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Thinking about when a decrease in interest in school is the “norm”, and when it becomes a problem and a sign of a dysfunctional puberty. The story is told by clinical psychologist, candidate of psychological sciences Irina Anatolyevna Salnikova.
“I don’t want to study,” “I won’t go to school,” “I won’t do my homework”—every parent of a schoolchild has heard these phrases at least once. Parents of teenagers often come to our center with complaints about learning problems. And I always start the conversation with the phrase: “Learning problems have nothing to do with laziness or unwillingness to make efforts.” There are always other reasons for this, which we will talk about today.
Reluctance to learn can manifest itself in different ways:
- open protest, refusal to attend school;
- absenteeism;
- decline in academic performance;
- failure to complete homework;
- psychosomatics - fever, headache, problems with the gastrointestinal tract and others.
Each of them is based on a decrease or complete absence of educational motivation.
I always start a conversation with the phrase: “Learning problems have nothing to do with laziness or unwillingness to make efforts.” There are always other reasons for this.
The reasons for the decrease or lack of motivation for educational activities in adolescents can be identified as follows:
- Age characteristics;
- Overprotection and excessive control of parents;
- Conflict with the teacher;
- Conflicts with classmates;
- Inadequate loads;
- Personal characteristics.
Let's look at each reason in detail.
Basic issues of educational psychology
Definition 1
Learning is a purposeful, organized, systematic process for students to master and assimilate knowledge and new ways of doing things.
Educational psychology deals with the study of psychological patterns of teaching and upbringing, considering them from the student’s and teacher’s side.
The main issues in the study of educational psychology are not only questions of patterns of knowledge acquisition and the formation of independent creative thinking in students, but also questions of accessibility of educational material, psychological effectiveness of teaching methods, and psychological requirements for textbooks.
Pedagogical psychology also focuses on changes in the psyche of students that occur under the influence of learning.
As a child develops, he assimilates the experience accumulated by humanity, and transfers this experience to him through learning.
In mental development, the role of learning is manifested in the child’s mastery of new actions - first under the guidance of an adult, and then independently.
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The difference between what the child did with the help of an adult and what he began to do independently was called the child’s zone of proximal development (ZPD), which is an important indicator of learning ability.
What a child is able to do today is the current level of development, which is determined through observation and testing techniques, and development prospects are the potential level.
Education should provide at every age something that ensures a complete path of mental development. Increased selective sensitivity to different types of learning is characteristic of each individual age.
There is a sensitive period when educational influences on the course of mental development have a very strong influence.
There is a period of very rapid and intense development, characteristic of preschool age. Subsequently, its pace slows down.
An important part of educational psychology is the psychology of education.
Definition 2
Education is a purposeful pedagogical process in which the stimulation of various activities for the formation of personality is consciously carried out.
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In a short period of time, a person assimilates the culture of previous generations, their experience and becomes able to multiply this experience.
Both processes - training and education - are closely related and are in unity.
The difference between training and education is that in training the emphasis is on the assimilation of knowledge and methods of activity, and education is aimed at the internalization of social values and the formation of a personal attitude towards them.
Under the influence of learning and in the learning process, the child’s personality, his moral character, volitional qualities, and character are formed.
In the process of proper training, the formation of personality and its spiritual growth occurs.
In educational psychology, education is organically included in the learning process through content, its forms and methods.
Primary School
How do you know if your child is ready/not ready for school?
The most important parameter that I pay attention to is the physical development of the baby.
.
Strong/weak constitution, how well developed coordination and fine motor skills are, the state of the nervous system, the number of permanent teeth. Simply put, how mature the child is physically for school. You probably don’t remember, but just 100 years ago, children started studying only at the age of 9, before that they were considered “toddlers.” Remember the literature of the 19th century: “A little girl about eight years old entered the room.” “She was left alone with a seven-year-old baby in her arms.” The norms have changed, but the physiology has not changed much. Do the so-called “Filipino test”
: a child who has already passed the half-height leap should cover the ear on the opposite side with the palm of his hand THROUGH his head. This confirms that his body proportions are no longer those of an infant, but closer to those of a teenager. The teeth should also begin to change, at least two holes should shine in the smile of a first grader.
Although parents of boys are often reluctant to listen to the advice to “keep him in kindergarten for another year,” I still encourage you to take your time. This final year of preparation may prove decisive. The difference is very visible, believe me,
When a child is ready for school, he studies with pleasure and without stress, does his own homework, and practically does not get sick.
