How Teachers Can Help Students Overcome Personal, Emotional And Academic Challenges

The Impact of Family Issues on Student’s Mental Health

Identification of Problem

The separation of the parents of Zach has mentally disturbed Zach and it has deeply affected him. Zach is good at maths but he stays quiet in his independent work time. It shows that he is talented but he suffers on account of the family problem that has deeply affected him. He is shrouded by a feeling of loneliness and experiences mental disturbance (McPherson, et al., 2014). Zach and Patrick keep on arguing in class and he is saying that Patrick is teasing him and that he is responding angrily to that of Patrick. He is even crying in the class that points out that his family problems are tearing him apart and playing havoc on his mental condition.

Relevant Educational Theory

The Social Cultural Theory highlights that changes in behaviour occurs on account of environmental along with personal elements. This theory can be said to be in congruence with that of the principle of self-efficacy and it suggests that the thoughts of an individual affect his behaviour (Ang & Van Dyne, 2015). Zach is undergoing emotional pain owing to the circumstances of his life. The personal circumstances in the life of an individual can have effect on the behaviour of a sensitive child and gravely torment him. The environment of an individual has an effect on his behaviour. The atmosphere at the home of the child is very turbulent and the child feels insecure as a result of the separation of his parents. He feels uncared for and insecure at school.

Co-operative learning activities should be introduced by the teacher in the class that can help in the bonding of the students. The whole class can be divided into different groups and each group should have students of different level (Miller, 2017). The students can be provided with a prompt. The prompt in this case can be a written passage or an argument. Each of the student should respond to that of the prompt by writing it down. After every student has written the response, then they can read and share the responses within the group. Each student would react to the response of the other members of the group. This process will help Zach in effective communication within the class and help him in getting over his problems.

Identification of the Problem

The family of Ron has moved from that of another district that is causing Ron acute distress. He has joined the class after some months and he cannot adjust properly in the new school. Ron cannot focus properly in his studies as he feels distracted. The change in the environment along with surroundings is causing Ron to exhibit such kind of strange behaviour. He is misbehaving in the class and is failing to concentrate in his task (Frick, Ray, Thornton, & Kahn, 2014). Day by day his misbehaviour is increasing and the other students in the class are getting bothered by the deviant behaviour of Ron.

The Role of Social Cultural Theory in Student Behaviour

Relevant Educational Theory

The social cognitive theory highlights that when an individual observes a model who is performing a particular behaviour and the resultant of that behaviour then he gets inspired to improve his conduct. The individual remembers the manner in which the events unfold and make use of this information in order to guide that of subsequent behaviour (Young, Plotnikoff, Collins, Callister, & Morgan, 2014). Survival of the human race relies upon the repetition of the actions of others and hence this theory can aid the teacher in tackling students in the classroom. 

Steps taken by the teacher

The teacher should select some students in the class who exhibit the traits of ideal behaviour and perform well academically. They can be made into leaders and the teacher should appreciate them from time to time. They should be made to sit beside the students who cannot focus in their studies (Mailey, Phillips, Dlugonski, & Conroy, 2016). Appreciation from the teacher will force the students who is distracted to look up to the good pupil sitting next to him as the role model. He will try to replicate the behaviour of the good student and thus indirectly changing his behaviour. Slowly his behaviour will undergo change as he would try to follow the one who is being appreciated. The natural instinct of an individual is of being praised and he would also try to adopt the mannerisms that would make the teacher appreciate him.

Identification of the problem

Tiffany has been diagnosed with a learning disorder but she can understand the concept about money quite well. It can be attributed to the fact that Ms. Brooks made use of a play money in order to help the class. It helped Tiffany in understanding the concepts about money. Tiffany is facing problems understanding the concept about time (Roy, Roy, & Clarke, 2016). Concrete objects are being used in order to help the students learn about time like that of cardboard clocks having movable hands. Tiffany along with some other classmates of her is struggling and cannot easily understand the concepts.

Relevant Educational Theory

The cognitive theory of John Piaget disagreed with the concept of intelligence being a fixed trait. The theory conceived that cognitive development occurred on account of interaction with that of the environment. This educational theory states that a child develops into that of an individual by taking recourse to the faculty of reasoning (Beck & Haigh, 2014). Intelligent growth according to this theory referred to that of a process of adjustment with that of the world. The intrinsic along with extrinsic factors can bring about the learning in an individual.

Steps taken by the teacher

The students can be easily taught regarding the passage of time by referring to the different stages of the life cycle of an individual. The teacher can show charts that shows the different stages in growth of an individual. For example, the picture of an infant can give way to the picture of a boy/girl who in due course of time would evolve to become a man/ woman. Words like “before” “later” and “after” should be introduced while showing the development stages of an individual (Estes, 2014). It can help Tiffany and the other students in understanding about the concept of time and can help them in understanding about the “past”, “present” and that of future that can help the students in understanding the broader concept related to that of time. 

Beck, A. T., & Haigh, E. A. (2014). Advances in cognitive theory and therapy: the generic cognitive model. Annual review of clinical psychology, , 10, 1-24.

Estes, W. K. (2014). Handbook of Learning and Cognitive Processes . Attention and Memory. Psychology Press., 145-49.

Roy, A., Roy, M., & Clarke, D. (2016). The psychiatry of intellectual disability. . CRC Press., 89-94.

Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (2015). Handbook of cultural intelligence. Routledge., 80-90.

McPherson, K. E., Kerr, S., McGee, E., Morgan, A., Cheater, F. M., McLean, J., & Egan, J. (2014). The association between social capital and mental health and behavioural problems in children and adolescents: an integrative systematic review. BMC psychology,, 2(1), 7.

Miller, G. (2017). Constructionist controversies: Issues in social problems theory. Routledge., 114-19.

Frick, P. J., Ray, J. V., Thornton, L. C., & Kahn, R. E. (2014). Can callous-unemotional traits enhance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of serious conduct problems in children and adolescents? A comprehensive review. Psychological Bulletin,, 140(1), 1.

Mailey, E. L., Phillips, S. M., Dlugonski, D., & Conroy, D. E. (2016). Overcoming barriers to exercise among parents: a social cognitive theory perspective. . Journal of behavioral medicine,, 39(4), 599-609.

Young, M. D., Plotnikoff, R. C., Collins, C. E., Callister, R., & Morgan, P. J. (2014). Social cognitive theory and physical activity: a systematic review and meta?analysis. Obesity Reviews, , 15(12), 983-995.