Myths That Haunt Students

Too often, students see the struggle to master challenging academic content as a sign of stupidity, when they should see it as what good learners do, said education consultant and author Allison Zmuda at her session on "Troubleshooting Student Learning." Teachers need to help students understand that even geniuses such as Einstein, Edison, and Picasso struggled and often failed, said Zmuda, who is a coauthor of the ASCD book Transforming Schools: Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement and a member of the ASCD Faculty.

Three myths haunt students and undermine their motivation to strive in school, Zmuda said.

• They see learning that comes quickly as a sign of intelligence and learning that requires effort as a sign of their own lack of ability.
• Students think school and life are disconnected.
• They think learning is an orderly process rather than a messy, recursive, ongoing struggle. Even high-achieving students will shy away from challenging tasks and embrace routine assignments, which they find more comforting, Zmuda noted.

Do your students believe these myths? How can you dispel them in your school or classroom?

Comments

[Angel]

I think this myth of learning that comes easily is a myth that is so entrenched in our society that it will take a concerted effort to really make any changes in peoples belief in this myth. I believe in the importance of dialogue. I would start there having conversations with my students about what they think and share times when we learned something that came easily to us and a time when we struggled with learning something. This would be an ongoing conversation that would begin the first weeks in school and go to the end. Students could keep journals to record their experiences and a chart could be kept on the wall for students to share both types of experiences.

[sylvia martinez]

I think this is true. In a strange twist, I think there is a similar myth of teaching -- that good teachers don't struggle, they just magically know what to do.

[Shelly]

This grabbed my attention because, even as an educator, I have realized that I innately believe some of these myths. In reality, when learning we gain the most when we have had to really struggle with something in order to learn. I would like to build on the idea posted by Angel and suggest a classroom blogging experience where students would post and share how their learning is progressing. I think it would be beneficial for other students to get into the heads of their peers and "see" what is going on in the learning process of others.

[Debbie]

I teach 6th grade Math and so many students give up when they don't understand a concept right away. I believe it happens more with my Honors group where so many think that everything should come easy(and maybe it has in the past). I like the suggestion by Shelly that students have a classroom blogging experience. I think it would help if they know others have the same difficulties. Also, I believe that once they do 'get it' they have done the work with internalizing what problems they had, and it will mean so much more. Also, if I could read the blog, it would help me understand more where the difficulties lie.

[Renee Devito]

I believe that students can feel a disconnection from home life and school. I try to connect life experiences to my teaching curriculum by making lessons relevant to both. In my second grade classroom, I give my students the opportunity to discuss real problems they might be having and allow for students to come up with solutions.
Also, with writing assignments, my students often have to write about something they did on the weekend, vacation plans, etc. which connects them to real life. I tell stories about my own experiences and use humor as a tool for connecting on a different level. I think a motivation for learning takes place when there is a personal connection between the student and teacher.

[sminnick]

I am an elementary art teacher and I can not tell you how many times I have seen students scribble out something on their paper or crumble it up and throw it in the trash. They definitely believe in the myth that learning quickly is a sign of intelligence. I try to explain to my students that some of the most beautiful artwork has come from the unexpected and artists do not give up, they work through their mistakes. In an attempt to dispel this myth, I will have the student get their paper out of the trash and we will sit down together. I will have them explain to me why they thought it was not good enough and then we will come up with solutions to fix and work through the problem. This teaches them that effort does not show a lack of ability, but it is a sign of character. I love to see that self confidence being built before my eyes

[Paul Reininger]

I too have experienced that students often think learning should come easily, and if it does not, then they are somehow inferior. I find that students can be quick to give up, often afraid to try (and possibly fail) unique approaches to a problem. Part of this could be due to lack of confidence, or pressure (internal or external) to succeed. I start the school year with an activity that requires the students to take risks and trust each other. An ongoing theme in my classroom is the necessity of risk-taking. I try to model that making mistakes is o.k. and even encouraged, as long as we learn from them. Hopefully by doing this my students will feel safe to give their best effort even if they are unsure of exactly what they are doing. I also agree with Shelly that a classroom blog could be a good way for students to experience from each other the trials of working at something in order to truly learn. I like that sminnick does not let students give up on themselves. I try to do the same thing, working with students, trying to pull out whatever background knowledge they have and build upon that to create confidence and ultimately, success.

