Student Academic Struggles

Many of my students stress when taking unit tests to the point that their grades do not demonstrate their abilities seen during class. What strategies can I give them to relax and not fail?

I have a student diagnosed with both PDD-NOS and ADHD who is in my language arts class. He is easily distracted and to get any desk work completed, his aide takes him into the hall or the back corner of the room. Is there a better way I can minimize distractions without having him move away from his peers?

I have a student who sits in class and never seems to be paying attention. He doesn’t take notes during the lesson and when test time rolls around; he seems unprepared and ends up doing poorly on the exam. How can I help him follow along with the lesson in class?

I have a student in my Algebra class who participates and can do the work but his organization and writing is so poor he has difficulty studying for tests. I’ve tried using the computer, getting him folders but to no avail, what can I do to help him?

I teach a gifted class and have a student on the Autism Spectrum. We work on many creative and imaginative projects that have Open Ended Questions or Abstract Prompts. My student has great difficulty getting started on these projects and doesn’t seem to understand how to begin. What can I do to help her?

I have a student who is not able to answer Open Ended Questions. He cannot even begin his answer or he will say or write a response that makes no sense. How can I help him with such question prompts?

In my Language Arts classes students must look up 15 vocabulary words and write the meanings. I have such a variety of learners that I don’t think this is the best method to teach the words anymore. I have students who are bored, students who have difficulty locating the words, or difficulty summarizing the definition. When it is homework it is rarely completed well by many students if completed at all. The entire task is laborious, what else can I do to teach these words and ensure the students are learning and not groaning?

When I give my student any challenging or new work, he gets very anxious and starts saying, “it’s too hard.” When I try to tell him it’s not that hard and that he can do it, he only gets more anxious and insistent that it is impossible and sometimes starts having behavior problems.

I have a student who has difficulty working in groups. He either moves away, tries to work alone or he is giving “orders” to everyone. Inevitably the group falls apart with arguments or work uncompleted. How can I help this student work positively in groups?

Sometimes I’m not sure if one of my students is paying attention. What can I do to ensure they are following the topic of the lecture?