Ds1 (12) is at a good comprehensive, all boys. It is a Science Specialist school. Ds does not appear to understand science, although he started enthusiastically enough and joined Science Club. [He has been thrown out of Science Club for being disorganised and disruptive] He is working at a 4c level in Year 8.
Yesterday he had to draw a diagram of the heart.
He tried to do it from his textbook but there was very little information. He imediately said he didn't know what he was meant to do. So we looked on the internet for a diagram. Almost immediately he said he didn't understand, scribbled something down (mostly labelling things in the wrong place). When I remonstrated and tried to explain what each bit was and how heart worked, he flew into a rage and said he didn't care and rushed off to football session. He does his science homework perfectly diligently and hands it in, but it always like this, to a very low standard and misunderstood. And he doesn't retain the information at all for subsequent tests. The marking shows this is a concern for teacher too. They frequently ask for more scientific terms, explanations, proper diagrams, better presentation.
So, we are now in Year 8. He has been like this throughout the science course so far, seeming to absorb very little of what is done in lessons though going through the motions of copying perfectly neatly from the blackboard in class itself. His science tests come back 10/20-ish, but when I look closely I see he has marked things right which are wrong, and the latest test was in reality 3/20. So exhalation is "bad breath" for example. Fishes breathe through their "noses". The heart has two sides so that one side is for "emergencies". Typical thing he has marked "right" in a multiple choice quiz.
We are referring Ds for dsypraxia. He is having problems in all the subjects, less so in Humanities. It seems a simple case of lazy sod, work harder, read text book properly, revise for tests. But he is sooo defensive about it and I don't what what to do next. FORCE him to sit down and listen to explanations (I got excellent science O'levels although I am not a scientist by inclination or ability)?
Or ask the science teacher for special help?
Or let him sink into scientific oblivion and just accept he is a dud at this subject.? Btw until now we have let him get on with science by himself and do his work independently.
Or could there be some more visual way to explain things to him/get him interested? He likes the bits where they cut things up or cause explosions, just not the methodical bits.
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Is this a problem for us to solve or the Science teachers?
19 replies
swanthingafteranother · 11/12/2012 10:19
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