Getting Started: Evaluating Student Perceptions

The implementation of this module assumes first and foremost that the student you have selected to work with is a voluntary participant who wishes to try to reverse his underachievement. When faced with any problem, academic or otherwise, a person has only three options: avoid it, learn to deal with it, or change it. If a student expresses the desire to work with you, then she is not avoiding the problem. By using the strategies in this module you can help a student learn how to better deal with the problematic situation (underachievement) and how to make changes to reduce the effects of or eliminate the problem altogether. Cognitive interventions teach good, appropriate, and/or healthy thinking skills.

The flow chart below outlines the procedures to follow to evaluate a student’s perception.

Student Perception (leads to) Is the perception accurate? REFLECT: How valid is it in regards to the observable reality? How reasonable is it as a standard or explanation of events? OBSERVE: Do you have the same perception as the students? INQUIRE: Ask questions of people in the same environment. Ask people in similar circumstances. (leads to either) ACCURATE PERCEPTION With the student’s input, orchestrate changes in: curriculum, classroom environment, interactions with teachers (leads to or) DISTORTED PERCEPTION Decide on a counseling approach: Choice Theory, Solution-focused, ABCDE, Correction of Processing Style

Next Section: Effective Teacher-Student Interaction for Achievement
Previous Section: Getting Started: Working With Adolescents