Patricia,
If I read this right, you are saying that what we know of one student (from the past) shouldn't influence our opinion of another student who SEEMS to be displaying the same behavior. I would agree. Our observations should extend beyond similarities to individual differences. Students deserve to be treated as individuals based on THEIR behavior, not someone else's.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
a lot of times we base our opinion of our student's behavior on previous students behavior and each student has different needs and problems. Never knowing that each student has psychologiacl disability until it becomes knowledge. thats when the changes take place.
Florence,
Actually, it is likely that you don't need this information at all. As an instructor, you really don't need information about the student's psychological disability so much as you need information about how to support the student and/or manage the student's behavior in class. WHY the student is manifesting certain behaviors is less an issue that what the behavior is and how it impacts on the student and on the rest of the class. Stick to the here and now -- what is the student doing and does it interfere in some way. If not, then the existence of disability is neither here nor there. There should be someone at your institution who is assigned the role of collecting information from the student about disability and letng you know if there is some accommodation necessary.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Hi. It's important not to draw conclusions about a person with psychological disabilties because you could be wrong. More important, if you are not a psychologist, psychiatrist or trained to make psychological observations, you could misunderstand or mis-diagnose the condition of the student. It's best to get this information from someone who is trained or has experience or credentials to make these kinds of psychological assessments.
Russell,
The question of self-fulfilling prophecy certainly arises here. If we EXPECT students to perform in a given way, we are likely to interpret their behavior as something that fits those expectations. Better to approach every student as capable and prepared for the rigors of college study until they demonstrate something else!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
It's important for us as faculty to always have an open mind about any and all students in our classrooms. We never know what positive or lasting learning experiences we can help a student have. If we prejudge based on a psychological disability, we are limiting our student through our bias.
Dr. Faulk
Shana,
Absolutely. Our job is to deal with what we see, not what we interpret from what we see. Stick with the behavior and not the cause (real or imagined!).
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I have had students in class with cognitive disabilities. Sometimes as an instructor you can misread their physical reactions or lack of reactions because of a students disability. I think it is very important to treat all of the students fairly. We must leave out all sorts of "judgements" that we might let creep in when dealing with students with disabilities. Teach the information to all students and provide additional accommodations to those who need it.
Nicole,
That is a great strategy -- stick to the facts and discuss what happened without judging what happened. Sounds as though you are very adept at handling (and defusing) such situations.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Instructors should avoid drawing conclusions about student's psychological disabilities because that can lead to stereotyping or incorrectly characterizing that student. If their behavior is disrupting the learning process for them or others then I would write down a factual, impartial description of their behavior and find time to discuss the issue with that student in private. I have a close family member that suffers from psychological disabilities and this makes me very proactive and supportive with students that have psychological disabilities.
Erika,
I think perhaps the key is to focus on the behavior and not tailor your response to a cause, but to an observed behavior. While it is good to know that such things exist and that students with these difficulties are covered under the law, it is more important to not make assumptions on the basis of labels, but to assume only what you can/do see.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I agree, I feel that it is important to not speculate. Not only do I have students with psychological disorders but friends and family members as well. They can have good and bad days just as someone who does not have a disorder. It is important that the instructor knows about these disabilities so they will know how to approach the situations should an issue arirse.
Sara,
We can't ask for more than that -- a fair chance for everyone. Thanks for the clarification.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I do make accommodations for students with disabilities without hesitation. Everyone deserves a fair chance at education. I totally and completely believe that. I have just run into those few students that make snide or rude comments continually and have been told to just deal with it because they are on medication. I understand that it takes a few weeks to adjust to certain medications. I just don't believe that a disability is an excuse for behaviors that can be controlled. I think my earlier comment came across wrong. I try to be as accomidating in my classes as possible for all students whether it is a physical or psychological disorder.
Sara,
Unfortunately, you seem to be clinging to an understanding of the purpose and the process of accommodation that will be problematic for you, as an instructor, and (potentially) problematic for students with disabilities in your classes. Accommodations, provided appropriately, would not disrupt a whole classroom. Small group discussions regarding the student's need would never occur in front of others, so would not interfere with anything that happens for other students in the classroom. As far as
bending over backwards" -- I am not sure what that suggests. But if your intent is that instructors should not be asked to change what they do, then you are going to find yourself frustrated when the institution tells you that you must do exactly that. Students with disabilities are not being accommodations "just because they have a disability." They are being accommodated because, without it, they would not have equal access to educational opportunity. If you don't do something different, as assigned by the institution's disability services authority, you may be in violation of the law.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I just don't think that a director of the school without a medical background can detemine what needs to be done for individuals with disabilities without disrupting a whole classroom. I think that students with disabilities do need some special attention and special arrangements, but not at the expense of the educator. Special needs can be met with small group dicussions, but this shouldn't interfer with the rest of the class being able to learn and move on. I also don't think that as instructors we should have to constantly bend over backwards for students "just because they have a disability." Yes I do think that special accomidations need to be made, but I think it should be a two-way street between the instructor and the student.
Sara,
I like the idea of having a joint conversation with the student and, perhaps, the disability "expert" regarding what kind of support is needed. But I want to make sure you don't confuse the role of that expert in general circumstances. They can be helpful in facilitating a conversation with the student regarding possible support and arrangements in the classroom. But determining specifically was (at a minimum) MUST be done to assure equal access is, very often, exactly the assigned role of that individual. They have both the authority and responsibility to make those decisions on behalf of the institution and the student.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
By drawing a conclusion on what you observe, you don't have all the puzzle peices. I think that it is very important to have the staff and students sit down together to figure out what they need to heop them achieve their goals. You can have on person telling you what to do and how you should handle each situation, but is that their take on the information given or is it actual information. I don't think that one person sitting in an office can tell you how to interact with students who have a disability unless he is in the classroom environment trying to teach on everyone's level. Adapting to student's disabilities is an ever changing cycle that needs constant updating. It's not just a one time fix.
A diagnosis is really just a starting point for professionals to determine what course of treatment or accomodation is appropriate for an individual. The key here is the term "individual". Each person will have his or her own set of challenges, strengths, and weaknesses that they bring to the table. It is our job as instructors to work with them to determine how to help them succeed.
Trish ,
I am glad to hear that you are taking a team approach to determining how best to provide support to students. That means that individual faculty are not left with the responsibility for independently trying to determine a course of action, AND it means that students receive a kind of "seamless" blanket of support.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