And little Phillipok, who seems to already know how to read and count, but is psychologically small and weak for a whole day in a stressful environment, quickly goes off the track, and endless acute respiratory infections and tears begin in the morning (especially in winter). This is not study, but pure torment.
The second thing that everyone hears, but no one understands what these words mean: “learning motivation prevails over gaming motivation”
. In practice, this means that the child prefers to read, listen, and look, rather than move cars on the carpet, play with dolls, or build towers from construction sets. And at 6 years old, learning motivation is very rare, but by the full 7 years old, almost everyone should (ideally) have it.
In fact, in the preparatory group of kindergarten we see very diligent, calm, attentive girls who play “school”, and extremely active, loose, energetic boys, for whom it is a problem to sit still for at least 15 minutes. And no amount of preparation for school can change this situation, since we are talking about the state of the nervous system, and not at all about behavior and “correct habits.”
From here we move on to the third point: hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder
.
Even if your trainee does not have a diagnosis of ADHD (which, I will say right away, only a child psychoneurologist or neuropsychologist with extensive experience has the right to diagnose, and preferably after an examination, and in no case a kindergarten psychologist or teacher), children with hyperactivity, with immaturity The central nervous system has become significantly larger in the last 15 years. And in order for the child to be comfortable at school, so that he can fully realize his potential, parents will have to make additional efforts.
From the field of neurological problems - dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia,
those. inability to read, count and write. It is the impossibility, the extreme difficulty of recognizing symbols, and not laziness, whims and reluctance to learn. It is possible to distinguish one from the other, but it is better if a specialist does it. All of the above dysfunctions can be corrected by sessions with a neuropsychologist.
Look what happens.
It is extremely rare that learning problems in elementary school are associated with improper behavior, upbringing, or something else. Most often, the reason for failure is the child’s neurological status, immaturity or damage to the nervous system, i.e. organic problems that need to be detected and corrected (if possible).
Well, what if the doctors find nothing? Then it’s worth thinking about whether the child is psychologically safe enough at school, in the family, whether there are any constant sources of tension: someone is threatening the baby, parents are quarreling or going through a divorce, someone in the family is seriously ill, a new child has been born . Children themselves cannot connect, for example, lack of sleep due to a baby and poor memorization in lessons. I'm not saying anything new, but sleep and eating patterns have a much stronger impact on brain function than we usually realize.
How to fix the situation?
Catherine believes that she sees a way out of this situation only through a confidential conversation with the boy. The teacher needs to tell the child that she is upset by the decline in academic performance, ask him to explain why this is happening, from his point of view, and offer his help.
Such a conversation will eliminate negative changes in the relationship between the student and the teacher. It will be possible to further search for the reason for the cooling towards the object. The boy must understand that a problem that he is not able to solve on his own can be shared with an adult and authoritative person.
Now about the parents’ position of denial: “My son knows 5 Russian.” The teacher must present objective data to him proving that his statement is unfair.
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“My son’s grades are being lowered!”
Russian language teacher Anna M. said that in her class one boy stopped studying the Russian language, although before he did excellent academically, received fours and fives. He is a good student, well-mannered, but he has lost interest in the subject. During the exam, his answer was graded between a two and a three. This was a school exam and did not affect the final grades.
The teacher gave an additional task, and again it was completed with a weak C grade. An hour and a half later, his indignant dad came to school and said that the boy knew the subject perfectly well. He demanded that the assessment be corrected. Even his son’s notebook with numerous errors did not convince him. The teacher was supported by the head teacher, and the grade remained unchanged.
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This is not an isolated case: parents often refuse to believe that a bad grade is objective, and they accuse the teacher of bias.
The student is being bullied, and other parents see everything and remain silent
Class teacher Natalya K. spoke about a Chechen boy in her class, a very smart and diligent student, who was constantly bullied by other children. The child felt very insecure; he wanted to get closer to his classmates.
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Before the start of the school year, he played football with the guys from his class. Suddenly, a fight broke out on the field. Someone pushed him, he fell and was seriously injured. When the teacher began to invite parents to a meeting on this issue, they refused to come under various pretexts. No one wanted to discuss the children's unsightly behavior. The class teacher was accused of exaggerating the problem.
The teacher involved a school psychologist in the work. Surprisingly, almost all the parents in this class wanted this child to be transferred to another school. It was also difficult for the boy to study psychologically, but his parents did not want to transfer him from an elite educational institution.