[Jennifer]

I have been faced with the common myth in my intensive (below grade level) classrooms that they are failures because they can't pass the state test. Many of them have already given up on math because of the state test and have difficulty combatting this self-perception. One of the joys I have had this year with teaching them is giving them the same tests as the "on grade level" students. In most cases, I was able to show my intensive students that they did as well, and in some cases, better than the "on grade level students." This was such a huge boost to the class-esteem and sense of achievement. Unfortunately, this myth is so deeply rooted that when we start a new chapter these self-doubts resurface and as a class we face these feelings of being "stupid." I have seen such a tremendous growth in these students this year and I have been able to show them seeable growth on tests that state-test formatted. But until they see the improvement on the state test itself, or the school and state start placing less emphasis on this test, I think these students will continue to combat feelings of "stupidity" even though they are unwarrented.

[Elisabeth M.]

I think all of my students do sometimes believe in these myths. I see it even with my brighter students, who usually catch on quickly, but when they don't they get frustrated. I liked Paul's comments, and how he works to build up student's confidence and teaches that mistakes are okay. I think it helps to have a strong classroom community where all members are valued, and all can see that everyone has strengths and something to offer the community. Having classroom meetings and class discussions fosters this also.

I also think teacher's words can help dispel these myths if we use language that helps empower our students. This idea came from Choice Words by Peter Johnston, a great book that made me think about how the things I say (and don't say) to students can affect how they view themselves and their position in our classroom.

[sminnick]

I agree with Elisabeth's comments on dispelling these myths by the language we use. I recently read an article by Sonia Nieto on the power of teachers and how we can use "words that heal and words that hurt."

I have a peer who shared a story about why to this day she hates art. She said that in elementary school her art teacher said she was scribblng and not coloring. That phrase stuck with her and prevented her from wanting anything to do with art even as an adult.

It really made me think....

[Marg]

I too have seen these myths in action. There are a few skeletons in my own closet that have taken me years to wash away. But more over, in my third grade class I see this a lot. Even now two children stand out; they are always avoiding the hard work with the clownish nonproductive behavior. I refer to them as the new student A and the old student A. When they do the clowning around that is the old student, and the new one is the desired behavior. I have proved to them that the new student can make 80% on the test as the old student made 62%. It is a daily battle to have success, but one of the challenges I face each day.

[Angel]

I want to add to Renee's idea about the importance of bridging the connection between home-life and school-life. I think when talking about life outside of school, you can also talk about the learning that takes place outside of school.
Years ago, as a student in elementary school I remember thinking that learning was something that I did in school, only. I did not make the connection between learning to do cartwheels and back-flips, picking up new vocabulary from the books I read "for fun," or doing tricks on my bicycle as learning. They were things that I "figured out how to do with practice."
I think that this is the difference between "schooling" and "learning" that Jeffrey Kottler and et al, speak about in their book "On Being a Teacher: The Human Dimension."
If we can help our students see themselves as learners and not just as "students" I wonder if this would make a difference in how they approach the work they do in school. I would hope that it would make them more active participants in their education. Also, I liked Shelly's idea about students blogging. That would be a perfect way for students to share and make connections.

