use
most of the important elements of the inquiry methods in this class such as 1) collaborative
learning, 2) age-appropriate activities, 3) developing good questions, 4)incorporating
discovery into lessons, 5) students doing observation, 6) using measurement in lessons, 7)
using model-building exercises in lessons, 8) designing techniques, and 9) providing
hands-on activities (“Worksheet Library: 10 Tips for Inquiry-Based Learning,” n.d., para.
1). I believe these elements will help students of different abilities and interest to get
involved in learning.
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First, the class will be conducted using collaborative learning. Cooperation is
working together to accomplish shared goals. Within cooperative activities, students seek
outcomes that are beneficial to themselves and beneficial to all other group members. In
addition, you may involve with students working in teams to accomplish a common goal,
under conditions that involve both positive interdependence - all members must cooperate
to complete the task - and individual and group accountability - each member is
accountable for the complete final outcome (Johnson, Johnson and Smith, 1991a, 1991b as
cited in Smith, n.d., p. 4). You may divide students into small groups and give them a
question on which they need to work together in order to develop a project based on the
question that supports their answer.
Second, you need to carry out age-appropriate activities for my students. One of
the activities is going on tour nearby the setting. Taking students on a good tour is a very
effective way to enhance science education. Such activities are highly motivational
because they enable the participants to see science being applied in the real world. (For
nearly everyone, applications provide the motivation for learning about principles, contrary
to our traditional inclination to teach principles first, with applications to follow). In
addition, students gain exposure to activities and equipment that could not be transported
to their school, get to interact with engineers and scientists of different ages, genders,
ethnicities, and learn first-hand about various career opportunities (“National Academy of
Science: Conducting a Tour of Your Worksite,” 2005, para. 1).
Third, because the inquiry method is based on answering questions, you are
required to develop strong questions that are applicable to the lessons. These questions
should be open-ended in order to give students the ability to think out of the box
(“Worksheet Library: 10 Tips for Inquiry-Based Learning,” n.d., para. 5). The questions so
far should be the ones that students honestly care about; therefore, you need to engage
students in finding the answers themselves and encourage them to ask new questions along
the way (“Youth Learn: Intro to Inquiry Learning,” 2012, “A New Approach to Educating
and Inspiring Kids,” para. 2).
Fourth, discovery learning is another activity which is used to cater to diverse
students. Discovery learning takes place in problem solving situations where the learners
draw on their own experiences and prior knowledge and is a method of instruction through
which students interact with their environment by exploring and manipulating objects,
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wrestling with questions and controversies, or performing experiments (“Wikipedia:
Discovery Learning,” 2017, para. 4). In this process, you need to give students a chance to
discover things on their own and make concepts to where they understand what is being
taught. In addition, questions may be added in the lessons, and in which students have to
explore to find the answers. Furthermore, an example may be having students build a
model in order to answer questions in sequential order (“Worksheet Library: 10 Tips for
Inquiry-Based Learning,” n.d., para. 6).
Fifth, you also need to corporate observation into the lessons. This is essential
because some students gain an advantage in learning when they have the opportunity to
observe what is being taught. For example, you may make a mystery box and give it to the
students. After that give them a hint by telling a story and then let them guess what might
be inside the box. Then they are allowed to open the box and see if they have made any
correct guess. Next, you explain why you put the particular items in the box in the first
place (para. 7).
Sixth, you may integrate measurement into my science teaching in an effective
way since measurement is fundamental to science. It is very important to know that
effective measurement helps prevent students from misunderstanding science concepts.
Throughout this strategy, students will be able to make a conclusion upon completing each
science lesson. Therefore, the right measurement will affect students’ ability to acquire
knowledge during hands-on, inquiry-based learning (Kanari & Miillar, 2004 as cited in
Bohacek & Schmidt, n.d., para. 1).
Seventh, model-building exercises will be used in the lessons as wells. The
National Science Education Standards suggests that teachers need to be knowledgeable
about the role of models and modeling in science (Valanides & Angeli, 2006, para 9). In
art context, through story reading and character changes, as well as with physical changes
in science experiment, the teachers are required to give their students something they can
identify that can be changed into something else. For example, you may show them “A”
and ask them to change “A” into “B”; then, the students are required to explain how the
transformation takes place (“Worksheet Library: 10 Tips for Inquiry-Based Learning,”
n.d., para. 10).
Eighth, you are required to incorporate design techniques into the lessons. This
approach is best used with science lessons. This is a student's chance to design something
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physical and use it to prove or disprove a theory (para. 11). For instance, when teaching
about photosynthesis, you might ask students to draw the cycle of photosynthesis and let
them explain the process.
Last, you are supposed to incorporate hands-on activities in the lessons. Any
opportunity to let students work with their hands is a good way to use inquiry-based
learning. One of the examples might include giving students (either individually or in
groups) unfamiliar objects such as magnet. Then you ask them to look and hold the object
and speculate how they might be used. The goal is for students to observe the objects
giving special attention to details. Now the students must give arguments to support their
speculations. This is a great way to introduce a new subject in the classroom (para. 12).
