Students That Fail

“I am a loser.”
“Study is not for me.”
“My brain doesn’t work well.”
“School makes me icky.”

With statements like these
many students
convince themselves
of their deficiencies.

Why aren’t we teaching
basic study skills
and how to approach
subjects with curiosity
and thrill?

Should teachers
simply present factoids
to digest?

Or should we examine
attitudes and behaviors
to see how each learner
can do to their best?

Satoru:	. . . study skills might be taught to young learners, but by the time students reach university, their behaviors are mostly fossilized.
Liao:	How do you know that?
Satoru:	(stammering) Well, it is simply my experience.
Liao:	It's all too tempting to focus on what students supposedly can't do. Perhaps we need to take a closer look at what they actually can do. The window of opportunity might be wider than first imagine.