[Kcannon]

I would expect students to think this way when all they are given is facts and knowledge that is supposed to be regurgitated for tests and exams. Most of what they are taught is cut and dry. You are either right or you are wrong. Even in my art class, students come in and get an assignment done as fast as they can and want to move on. The problem with this is that they are gaining knowledge but not learning, they find out what they need to do in order to meat the requirements, but there is no exploration. Exploration may lead them down the road of “messing up” or doing something “wrong”. Schools are becoming factories pumping out products to appease the state and forgetting about the fact that we are all people with rich history and experience that can lend itself to any classroom. I think teacher can help build confidence by letting students be wrong sometime and learn that mistakes can lead to the right answer, it may just take a few more tries to get there. This is something that can be explored, especially in the art room. I can not tell you how many times I have seen a work finished by a student, and they say how much they hate it, but in my eyes it is so wonderful. This type of situation allows me to talk with the student and help them to see the beauty in what they did do rather than what they thought they did wrong.

[Kelly]

Students do see quick learners as smart and students who struggle as "slow." I see this all the time with my students as most of you have already commented. I think some of the myth about struggling with a concept is natural. In a group setting, such as a classroom, there is always going to be those who immediately "get it" and those that don't. This is true even for us as adults. In my opinion the key is not to try to eliminate that from happening. The key is to foster an environment where excelling is okay and so is struggling because there are few students to whom everything will come easily. Cooperative learning can aid in this tremendously. In my experience, the more advanced students usually love being able to help another student. I sometimes even use them to explain the concept in their words to the whole class. This gives those students who are struggling another viewpoint, given by a student, using words and phrases that maybe I hadn't thought of.

[Tamra]

I am regularly frustrated by the myth that is perpetuated in families that "My mom/dad is no good at math and I am no good at math, so I can't help it and nothing I do will change it. She/he got by, so I guess I will." It is a very difficult preconception to get past and I hear it voiced by parents who have no idea of the damage they do by giving their child an "out" this way. I believe all students can do math (I teach 7th grade math) and try to convince my students that they can succeeed. Has anyone else had experience battling this myth?

[Lois H]

My students definitely believe all these myths. My students are very quick to say “I can’t.” when something does not come to them right away. One thing I do with my math class is link to prior knowledge. I might say, “What do we already know that might help us solve this problem?” Then we list everything we know about the topic. This helps to shift the focus from what they don’t know to what they do know.

[Woodelyne]

These myths not only holds true for my student, but the majority of students including myself during my secondary school. Our students see other student struggling in a subject area and immediately this is associated with being unintelligent. So often our student shy away from subjects that they struggle with in order to escape other students seeing them as being dumb or stupid. Many of students that skips school does so because of this. As educators we can make a difference in what our students believe and helping them dispel these myths. I agree with Angel suggestion of having a blog where these students can converse about their struggles and they can help each other. Another method that can help dispel the myth is showing our kids we care. If they know we care they will be more willing to come to us for help oppose to shutting down and believing these myths.

[Paul Atherton]

Get Real! While learning does take concerted effort, and often students are too easy to give up because of this, it is not the primary reason for students to not make the gains that are expected under NCLB. People are not the same. Is that so hard to conceptualize? They are different in their development and learning ability. This has always been the case. This is a good thing and not a thing to be making students feel they are not good people because they do not acquire the knowledge that the state or government requires at the pace or time they say it should happen. This is absurd to have to be reminding people in the field of education of this fact, but due to the amount of people who choose to divorce themselves of this fact, I find it necessary to remind educators of this politically influenced error of thinking. It is not a myth that people do not learn at the same rate and do not get to the same level at the same time due to the quality or their environment and/or the integrity and quality of their teachers and methodology. It is reality that development varies in human beings as it does in all species. Why is it so important that everyone is at the same place in their development at the same time is a question that deserves an answer. We need to stop making kids feel like failures or disappointments because they are not college-bound and oriented to a professional type of career. We need all types of students to be the best they can at a variety of jobs that contribute to a functioning society. This has always been the need. The lunacy of NCLB has made too many educators loose perspective and forget what they know and what is the reality of the human condition. We need to be strong enough to do the right thing to support students in their learning despite their inherent learning differences, their environmental situations and despite their career trajectories.

