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Lecturers tend to throw formulas to students, expect them to memorize, reproduce and apply in

solving word problem. Where is the conceptual understanding?;

Students can underachieve due to lecturers poor attitudes, such as lateness to class, wasting time
in class by telling irrelevant stories or jokes, giving impromptu quizzes and even being bad-tempered.

Moreover, the statistics on the variable gender indicated that female students performed better than
their male counterparts in all the four underachievement Mathematics courses.

, this study showed that female students outperformed male students in all the underachieved
Mathematics courses. Gender played a role in affecting the course marks of underachieved
Mathematics courses.

self-confidence plays an important role in accounting for academic achievement. From a teachers or
a schools point of view this is an encouraging outcome, since self-efficacy and self-confidence are
features that can be enhanced by specific intervention; in fact research into educational psychology
(e.g. Fencl & Scheel, 2005) shows that teachers can improve students self-confidence and self-efficacy
by means of specific teaching methods such as engaging students in a creative manner and using
collaborative learning or inquiry-based activities.

1. Orientation. Students develop an understanding of their abilities, skills, interest, and learning styles.

2. Enrichment activities. Students are exposed to a wide range of content areas, including cultural
activities and field trips, and discuss their emerging interests.

3. Seminars. Students explore topics of interest in small groups.

4. Individual development. Students learn skills for problem solving, goal setting, creativity, and self-
assessment, as well as knowledge about careers and interpersonal skills.

5. Indepth study. Students pursue their individual interests and become producers of knowledge,
often conducting original research.

If technology is to be integrated into the classroom and play a significant role in educational reform,
teachers need to be prepared to use emerging technological devices in ways that will facilitate
teaching and learning.

), in future, teachers will have an even more important role as they increasingly function as learning
facilitators, helping students to grasp and select among all information available. The general standard
for all teachers therefore has to do with the competency of developing the knowledge and skills in
learning technologies to be able to appropriately and responsibly use the tools, resources, processes
and systems and to be able to retrieve, assess and evaluate information from various media. The
competent science teacher will use that knowledge along with the necessary skills and information to
assist learners in solving problems, communicating clearly, making informal decisions and in
constructing new knowledge, products or systems in diverse learning environments .
This is crucial because today, an average Caribbean science, technology and mathematics teacher is
below the minimum in the knowledge required for his or her discipline. Most of the older teachers do
not make efforts to update their knowledge and competence and most of the younger teachers are ill
prepared.

Pressure by parents and schools to achieve top scores has created stress levels among
students
Income is often a key predictor of academic achievement because low-income families seldom
have the resources to purchase extra study materials or tutorial classes that may help their
children do better in school.

Well meaning parents who place a high priority on educational achievement sometimes put too much
pressure on their children to achieve in school. "Counteridentification" may result, where a parent overly
identifies with the successes and failures of a child. In this situation, the parent may almost be living
his or her life through the child, and the child may feel he or she could never live up to parental
expectations. Many times, one child in such a family will become a high achiever while the other will
rebel against the pressure to succeed and will be an underachiever.

Many children, especially children who have demonstrated a high potential for learning, are involved in
too many extra-curricular activities. There are some children who spend every afternoon and evening
in one activity or another and then attempt to do their homework late at night. Not only are such children
stressed out by having too much of a good thing, many also become underachievers because they
cannot keep up such a frantic pace.

For parents, being an encourager of educational achievement without exerting undo pressure requires
striking a delicate balance. There is no magic "balancing formula", thus each parent has to decide
where that point of balance needs to be with each child.

Causes of Underachievement
There are home and school causes of underachievementusually occurring in combination.
Overempowerment and "adultizement" can be important causes, especially for first and only children,
children in single-parent households, or children of difficult divorces. Gifted children are also at risk of
being given too much power too soon. Early health problems can also be a risk factor.
Lack of challenge or too much challenge in the classroom can cause problems, as can the
overcompetitive or undercompetitive classroom. Children may say they are bored at school, but the
term "boring" may also mask feelings of inadequacy.
Pressures that children internalize can also initiate problems. Sometimes those pressures stem from
uneven abilities. Extreme praise by parents or teachers can also cause children to believe that adults
expect more of them than they can produce. Perhaps the self-esteem movement has gone too far.
Perfectionism can cause impossible feelings of pressure. Peer relationships can even cause
pressures notto achieve. Informal labeling of the children within the family, such as "the smart one,"
"the jock," "the creative one," or "the social one," can cause competitive pressures.
Contradictory messages by parents are a major source of underachieving. If parents differ in their
expectations, children learn escape and avoidance. A most lethal cause of student underachievement
is parents' lack of support for schools and teachers. Disrespect for education by parents sabotages
educators' power to teach.

educators, we must accept our leadership responsibilities. If we can build children's confidence and
competencies, we can empower them gradually as they grow in maturity and wisdom.

Help underachieving students set realistic goals that they can eventually reach. Avoid comparing
students to others in a competitive atmosphere. Stress your belief that these students can be
successful and that you believe they have the potential to do well. Help students recognize their
achievements by helping them set and measure their own goals

GAMES
Over the last five years, I have had the opportunity to examine the influence of academic games in a
variety of classes and subject areas. I have been involved in more than 60 studies conducted by
classroom teachers on the effects of games on student achievement. 1 These studies showed that, on
average, using academic games in the classroom is associated with a 20 percentile point gain in student
achievement. This is a relatively strong finding.

Target essential academic content. If games do not focus on important academic content, they will have
little or no effect on student achievement and waste valuable classroom time. The most efficient way to
maintain an academic focus is to organize games around important terms and phrases. For example,
during a unit on dance moves, a dance teacher might identify terms and phrases such as axial
movement, line of gravity, movement phrase, and nonlocomotor movement. Questions and answers
would involve information important to these terms and phrase

I have used a wide variety of games* as instructional tools in my classroom. I have never had a
student ask Why are we playing games? Instead, students usually ask, Can we play this again
soon?

Although this can be very challenging and time consuming, interactive, collaborative and competitive
games tend to motivate and encourage student participation in the learning process

Psychologists inform us that play is not just a filling in of an empty period, or just a relaxation or leisure
activity, but it is an important learning experience.
Flash card

When introducing science terminologies to young learners, its great to use real items that capture
childrens attention. However, its not always possible or realistic for teachers to use real items in the
classroom. Flashcards can be a great way to introduce new vocabulary so that learners have a very
clear understanding of the word or concept.

When using flashcards or picture cards to introduce science terminologies in the classroom, try to create
some suspense or mystery about the cards. Students are more receptive to learning when they are
curious. Rather than just flipping through the cards and having students repeat the words, incorporate
the cards into activities. This will help students be more invested and more likely to remember the words.
Back to the chalk and talk teaching method, actually teachers still can use this method by adding
some improvement in some aspects. For example, we encouraged teachers to have a sense of humour
as it can enliven the class from time to time, especially during long lessons. Besides, teachers can also
verify constantly if your students are following you by asking them and adding extra information. By
doing this, the learning process will..

When students are the ones discovering there is a risk of omitting focal points. Teachers have to be
aware of guiding them in a different way, not explaining directly but checking their work

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