Tovani: Chapter Three

    Tovani’s focus in chapter three shifts to the masks that students wear. This is continued in chapter four, but that’s a topic for another day. She focuses specifically on the masks of anger and apathy in this chapter and how to deconstruct these masks as opposed to shutting down and ignoring the student’s needs.  

    At first, she lays out examples in a class she once had with a variety of personalities and learning styles/needs and how she handled the fight back. Thinking back on my schooling experiences, I can think of so many peers that had these same attributes, if not found in myself. Students so often hide behind masks; they could be anything. What Tovani emphasizes is getting to know your students as people and as learners will help break down the barriers that they come in with.  

    What does your student struggle with? Not so much with learning, but outside of the classroom? What keeps them distracted? Why don’t they want to read or do the classwork/homework? Is there something going on with friends? Are they behind in fluency levels? If so, why? What do they need to motivate them? What are their interests? How can you play these interests up to get them excited and willing to learn? This series of questions that I just rambled off are the questions that run through my head in a matter of moments when thinking of ways to work through a conflict (mask, if you will). Asking these types of questions would be the first step I would consider when working with sets of students that struggle with engaging in the classroom.