“Psychological problems of learning in adolescence” article on psychology (grade 7) on the topic
"Psychological problems of teaching teenagers
age"
Entering adolescence brings with it serious changes in the child’s attitude towards school and learning. The force that gives movement to the mental development of a child is generated by a change in his real place in life. At a certain stage of development, the previous place occupied by a teenager in the world of human relationships around him begins to be recognized by him as not corresponding to his capabilities, and he strives to change it. An open contradiction arises between the teenager’s lifestyle and his capabilities. In accordance with this, his activities are being restructured. This thereby marks the transition to a new stage in the development of his psychological life. The entire practical life experience is significantly expanding - the teenager’s desire to take a new position in relationships with adults, to acquire greater independence, a certain freedom of action, and also to build his relationships with peers in a new way.
Psychological characteristics of adolescence
Leading activity – study
Teaching is the main activity for a teenager. And how a teenager studies largely determines his mental development and his formation as a citizen. The teenager is ready for all types of educational activities that make him an adult in his own eyes. He is attracted by independent forms of organizing lessons in the classroom, complex educational material, and the opportunity to independently build his cognitive activity outside of school.
Neoplasms:
Against the background of the development of leading activity, the development of central new formations of age occurs, covering in this period all aspects of objective development: changes occur in the moral sphere, in terms of puberty, in terms of the development of higher mental functions, in the emotional sphere.
- development of the need to be and be considered an adult, which turns into a dominant one during this period (the adolescent’s desire to join the life and activities of adults),
- development of new motives for learning related to the ideal, professional preferences, when learning acquires a personal meaning for many adolescents,
- development of self-awareness, the desire to have one’s own assessment, one’s own opinion (the behavior and activities of a teenager are largely determined by the characteristics of self-esteem),
-formation of self-esteem in the process of communicating with other people (when interacting with others, a teenager constantly compares himself with others and gets to know himself based on this comparison),
- development of reflection - the ability of a teenager to realize what he is doing and argue, justify his activities,
— formation of stable emotional experiences:
Attitude to the opinion of the team, common interests, moral feelings, high demands for friendship, annoyance and the desire to give up everything,
— formation of relationships in the educational team:
- Building a sense of camaraderie (cultivating genuine camaraderie)
- Formation of self-confidence, competence or feelings of inferiority, lack of confidence in one’s strengths due to the criticism of parents and teachers
Mastering any activity is associated with certain difficulties; overcoming them is a natural process of achieving goals and solving assigned tasks. At the same time, it is known that if difficulties accumulate, they begin to be perceived by the individual as insurmountable; they cause tension, negative experiences that give rise to intrapersonal contradictions and destabilize activity until it stops. Because of this, the problem of the influence of activity on a person, on his inner world and, conversely, the influence of personal characteristics on activity is one of the pressing problems of modern psychology.
Having become the class teacher of the 7th grade, I encountered certain difficulties of both a psychological and pedagogical nature. Let's take a closer look at the most common ones.
| Difficulty | Manifestation | Causes | Ways to overcome |
| 1. Study takes a backseat | - omissions of letters in written works -spelling errors, despite good knowledge of the rules; - inattention and absent-mindedness; - difficulties in retelling the text; - inability to correctly argue one’s thoughts and evaluate one’s knowledge - restlessness; - difficulties in learning new knowledge; | -Study takes a back seat to the third or fourth plan Deviations from individual optimum educational activity. - Unevenness of psychophysiological development in different children, - inability to substantiate the motives for learning, - abstract thinking; | Identification of learning difficulties in the early stages of development, diagnosis of the social situation of development (relationships in the family, class), individual systematic work of the teacher with the student with the direct help of parents. |
| 2. Instability of the emotional sphere | Unsociability and unacceptable forms of behavior of the child, the emergence of an internal life - a life of experiences and secretive behavior, low self-esteem, aggression. | Hormonal storm in the child’s body, nervous system failure. Profound changes in terms of experiences, the formation of affective complexes - feelings of inferiority, humiliation, annoyance, decreased productivity and ability to perform educational activities | Conducting diagnostics of the child together with a psychologist, organizing various extracurricular activities with the participation of such a child to understand the world of his own experiences, be tolerant and explain what is happening in the body. |
| 3. Difficulty communicating with peers when communication comes to the fore | Inability to conduct a constructive dialogue, display of aggression towards classmates, isolation, inability to defend one’s decisions, change of interests | — Imitation of the external manifestations of adults, the use of special forms of slang speech that erase individual distances between communicating, self-esteem and negative opinion of the team | Organization of joint forms of educational activities, group work in the classroom, joint training sessions for team building, where a teenager can express his thoughts and argue them without fear, show the experience of “ups and downs” from his own life and the lives of others, listen to the teenager, encourage stories about yourself and friends |
