Reasons Why Your Learners Are Not Making the Progress They Deserve
We've all been there. Our learner is making okay progress, but not the amount that they deserve to be making and we can't figure it out. Instead of beating ourselves up or beating our head against the wall or complaining about it to our friends, here are some things that you can try.
In this podcast episode:
Introduction
Possible Reasons Your Learners Aren’t Making Progress
Their skills are not fully developed
They aren’t generalising their skills
Our lesson plans just aren’t hitting the mark
Outro
Transcript of the Episode:
Introduction
You know, what I think is so crazy about this whole teaching situation, especially as support staff, our learners are only with us 1% of their waking lives. If you teach them Braille, maybe 2% of their waking lives. And yet, we are expected to be the experts in their independence. How… how does that compute? How can we even do that when they are with other people or themselves, the other 99% of the time. If your learner isn't making the progress that they deserve to make, let's dive into the possible reasons why. And if they are, if you're like, No, I actually don't need this, all of my learners are amazing. Let's give you some tips to elevate you anyway, because you're already rocking it in that area. Why not use a little boost, you're already here.
And this way, you can continue to increase their independence without burning out. Have you ever seen a burned out impactful teacher? Probably not. It'd be like asking someone to build a new home with burnt trees. When you are burned out and trying to teach, you're using way too many resources and way too much energy just to show up, let alone make a significant impact. Now the point here is to keep you out of overwhelm keep you away from getting burnt out as much as possible. Because often, when we are overwhelmed, when we feel burned out, it's because we keep trying to push barrel up the hill. Like we're saying, Oh, this one skill, I have to try to force it to work, just so that I can look good. Think about that. How much are our egos really involved in our decision making processes?
And if you kind of want to scream at me right now, and you wish this was a two way conversation, you're welcome to DM me and scream at me at Allied independence, Instagram and Facebook. But take a moment, I usually think about that. When we are trying to force a skill, it's typically because our egos are somewhere involved. Either we are afraid that we aren't a good enough teacher at all or we don't want other people to think that we aren't a good enough teacher or we just don't want to write that the student didn't get the progress that they deserved to make on the IEP during progress reporting time. I've been there. And I'm sure so many other people have. Or maybe wherever you and the student or the learner were during their IEP time, or when you were creating the assessment and developing their goals. It's just not where one or both of you guys are 10 months later.
And if you're living through a global pandemic like I am, maybe you knew that’s not to be unexpected. Unless you could have foreseen the entire roller coaster we've been on the past two years. I don't know. But I couldn’t have. Even before then, some years were just rainier than others. And we couldn't go outside as much and I had written all outside goals and forgot that I moved to a new city and there was a rainy season because I came from a rainy climate. But I didn't stop because of the rain. And everybody carries umbrellas and jackets. And I don't I ever had rain boots living in South Florida, I don't think I ever bought those till Austin. Because magically, when it doesn't rain that much, it matters more. And that's okay.
But we have to first look at why we are trying to push a square peg into a round hole. And we have to take a second and just pause and look around. Maybe there's an easier way to get these skills met. That because we've been behind the barrel pushing it uphill for so long, we haven't been able to see the other ways. And perhaps I can give you some ideas today that will help you lean into what's going on and give you ideas to help get you going down stream. Wouldn't that be nice?
Possible Reasons Your Learners Aren’t Making Progress
Now let's make things a little easier for you. If your learner isn't making the progress that they need, look at three areas. Take the time to look at all three, objectively, knowing that this is not a reflection of who you are as a person. And a good, gentle loving reminder that whatever is happening in the present moment is the best thing for the learner and for you. So it's okay, I don't want to put that much pressure on you to have to do perfectly, because that's probably what has got you pushing that barrel up the hill in the first place.
On Instagram, recently, I just posted some of my favourite books. If you feel like you're pushing a lot of barrels up a hill, go start checking out one of those books to help give you a more positive mindset. Because they will really change how you look at everything or in your life in general, because being a teacher is just one part of it. Now I want you to actually take a step outside of the office, walk away from your desk, go on a walk, or maybe think about this stuff while you're driving in between students or some other time. And let the ideas come to you instead of you forcing them. Here are the things to take into consideration.
1. Their skills are not fully developed
Motor skills, specifically are multi causal. And what we are doing is we're combining motor skills, plus orientation and mental mapping skills. We know that they're not going to come about until each component is fully developed. Now, if that's the case, continuing to try to get these skills to emerge by just teaching to the skill is not going to work. I want you to go below this skill, which means might have to start at a deeper level than even any of the checklists that you're using, are going to allow for, I want you to look at where we all start sensory integration.
This is something that I harp on a lot if you know me, because I have found this to be the number one key to increasing my students skills. And I found it entirely fascinating when I was able to take a 13 year olds and test them for an 18 hour reflex and see firsthand, Oh, they can't move their cane because they still have an ATR reflex that's supposed to go away when they're a baby. So is it me? Is it my teaching? Or do I need to start looking at other areas? Do I need to keep nagging them about moving their cane left and right? Or do I need to get them on their hands and knees a little bit more often. Even though getting them on their hands and knees does not on the outside look like I am working towards our goals. But I know that I can see that their sensory integration needs more time to develop.
