So basically I’m a college teacher and I’ve been doing it for less than a year, our new set of learners has multiple people with ADHD and honestly they are fantastic people and they have great input for the lessons but they’re also very disruptive at times.

I just want advice from people in the same boat on what I can do to be better for them. I never expected for a single day in my life that I would become a teacher so I don’t really know what I’m doing in this situation and I don’t want to be a dick about it cos it’s not their fault.

Thanks in advance.

  • Smkia@lemmy.world
    4·
    8 months ago

    Hey! First of all, I truly appreciate the fact that you are trying to improve yourself as a teacher and not blame them. I used to be a teacher for 8 years and I think I have some tips and tricks.

    Communication: try to talk to them using the see think wonder method. That provides feedback to them in a way that is respectful and without blame. I see that you are talking when I am talking. I think something is wrong; either I am boring or the lesson isn’t engaging enough. I wonder how I can help. Something like that. Be vulnerable and sincere, you’ll be fine, just remember to use ‘I’ and not ‘you’. You told us they’re good students. So they must have good intentions.

    Lesson plan: say you have 15 min of reading or 20 of explaining. Try to divide that into shorter stints with the appropriate follow-ups of course… That keeps the flow going for them and doesn’t give them time to wander off in their minds.

    Hope this helps a bit! Good luck and remember we’re all people who want a good connection.

    • AfghaniscranOP
      4·
      8 months ago

      Thanks for the reply and the compliments haha.

      Any advice is helpful at this point. I worked in my sector for over 10 years and was randomly offered a teaching role, so in the grand scheme of things I’m brand new to it. I can pretty much guarantee I’m not as engaging as I may be in the future but I can’t let my downfalls become their problem.

      See think wonder, I like it. Easy to remember and puts the responsibility onto me, while (at least I think) also making them aware of their disruptions.