Those Students are Just Lazy...or Are They?

Sterling says:

We here at Sterling Credentials see a tsunami of challenges approaching the EMS educational system which will lead to plummeting success rates if not addressed.  Today’s students have not as dependably developed study skills and ability to self-regulate as previous students.  Since few EMS instructors have a foundational knowledge in these areas, we’ve initiated this series of guest articles to help educators.  Expect the series to deal with issues like test-taking anxiety and learning disabilities and anything else which might influence how your students learn and, therefore, how you teach.  We’re “in” for student success!

Guest Post by Adam Culbertson

Have you experienced the “lazy” student?  We can not be CERTAIN that laziness was the actual issue.

It was a day like any other.  As John approached me with his finished EMT exam, I could see the look of dejected resignation on his face.  This is a look we’re all familiar with (and dread)—the student who struggles with test-taking.

After every exam we would go through the same scenario–I would ask him if he had studied, and his answer was either “no” or “I tried”.

Then I would respond with the usual, “in order to pass the exam you have to study”.  This time however I said the word that I had never used with a student before (what got into me??) and I told him “You are never going to be successful if you continue to be lazy”!

Sadly, my poor choice of words sealed the deal for John in that course which he ultimately failed.  However, he immediately returned for the next offering, and my first thought was, “why is he coming back if he is not going to apply himself?”

And so I asked him exactly that.  His facial expression immediately changed from happy and excited to a look of distress.  John then asked if we could “talk” –you know what that means; a private trip to the office.

It was then that I realized that I was the one who should have been disappointed because I had failed him as an instructor.

He began to explain that when he was in the previous class that he really DID try to study but every time he sat down to do so he could not concentrate on what he was doing.  This became so frustrating for him that he just gave up and stopped all together.

He then went on to explain about how all he has ever wanted to do is be an EMT but he was worried that he may not be cut out for it.  As we had this conversation, I could see the look of anguish on his face.

How many times have you heard this exact same story?  Has it ever occurred to you that there is more to the story?

It turns out that John was suffering from what nearly 40% of all our students battle and it was not laziness.  John was suffering from test-taking anxiety.  Why couldn’t he concentrate when trying to study?  The fear of failing the exam permeated EVEN his study time!

That fear is compounded when these students realize that they do not have the first clue as to HOW to actually make the material stick in their brains. They become overloaded and cognitively freeze–thus the oft-repeated “I tried to study.”

Many educators believe that students with test-taking anxiety only suffer when it comes to taking tests but it has a much more pervasive effect impacting every part of the student’s perception and performance in the course–the material, the classmates, and even the instructor.  They will often have trouble studying like John did and will  not volunteer themselves in class for fear of being wrong.  If we do not know any better, this can present as laziness.

As educators we owe it to our students to help them be successful.  Below are some helpful ideas that will help in the classroom:

• Try to keep an open mind about all students—be aware of your own biases and how they may color your own perception.
• Get to know your students and their struggles. Do not assume everyone is in the same boat.
• Find out what your students fears are and lay them to rest quickly. This will also help you to get to know your students.
• Be careful with your words to avoid degrading your students in front of their peers.
• Spend extra time on class preparation and exam review. Make sure you are teaching to all styles and preferences of learning.
• Teach students how to study.

Once I realized that it was me who had the problem and not John, I was able to help him achieve his goal of becoming an EMT.  Over the next sixteen weeks I began to adjust my lesson plans and work to help John learn how to study.  The lesson I learned was not to judge a book by its cover because labeling someone as lazy can be a misconception.

Exactly WHAT specific things did I do to help him?  We’ll cover those items in a future post…stay tuned!