[Anne King]

I think we have probably all been guilty at some point in our teaching careers of believing in the myth that learning that comes quickly is a sign of intelligence. I know that I have students that get so frustrated when learning does not come easily that they get angry, stop trying, or both. Dispeling this myth in our classrooms would make a huge difference in our students' desire to learn. Kottler,Zhem, and Kottler say that to help children want to learn make learning fun. How do we do this? Kottler et.al says fun takes place:
" When you are concentrating all your effort and energy on a task that your have recently mastered.
When you are being challenged to do something that is not beyond your ability and, when mastered, will allow you to accomplish other things that you want to do.
When time flies because you are engaged , doing something interesting and entertaining.
When you are talking to yourself and others about things that are relevant to your life( Kottler, Zhem, Kottler 2005).

If we can create this learning atmostphere in our classrooms, we will be on our way to dispeling the myth that learning comes easily to anyone.

[Shari]

I understand how Paul feels about NCLB and all children not being on the same level at the same time. As an educator in an inclusion classroom there is no way that I can have gifted children and special education children performing at the same pace. I also know that these children will probably have different careers ahead of them. That does not mean that I will not give them the best education that I can, nor does it mean that I am going to treat them like failures because they may not be college bound when they reach high school. I am giving them the most positive learning environment that I possibly can and hope that I am doing the best for them.

[Renee]

Shelly-

I just set up a blog for my second graders to respond to regarding homework and activities. This connects the students with making decisions about curriculum and commenting on classroom issues.
They are very excited about having an avenue to state their opinion.
In turn, it gives me feedback on how my students feel and how I can change things to make them more motivated learners.

[Woodelyne]

Elisabeth, I had to comment on your post.

I have seen how loose certain teachers could be with their words. Our words have a tremendous effect on our students. We need to choose our word wisely. As educators we needs to be sensitive to our students. Having been in various schools, I have seen the frustration demonstrated by teachers with student who are struggling in their classes. These sorts of action need to stop. How can we teach and we don’t have patience to learn about our student, and help them with their weakness.

[CJ Blau]

I teach kindergarten and more often than not, I have parents coming to me asking how to work with their child so that they understand that making mistakes are OK, and that they do not have to be perfect. It is so hard to make a young 5 or 6 year old understand that the only way to truly learn, and grow, is to make mistakes along the way. I always start off the year giving my students a black vis a` vis marker that they must use for their art projects. Anytime we do a drawing activity, they are required to use this "special marker". That way they cannot erase, therefore having to make do, with what they first draw. It's a great way, I have found, to get them to move beyond that idea of "perfect". Also showing them that we, as teachers make mistakes too, is a great learning situation for them. I make a concerted effort to make mistakes throughout my day so that they do not feel like they have to be perfect.

[Michelle]

A catchphrase in my class is "embrace your confusion." I try to show my students what I do when I am confused or stuck, and I help my students with strategies that I have collected from a variety of resources. (I am particularly indebted to the works of Cris Tovani.)

Learning comes of questioning and being confused and trying to find answers. Our students need to know that or else they shut down when they feel things aren't coming easily.

[Amber]

My 2nd grade students do believe in these myths. I think the myth that learning comes quickly for intelligent students is especially true for my "high" achieving students. Many times the things we do come easy for them, so when they are presented with something difficult they become very frustrated. I think a lot of this has to do with the pressure that is put on them to do well. Some of my students are afraid of failure, so they do not want to try to do something if they can't do it perfect the first time.

I also have students who believe that if they are the first one to turn in an assignment, they are the "smartest" student in the class. I have lower acheiving students who try to rush themselves through their work, just so they can turn it in their classmates don't know it was difficult for them. Those students end up doing poorly just because they were hurrying. I try to stress to my students that I am not worried about who is the first one finished with an assignment, so they should take their time, but I also don't want them to worry about being the last one finished with something. Any suggestions?

