Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Home › Brain Behavior Institute - Session 17 ›

Reply to comment

Jill Bean's picture

Group thoughts on Learned Helplessness

Submitted by Jill Bean on Thu, 07/16/2009 - 11:26am.

Jill, Deb, Shoshona

Learned helplessness:  The children who approach a problem, assignment, situation and immediately shut down and say "I can't do it."  When a teacher sits with them, we discover that they actually has the skills they need and can do the work.  However they continue to react in the same manner. 

Our story for this behavior:  The story teller is activated by an emotion.  The story teller tells the story,  "I can't do it", but the story is not reflective of cognitive unconscious.  We can help them access their cognitive unconscious, but the next time, child responds the same way: the story hasn't changed.  If you tell them their story is wrong, they might simply shut down (percieved attack on their self).

What can we do?  Perhaps we can teach them to inhibit their story teller and access their cognitive unconscious.  But a more effective approach seems to be to help the child tell a new story.  The child needs new experiences in order to create a new story. 

Could trying to associate the situation with a new emotion help as well??

 

Reply

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
1 + 0 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.

Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities

Scanning electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2

Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities has 50 remote-ready activities, which work for either your classroom or remote teaching.

Narrative is determined not by a desire to narrate but by a desire to exchange. (Roland Barthes, S/Z)

What's New? Subscribe to Serendip Studio