One big, huge component of our work that often gets overlooked is proprioceptive awareness. Let's break it down super quick. Your shoulder has the greatest range of motion than any other joint. So if your shoulder is not telling your brain where it is in space, or the angle of your arm coming from your shoulder, and then you trace that down to your cane. What happens? You, as an O and M specialist can stand at an intersection and see the trajectory of where learners going to go. Let's take that skill and use it in a little bit more micro level, simply just looking at their shoulder, do they even understand where their shoulder is to they have a good feeling about where their arm is on their body
In a previous episode, just last week, I was talking about how to keep the momentum after a conference. And one thing that I mentioned is that we often think we have to have lots of different ideas after we leave a conference, but really only need like one or two. And that one thing is something that I took away from a conference and I will never not be able to talk about it.
If I could figure out how to teach you the skills that I learned, I would, but they were not my skills. They are not my studies, or my skills to teach you. So I have a hard time doing that. The point being, look way below the surface, look at their sensory integration, look at their body awareness, look at their concept development, look at their ability to do one step commands, how is that all fitting into where they are right now, in relation to their goals?
2. They aren’t generalizing their skills
We can't do it all or expect to do but we can. So within that, we've got two areas that we need to look at. One, how can we get the learner to be intrinsically motivated to learn these skills? Ultimately, it's their life. If they don't see value in what you're doing, you'll be hard pressed to get them to practice any skills when they are not with you.
I was driving in the car with my student who I've now had for four years. I'm very excited about this, because I'm not used to having a student for this long, we have a great relationship. It's so hilarious. And I have loved watching this person grow. Again, I will remind you, I'm not used to have any students for this long. And it's amazing. We were talking about how when he was in middle school, and we first met. Even though he came with a lot of skills, he didn't see the value in O and M. He didn't really understand what it was. He didn't really see why we needed to be doing this stuff. But now that he's almost ready to graduate high school, which is too much for me, it's too much. He's starting to see the impact of the work that I made him do for all these years. Because he get to now want to work. He was like why am I doing this? I do this at home? Or like, I don't go grocery shopping, I'm 13. I’m like Yes, but you will by the time you're 16 years old. I’m gonna be moving on to other things and so are you. And we have. But at first, I would say the first year, maybe the first two years, he was like, Who is this woman? Why do I have to do this? And he barely, like barely walk, barely move. Didn't want to do it. And guess what? He didn't make that much progress.
But now, because he's intrinsically motivated by the fear of independence. He's like, Okay, what's going on? I want to learn all the skills, because I'm going to be hungry and on my own. Yes, finally. Thank you. Thank you, thank you for coming to see my side. And that's just kind of the way it is. This isn't our lives, this is their lives, we have our independence, we got our jobs. But if they can't see the value in what you're doing, they're just not going to do it.
The other thing about generalising skills, though it goes back to them practising when you're not around the other 98 to 99% of the time, is how do we get our team members on board to help us? Oftentimes we talk at our other team members, we tell them what to do. And when somebody talks at you, especially if they come at you in a condescending tone. Does that feel good? It doesn't. But a lot of times, we aren't taught other ways to interact with these people. And maybe we're a little frustrated. Or maybe we're very frustrated because we see the value in what we're doing. But they may not. They may have other things that they need to be working on. And they have other stressors. And because we're not around, they don't see the value. And we don't build the relationships with them. When we tell them what they should be doing instead of listening, it breaks down our relationship with them.
If you're watching Brene Brown, and how she is handling her position with Spotify, and other Spotify exclusive podcasters, it is fascinating to watch this woman walk her talk. If you listen to any of her podcasts, or read any of her books, which I highly recommend any and all of them, it doesn't matter, just go to the bookstore if it says Brene Brown just read it. She talks a lot about leaning into vulnerability. She also has a great TED Talk and Netflix. Free. Amazing. Consume all her stuff. It'll make you a better person.
And here's my question to you. If you have read her books, you'll understand this a little bit more? How can we have an open front while still maintaining a strong bond with the team, our team members? How can we come together for a shared purpose and check our egos at the door? Here are some tips on exactly how I like to do it. And maybe not exactly because everybody's different and every situation is different. But one way I like to do this is by asking before I talk.
If a teacher is doing something wrong, I do not humiliate them in front of their students by pointing it out right away. All be it. I have seen this be effective in the moment. It's kind of like when you start driving slow, because you see a cop car, and then the cop car doesn't come after you and you speed up again. It's kind of like that, how I see this. But we want to make as a lasting impression. And build our relationship up, not tear it down. Because the relationships are the foundation of getting anything and everything that you want in this life. So I like to talk to them afterwards.
