I am a mom of two kids with learning differences. My 15 year old is gifted/LD. He has dyslexia and his strength is visual/spatial learning style and ability in math/computers.
I have a question about a comment from his Chemistry Teacher. He said he is worried that my son might be adopting a passive learning style. My son goes in early and stays late but does not focus on the work at hand during this extra time. And the teacher said he waits for help and seems to expect the teacher to do the work when they interact rather than attempting to try it himself. He said that he feels this is slowly creeping up because he didn’t notice this before. My son seems to be drifting toward this passive learning and I am writing here today to ask if anyone can shed more light on this for me. Are there any articles on line? I would like to know how to approach the subject with my son, if at all. He is always willing to heed advice and see areas where he needs to improve. I would like to know if there is anything I can say to the teacher to help him understand my son. Any advice is welcome.
By the way, I am VERY thankful to have such a great Chemistry Teacher who stays after school and comes in early to spend all this extra time and go the extra mile for these kids…..He is truly wonderful.
Lori
Are other teachers saying this? How has he done in school thus far and how are his grades this year?
If no other teachers are seeing this in your son, it may simply be that Chemistry as a subject does not engage your son.
Even if it’s confined to Chemistry alone, you can explore with your son why he is not using the time well he spends after school. He might have something to say about his teacher or about his stance that would give you insight into his reasons for this.