What do labels tell us?
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| How can we avoid labeling children? |
If we take children's current level of achievement as a starting point, we can build on the skills and resources they bring to learning. We also need to find out pupils views of themselves. This can help us to realize what worries or fears they may have which will hamper their progress. We may need to group children in order to facilitate management. However this grouping does not need to become permanent. Children need to have a
chance to show that their skills and abilities vary according to situation, topic and activity.
We often use labels like high ability, average, low ability, weak when talking about pupils. What do these labels mean? Do these reflect our expectations of pupils rather than their actual ability.
What do labels tell us?
Marta, a primary teacher on a summer school, was also asked to describe a child from the top end, middle and bottom end of her class of eight-year-olds. Her descriptions are given below. Rank the children into high, average and low ability, using her descriptions to help.
Gabor is very absent-minded. It is difficult for him to be attentive. He always wants to touch things during the lesson and play games. It is difficult for him to concentrate on the same activity for five minutes.
Katya is very able, always ready to answer, interested in everything. She listens carefully to all she is taught. She is highly creative, very imaginative and good at imitating.
Eva is very interested in the subject, ready to co-operate, sometimes a bit shy. She does not like to make mistakes and is eager to improve her faults. She is very good in writing but not so good in speaking.
You may find that your middle-range children are the hardest to describe. We tend to notice the extremes (the ones who always answer or the naughty ones) as they affect our teaching more. We may, therefore, neglect children in the middle range or quieter children.
High expectations!
If we approach pupils with an open mind and expect the best from them, this will help to raise their expectations of themselves. These raised expectations may then encourage children to make more effort which in turn may lead to improved performance and increased positive regard from their teachers and other adults.
What would happen if you changed your expectations of the pupils you teach.