3. Dealing With Students Who Dominate the Class Discussion
Students who have prior knowledge about the subject matter tend to dominate a
class discussion or else they may feel bored (“University Center for Advancement of
Teaching: Managing Discussion,” 2009, para. 2). One way to approach dominant students
is to avoid looking in their direction or to structure the discussion in such a way that
precludes those individuals' constant participation. For instance, you may signal their overparticipation by saying, "Let's hear from someone who has not yet contributed" or
"Someone else other than So-and-So." In addition, you can use color-coded chips to
control participation. In such cases, each student ranging from bright to low students is
given several chances to speak during class. Once students use up their chips, they have to
withhold their participation until others have used up their chips. Another coping technique
is to talk to these students individually outside the class to bring the issue to their attention,
and to ask them to self-monitor their participation.
Besides, you might ask other students to comment on the dominant student’s ideas
and to propose an alternative perspective. This way will urge the involvement of all
students of different abilities in group discussions. In addition, you may try to implement
strategies that involve the whole group, such as taking a vote, breaking up into pairs, or
doing a “round robin,” where every student gives a brief response to a question, problem,
or thought-provoking quote. Moreover, if the dominant students seem to be wellintentioned, you may meet with them privately, and thank them for their enthusiastic
participation, and ask for advice on how to involve other students. It is okay to let them
know that you want to distribute participation more evenly, and invite them to be my
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“collaborator” – e.g., by not answering a question right away to give others an opportunity,
or by phrasing comments in a way that encourages others to respond (“Stanford
University: Classroom Challenges,” n.d., para. 18-20).
4. Dealing With Students Who Talk Little or Not At All
In a classroom, students with low abilities tend not to participate in any discussion
willingly and those of average tend to involve little since the discussion is usually
dominated. The problem is that they have difficulty in catching up with the lessons; thus
sometimes they have no ideas of what to share. (“University Center for Advancement of
Teaching: Managing Disucussion,” 2009, para. 3). In this case you need to set clear
expectations and structure the class in a way that encourages these students to be involved.
It is also important to reinforce participation by using different strategies, such as
combining voluntary participation with rotating calling on students. One way to approach
non-participating students is to organize small group activities, in which these students are
more likely to participate. Smaller groups may help put these students more at ease.
Another strategy is to occasionally ask them opinion questions (e.g., "How do you feel
about this?"). This may encourage participation by reducing students' fear of answering
incorrectly. Yet another strategy is, as mentioned above, to have students write out their
answers to a question before calling on them. Having the words written out may make it
easier for a shy or fearful person to speak up
Since group discussions can be handled differently depending on the types of
participation within the class (Georgii, 2009, para, 8-12). You may assign a group to pick
their own student facilitator. Then you analyze how the group functions and then
customize the group for future discussions. You may keep rotating students so that students
are performing in different groups. After that, you assign the weakest participator in each
group to be the facilitator of the group. This will give the poorest participator a chance to
participate and perhaps astound the other class members with their knowledge. In addition,
you may break up the students who always dominate classroom discussions and put one of
these students into another group and put a weaker participant in the dominating group.
Then you analyze how this group functions and pay close attention to whether the weaker
participants receive a chance to speak.
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5. Assigning Homework
Cooper (2008) states that there is little evidence on the amount of homework
students should do. Based on his study, he has suggested that short practice assignments do
improve performance on class tests and that teachers also use homework assignments to
accomplish other learning-related objectives. Based on his study, high junior students tend
to be positive doing their homework for 90 minutes a night but not more than that.
However, for many high school students, the positive relation between homework time and
students’ achievement levels is at about two hours and may even decline for hours beyond
this, suggesting an optimal amount of homework for high school students of between 90
minutes and two hours a night (para. 9). You may assign all students the same homework
meant to be done around 60 minutes by the bright students, 90 minutes by average
students, and between 60 to 2 hours by low achievers. Based the study above, I believe that
this amount of time allocated for doing their homework will bring out a positive result
since it is all within the positive time most students can press on.
Conclusion
Since the class consists of students of different abilities – in which those who are
bright seem to lose interest in learning due to unchallenging learning content over the year,
some are well prepared and always ask for learning material ahead of time, and some
others have difficulty in catching up with the lessons – I believe that only student-centred
approach is the most suitable learning approach and best suit this heterogeneous classroom.
It is undeniable that in a student-centered learning environment, students are allowed to
participate in choosing their favourite activities, which are built upon learning objectives,
and contents from other sources outside the textbooks. Students of all abilities will be
motivated and find classroom a more enjoyable learning setting. This result attributes to
the inquiry-based learning approach (used in student-centered approach) which encourages
collaborative learning in which students (regardless their abilities) learn to work in group
in order to find a solution to the assigned problem and take roles in presenting their finding
information. Thus learner-centred approach is the best choice to be implemented in English
language classrooms for young learners.
16
Hour Vannak
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