| 4. Increased level of anxiety, heightened reaction to the opinions of others about oneself and one’s appearance | Rapid physical growth and puberty: - increased fatigue, excitability, irritability, negativism, – increase in sexual desires and sexual energy, especially in boys, “swaggering”, stubbornness, protest | The appearance of new hormones in the blood, the effect on the central nervous system, the growth of tissues and body systems. Development of secondary sexual characteristics. Contempt for children's fun -change of interests, desire to free oneself from parental care, gradual entry into a peer group | Involving a teenager in social and work activities, presenting new demands in the family (help with housework, starting to consult with a teenager), developing new interests that coincide with the phases of biological maturation in adolescents |
| 5. Deviation from normal behavior, being rude to adults | The teenager is active and disrupts behavior both at recess and during lessons. Often does not react to the comments of elders or expresses his annoyance, arguing that he is right. Requires constant attention, strives to stand out from the team. | During this period, the ability to voluntarily regulate behavior changes qualitatively. From voluntariness in situations related only to educational activities, the teenager moves on to voluntary regulation of communication and behavior; he becomes able to be guided by the norms and rules of communication, expressing his own “I”. | - In critical moments, turn off the conversation and return to it when the storm subsides, do not stoop to retaliatory rudeness, explain that adulthood is when you know how to take responsibility for your actions. |
| 6. Paying a lot of attention to your appearance | The appearance does not always correspond to age, the desire to appear as an adult. | Inability to properly care for oneself, girls' passion for cosmetics for adults, and, on the contrary, boys' ostentatious, disdainful attitude towards clothes. | Help them find themselves whenever possible, teach them how to take care of themselves, and introduce them to teenage cosmetics. |
| 7. The desire for independence in decision making | The questions a teenager poses to himself are not always age appropriate | Inability to correctly and independently solve accepted issues, unwillingness to accept help from adults. | Talk with your child about those issues in which he makes decisions independently, and those where participation can be partial or complete. Give the opportunity to both make decisions and be responsible for them. |
| 8.Intergender relationships | Inadequate attitude towards the opposite sex, the desire to attract attention with words or actions. | By any means to attract attention | Pay attention to the teenager’s assessment of the level of existing relationships and teach them how to build new relationships. Talk about the topic using relevant medical and journalistic literature. |
Bibliography
- Mukhina A. S. Psychology of age-related crises. – M.: Publishing House, 2002
- Obukhova L.F. “Age psychology” - M.: Education: VLADOS, 2001
- Stolyarenko L. D. Fundamentals of psychology. Tutorial. (Series “Higher Education”) - Rostov n/a: Phoenix, 2004
- https://Wikipedia.org
What about the rest of the items?
Everyone has different tastes and it’s impossible to please everyone with objects, the children think. Interests range from poetry to programming. But even now, non-elective subjects such as medicine and labor are simply skipped by students. If you add additional items, they may also be skipped.
“You can start small: 1-2 times a week, the whole parallel is divided according to interests. Let these electives be in the middle of the day so that no one misses and there is more enthusiasm. Such hours will relieve a tired brain and bring children together, because... they will interact with children not only from their class.”
What should be the approach to teaching?
A multi-level system, like in the United States, would allow children to choose the right subjects, develop their personal abilities, and also free up their time.
“We graduate with knowledge in many industries, but it is all superficial. We don't remember most of the material. It would be possible to shorten the courses of compulsory lessons until the end of 9th grade. In so many years, with a good program, children would know about the same as in 11 now. And in the next two years we would focus on personal development.”
Teacher hurts child
The student’s mother, Daria K., said that her family was not very actively involved in extracurricular activities. They did not take part in preparations for the campaigns, nor did they take a place in the front row when organizing school productions. The family has three children, both parents work.
Mom noticed that the behavior of adults is reflected in the attitude of the class teacher towards her daughter. She did not comment on the situation, but the girl herself began to notice this: she began to say that the teacher did not like her, answered questions sharply, while she communicated more gently with other children. The daughter is trying to understand this situation, to understand why this is happening.
Daria explained to her that even if the situation really is like this, then she goes to school in order to study. Mom decided for herself that if the situation worsened, she would try to talk to the teacher. Other parents also note similar bias on the part of the teacher. For example, two families from the class went to the seaside together and wrote almost identical messages to the teacher that they would not be able to attend the assembly on September 1st.
The class teacher wished one family a good holiday, and scolded the second for missing classes.
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