Case
Shuts Down

I have a student who begins to cry and shuts whenever she does not understand how to do something. She is a sweet child, loves school, and does her homework. She is on an RTI for reading and math fluency. When we met with her parents we discussed how this reaction is detrimental to her learning. They have the same problem at home and we all think it is a lack of self-confidence. She is struggling but every time she puts her head down and cries I feel like she is getting further behind. I work with her in small groups in reading and math every day and tutor her during bus duty plus an hour after school once a week. I have tried encouragement, conferences, and tough love. Nothing is working. What else can I do?

Solution #1
Maybe you should try to create an incentive plan that is unique to her. Let her choose what her reward will be if she starts showing progress both behaviorally/emotionally as well as academically. You could work together to set certain goals for her to achieve. If it is something she is involved in planning she may be more likely to make it a priority and stick to it than if it was something she has no interest in.

Thank you for your solution. I will try that next week. It would be helpful if I could remind her she has a special treat she is working towards.

I think the incentive plan is a good solution. This gives her small goals that she can work towards. When she completes a goal she will not only be continuing her education, but also gaining self-confidence!

incentive plan sounds like a great solution to me.

Solution #2
If this student is a special education student, I would do a FBA (functional behavior analysis) on the "shutting down." We might be able to understand more specifically what her behavior is telling you. Also, try letting her evaluate her learning daily. You could maintain frequent interviews with her in which she graphs her learning progress. With my EBD students, seeing progress no matter how small, improves self efficacy and increases confidence.
Solution #3
I would try to chunk her assignments. I would have her to a complete a certain number of questions and after completing that number, she could receive a incentive. Also, I would try the flip classroom approach with her. She would be able to go home and look at various websites and videos on youtube to assist her with her understanding of various concepts. She could preview the assignment the day before, so that she is not so overwhelmed when she receives the it the next day.

I think flipping the classroom may be beneficial to this particular student. It will give her extra support and should give her a boost of confidence.

Solution #4
I would create a positive reward system in which she receives a reinforcer when she works through a problem she is struggling with, even if she does not get it correctly. The reinforcer could be a check mark or tally mark and after a certain number of attempts the student will receive a small treat.
Solution #5
Assigning this particular student a peer mentor could be a helpful solution. This student could sit beside or near her in class so when she doesn't understand she can ask her peer mentor to help her work through it. Sometimes students need a peer to explain something to them in a way they might better understand it.