[Bobbi Lamberth]

I worked with students affect by Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). I have taught these students at all age levels. I agree with comments on students just giving up. Students on and off the spectrum want to repeat subjects that come easy for them. Adults and professionals are the same. It is why we reject change so quickly.
I also see the disconnect between home and school. I am constantly trying to show students how they will use what they are learning. I think they are calling this standards based classroom. When I received my last GTOI, my APD showed me a rubric about the standard based classroom and it all involved how relavent we could make the information to real world experiences/life.

[Julie Johnson]

I believe that my students do believe in these myths especially the one about if you don't get it right away then something is wrong with you or you're not "smart". As teachers we know that we all have different ways of learning information. I try to teach concepts keeping this in mind trying to touch on different learning modalities. It is hard. Sometimes I don't catch everyone of my students.

[Jen W]

It's interesting--as I looked at the three "myths" students believe or are taught, I remembered how easy school was for me. I worked hard--but because I worked hard, it was easy for me to get good grades. Now that I teach high school, I try to engrain within my English students the idea that learning isn't an overnight process. For example, when you were a baby, the first time you tried to walk, you fell down. You fell down many times after that too. But instead of giving up, you kept trying because sooner or later it would get easier, and now you can walk perfectly fine. The same is true for any skill, whether it's sports related, job oriented, a hobby, or in education. The more you practice something, the easier it will become. When my students first tried reading Romeo and Juliet, they had no idea what was being said. But bit by bit, process by process, we worked on ways to understand the language, plot, and acting elements, and now my students are working on their own through the script, and doing amazing work. I believe that if students trust you, and know you are giving them skills that will help them be successful later on, they'll be more willing to take on the harder, messy challenges, and realize it's part of the process to achieving perfection in the end.

[Amanda]

I teach kindergartners and I believe that even at this young age students believe these myths. I find when students have trouble with work they often will say "I can't" or "I'm stupid." These student need to know early on in life that learning and understanding can be a challenge. I think teachers need to give their students the tools necessary to work through their frustrations and embrace challenges.

[Jen W]

Some of the best skills a teacher can teach a student relate to problem solving and facing challenges. If students only know to give up, they will never succeed at anything. Too often, I think education is "outcome oriented" instead of "process oriented", especially with NCLB and the emphasis on standardized testing.

[kate]

My son is LD, and this myth, plus the self-esteem issues LD kids often have was a pretty damaging combination. He shot himself in the foot academically because he wanted to prove his "normalcy" by not doing any more work than the regular-ed kids appeared to be doing.

[G. Grossman]

I think this first myth is especially prevalent when we offer primarily one-size-fits-all instructional activities. Such activities, geared to the middle of the class, reinforce the advanced students' perception that they needn't work to achieve, and the weaker students' perception that they're perpetual failures. Contrast this with our classrooms that feature small group instruction. Personally, I love experiencing that current of excitement generated by every child's engagement in the learning activities.

[Tammy Steele]

As a nation of educators we have resisted teaching the thinking process. We are impatient and are asking students to memorize and regurgitate what will be on a paper and pencil test that does not really test thinking. We get what our goals give us. Want to do well on a test? Use a paper and pencil test that doesn't measure more than half of what adults are expected to know and be able to do. (You cannot test the be-able-to-do part with a pencil.)

Why else is it that we are totally satisfied with teaching phonics from ages 3 - 9 and call it reading? Why is it that comprehension scores on tests of all kinds are the lowest scores? If we spent as much time giving children a vocabulary as we did on the initial consonant T, we'd have students who had the vocabulary to understand the word, not just sound it out. But textbooks are better at teaching phonics, so teachers teach phonics.

Why is it that we don't teach math, science, or the arts well, if at all? It's because to do any of these subjects well, a student must think and not memorize. We aren't teaching thinking.

We get what we teach. We've been teaching to the test.