During the first VTS session, Sam was engaged and seemed interested, but he did not participate in the group discussion. After I concluded the session, he came to the front of the room and shared his observations and inferences with me privately. I don’t think this is simply a case of shyness, because he was very comfortable presenting a project (that I helped him complete) in front of the class. I believe Sam lacks confidence in his ability to learn, to the extent that he will literally retreat under a desk and refuse to move when he feels threatened in the learning environment.
I think VTS can help Sam by creating a sense of classroom community in a non-threatening way for him. He almost participated in our first VTS by sharing his ideas with me, so I hope he will feel encouraged by the validation he received when he did share with me. Instead of directing him back to his seat because we were finished, I listened to his observations, paraphrased, and responded neutrally, just as I did with others in the class discussion. My intention was for him to feel as though he participated, in the hopes that he will share with the group next time.
My plan for our second lesson is to prepare Sam by letting him know earlier in the day that we will be doing another VTS in Advisory. I want to encourage him by acknowledging his contributions to the last VTS (without mentioning that he only contributed privately, of course) and show my enthusiasm for the activity. VTS offers an “even playing field” for students by removing the fear of giving a wrong answer or competition among peers, which is what I hope will help build Sam’s confidence.
Ginia,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you did such a good job of making Sam feel part of the discussion even though he was just discussing with you. I'm sure that he felt validated in his comments by your private facilitation with him. I think your strategy with him is so good that I think he will open up to the VTS discussion in the near future with his classmates. Keep up the good work! It will be interesting to see what happens.
Fascinating choice, Ginia! I can't wait to hear how your second VTS goes for Sam. You might also comment to him, in alerting him to the upcoming VTS discussion, about any interesting insights he provided to you in private. That or a similar boost could do the trick. It's funny, I often hear that once a resistant student "take the leap" and contributes, it becomes easier and easier. Let's hope that if he does contribute an observation that there is some audible "Ahhhh." from a classmate. I've seen this work miracles for reticent kids in my experience. When they realize they've said something their peers haven't thought of, it's does worlds of good for their sense of self-efficacy! Good luck!
ReplyDelete