I read this last week on another blog "Remember it's never the child's fault. it's their environment that is affecting their attitude". I have always been a firm believer that all behaviour is communication and, as the professionals and adults, we should focus on working out what that communication is trying to tell us.
All of my private tuition has moved online due to the current restrictions in the UK. I have been very aware, over the last few weeks, of how much attention I pay to my student's behaviour when I am teaching. I am constantly reading the small changes that tell me if I am getting the balance right between challenge and enjoyment. This is far trickier when you cannot see the whole child. Spotting that tapping foot or fiddly fingers are out of site.
When teaching face to face, I would always point out the behaviour I was seeing and then asking the question. One such student was a 10 year old boy with ADHD. very bright but his self esteem at school was being undermined by the environment he was expected to work in. When he worked with me he needed to fiddle, he needed tasks that involved kinetic tasks. I could always tell when the challenge was becoming overwhelming. He would stand up and need to change his balance from one leg to the other. The first time I told him what he was doing he had no idea that this action was a physical reaction to how he was feeling. He also did not realise he had stood up. He said this was always getting him in to trouble in class because he was meant to stay in his seat. With me we often built in moving around when dealing with a new concept, but I worry this will never be put in place when he is in school. As an adult he will be able to find a job where this is ok, I would image seeing him competing as a professional golfer in a few years.
Online is still an environment and I am working hard to include all the things I know work in my teaching room with my online teaching.