And since it's a relationship, I like to take the advice that I got from my therapist about relationships, and see if you can set a time to talk to them within 24 hours, preferably. Like you might just give them a call, text them some quick email, as soon as you get to wherever you're going after you solve the incident and say, Hey, can we set up a time to talk later, say it in a nice way because nobody likes that… that like nervousness. We'll figure that part out. That way, you don't feel like you have to say it right then and there. Or you'll forget that a time with them could be 10 15 minutes could be a quick phone call, I don't suggest crucial conversations over text. But then that break allows you to process your own feelings. But it's not so far away that both of you forgot what happened or sweep it under the rug. Because if they do it once, and they don't notice, they'll probably do it again, because they can't read your mind. And they didn't get a master's in O and M or VI. They got a degree in whatever they got a degree in. They don't know everything that you know, and they can't be expected to.
But doing it this way. And giving yourself a little bit of space allows you to still hold them accountable without making you the bad guy automatically. So maybe the bad guy a little bit. But if you are, that's their ego, not yours. No, let me refrain. If they make you out to be the bad guy anyway, after you've set aside time to chat with them, and ask them their perspective. And then you share yours in a nice, kind, radically communicative way. Then that might be all.
You can't take on their… how they feel about you. And I don't want you to not advocating for people just because you're scared of what people think of you. All you can do is own your part. And if they get upset, that might be their ego, trying to keep them safe. Because nobody wants to know that they're sucking at something important. And ultimately, we all care about these students, learners, clients, whatever you want to call them. We're not here doing our job for the money, we care. And so if they feel hurt, then I just want you to remember that as long as you've said things in a really nice, kind and accountable way, they might just have to process their own feelings. And that might just have to be okay. I say this because I love you. Also because it's something that I've had to grow into. Definitely not skills I had in my 20s.
3. Our lesson plans just aren’t hitting the mark
This one is often overlooked when we are in our day to day. It's not because you're a bad teacher. It's simply because you don't have the right daily plan of action in place to get your learners to where they need to go. We often get trapped in a cycle of writing goals that don't mind up with their actual needs and creating a delivery time schedule that is off. And then we wonder why we are struggling to create the impact that we know that they deserve to have.
Now this is the one where people who are happy with their status quo will often balk at, because it takes extra time and care to really look at not just what the checklists say, but where that learner is actually going, and how you can get them there in the fastest, most effective, most efficient way. What we want to do is create goals that are like a domino effect, and actually make an impact and help get them to the life that they want to lead, not just what predetermined checklists say.
Now, it's totally normal. And it happens all the time. And if you are in your first five years, and you are just like, okay, they got this skill, good, I'm going to go down the next row, okay. That's an okay place to be. There's no shame in that. But the next step is really looking at your learner's lives as a whole. And figuring out what is going to make them intrinsically motivated. What are their actual goals for their life, and then following the processes that we have inside impacting independence, that will help elevate the things that you're already doing to make you a better teacher, and help get you home at an earlier time.
In impacting independence, we go over exactly how to create the right goals for your learners based not only on the checklist, but what they actually need. And then in clarity, our lesson plan membership we give you done for you lesson plans that you can customise in five minutes or less. So you can continue to teach impactful lessons, even on the days that you don't have to plan. We'll be opening the doors to impacting independence and clarity on April 7. So keep your ears peeled for more information about that.
Okay, let's review real quick, if your learner isn't making the progress that they deserve to be making, or if you want to elevate your teaching, let's look at these three areas. I want you to look at them away from your ego, because there's no shame in any of this. Everything that we are talking about today is completely normal. You are exactly where you're supposed to be on your journey. And there's always room for improvement. There's space for you to become a better teacher. Number one, the skills you're looking for just aren't fully developed. If that's the case, look underneath those skills, go all the way to the bottom to sensory integration and start there. Number two, they aren't generalizing their skills, either. They aren't intrinsically motivated, or you need better relationships with their team. Number three, the lesson plans you're presenting just aren't creating a domino effect to bring them to their life goals. And if that's the case, if possible, go back to the drawing board altogether and look at what you're missing. Alright, friend, send me a DM, let me know what you thought.
What is something else that I might be missing? And on which one of these things are you going to do as you take the next step forward and to becoming the next best teacher that you possibly can be? I'm on Instagram at Allied independence, as well as Facebook. And if you want to take a screenshot of this, and share it with your friends, let them know that you are listening. I would so greatly appreciate it. And if you want me to share it, tag me and I'd be happy to share it. I appreciate you so much and I can't wait to talk to you again next week. Bye for now.
Outro
You know that feeling when you've been rushing around all day. Your kids need food your students need to be scheduled. It's five minutes before your next lesson, and you have no plans. Teaching during a pandemic has had many challenges. Wouldn't you agree? One of which being it takes so much longer to plan for a remote O&M lesson, then he did to plan for a face to face lesson. But that's not a problem anymore because my friend we have got you covered. Your Allied Independence community stepped up. And we've bundled together eight remote O&M lesson plans that can be taught virtually or distance all created by your community and customisable to your individual students unique needs in five minutes or less. You want ‘em? I know you do. All you have to do is go to Allied Independence online.com forward slash remote R E M O T E and grab your copy. Eight free O&M lesson plans so you can start spending your time doing what you do best and that my friend is teaching.