One of the specific areas of activity of any educational institution is the individual work with children of the “risk group”, that is, children and adolescents, who, due to a difficult life situation, are more susceptible to stress and threats from the world around them. How can and should a school help such children?
In one way or another, the class teacher and subject teachers, a psychologist, a social educator, deputy directors for educational and educational work, and a director are involved in organizing activities to support children from the "risk group" at school.
Portrait of a teen at risk
A long stay in a dysfunctional situation in a certain way affects the development of the personality in all its aspects.
The emotional spectrum is determined by the development of protective reactions to stimuli. For a teenager, temper, aggression and cruelty, instability of the emotional background become characteristic. Many are forming a closure associated with a loss of confidence in others. The result of incomplete emotional development often becomes superficial in the perception of feelings, inability to show empathy.
The teenager of the “risk group” does not accept moral standards and does not consider them important. In his behavior, he is either guided by alternative moral values ​​accepted in the environment of his upbringing, or is extremely inconsistent.
Physical development often does not correspond to real age. Moreover, a teenager can both lag behind his age norm and surpass it. The same can be said of sexual behavior. There is hypersexuality, swagger.
Almost all children with difficulties in social adaptation have bad habits and addictions. Many have tried some of the prohibited substances.
Usually, lagging behind peers in the development of intelligence becomes very noticeable: children of families at risk are more likely to encounter poor progress and lack of motivation to learn, narrow horizons. Speech is often poor, illiterate, teeming with parasitic words.
Sometimes adolescents from the “risk group” have no parents or do not communicate with them. Most of them grow in dysfunctional families. The absence of significant adults leads to a search for authorities, which often ends up in a “bad” company, that is, in a circle of asocial people who have problems with the law.
Teenagers are characterized by a large number of random short-term contacts without deep emotional involvement in communication. Almost all children have a tendency to conflict.
Identification of high-risk teenagers in high school
From the information presented above, it can be concluded that many of the characteristic features of a child at "risk group" are subjective in nature and may individually manifest as characteristic of the "difficult" age of any teenager.
There are also objective features that, when they are first discovered, should alert teachers (primarily the class teacher).
One reason for concern is poor performance. This is a systematic failure due to lack of ability and motivation.
Regular neglect of school discipline is even more dangerous: absenteeism, fights, failure to complete homework, non-recognition of the authority of the teacher and inadequate reaction to comments.
The supervisory class teacher can make the right conclusion about behavior at breaks and building relationships with other children. Pay attention to the initiator of bullying a weaker classmate or student who is different in appearance (skin color, fullness, etc.). A “risk group” may also include a child who occupies an outsider niche in the classroom and is regularly exposed to ridicule or beatings.
It is clear that the class teacher is not obliged and has no opportunity to control the behavior of children outside the school. However, if he became aware of a child drinking alcohol, smoking, committing offenses or crimes, then it makes sense to consider the inclusion of such a child in the “risk group”.
The task of school staff
Identifying children at risk is the first task of a psychologist and class teacher. It is solved by observing the behavior of students in lessons and breaks, personal communication with students. Most children from the “pedagogical risk group” can be detected by a psychologist during diagnostic tests.
The next step is the most detailed clarification of the living conditions of the child. A social educator and psychologist can join this work. The class teacher in working with children of the “risk group” studies, first of all, the social situation of the child - the psychological climate in the family, the level of material wealth. The psychologist in individual communication with the child and parents identifies possible problems: lack of parental attention, anxiety and fears, lowered self-esteem, etc.
Next, a psychological and pedagogical map of the student is compiled.
The psychologist advises the class teacher and parents on what psychological characteristics of the child should be considered when conducting educational work, and on which methods of correcting behavior will give the best result.
Based on the advice of a psychologist, the class teacher draws up a plan for individual work with children of the “risk group” for a period of time, for example, for the academic half-year. A plan can contain both individual and group events. At the end of the period, if there are no changes in the student’s behavior, consider registering him or contacting a narrower specialist to solve a specific problem in the child.
Psychological and pedagogical map
To compile a map, it is required to study in detail the characteristics of the student’s character, behavior, performance, communication with peers and parents. Ideally, the psychological and pedagogical map should be a systematic information that could be collected about the child.
As for information about studies, it is important to find out not only about the student’s academic performance, but also about his interest in gaining knowledge, about whether he has plans for the future related to any school subjects. You can learn more about the circle of interests by finding out what the student is reading (except for the compulsory literature program).
Among the behavioral characteristics, such characteristics as stubbornness, the presence or absence of a tendency to violate discipline, to incite conflicts (both with peers and with teachers) are revealed. The psychologist conducts tests to detect aggression and hyperactivity.
In communication with classmates, which is studied by direct observation and through diagnostic work and conversations, openness, responsiveness, the ability to empathize, the ability to arouse sympathy are revealed.
Communicative competence and interest in communication can be easily determined by the number of friends and ill-wishers within the class. It may turn out that the child would like to be popular and have friends, but does not have sufficient skill in interacting with peers.
It is much more difficult to correctly assess the situation in the family without direct contact with parents. Although the refusal of parents or guardians to cooperate with the school is a sufficient sign of family problems.
Other obvious circumstances that automatically create a difficult situation for the child include the absence of one of the parents, alcoholism of one or both parents, health problems or disability of any of the family members.
It is more difficult to identify no less significant problems of alienated family relations, beatings, conflict relations of parents with a child or with each other, insufficient or excessive control over the actions of the child. Such situations are usually hidden from prying eyes, and only a professional will be able to identify them in consultation.
Objectives and methods of work
The general difficulty faced by children of the “risk group” is the inability to exist in society. Therefore, the main purpose of working with them is to help with adaptation. Students are explained what requirements and why are presented by society, and what specific actions can be taken to facilitate interaction with people around them.
Many adolescents suffer from the fact that they are not able to correctly express emotions and feelings - this problem is also solved within the framework of psychological consultations.
An important role is played by introducing the concept of responsibility, including responsibility for one’s actions, into the vocabulary of children.
For students with low or high self-esteem, psychological methods are used that help restore an adequate view of themselves.
They discuss the possibilities of self-realization after graduation with teenagers, they are assisted in vocational guidance.
Other significant goals of social work with children at risk, which can be partially achieved at group seminars, are the prevention of offenses, depression, and addictions.
If parents are willing to cooperate with the school, much attention is paid to establishing healthy relationships in the family.
Work program
The responsibility to draw up an official plan for working with children at risk is on the shoulders of the class teacher. However, if you do not formally approach this need, a well-designed program will help to better structure future activities to assist the child.
The program includes the following actions of a psychologist: individual psychological consultations, identification of psychological and behavioral problems, determination of their causes and assistance in overcoming them. A school psychologist can deal with the child on their own or recommend another specialist.
The class teacher takes control of the child's academic performance and attendance. It provides timely notification of parents about the current situation. If possible, the class teacher can promote the involvement of the child in the public life of the class and in the activities of various circles, conduct individual discussions or class hours on topics that are important for the adaptation of children at risk.
The class teacher helps establish communication between parents and subject teachers.
School management is connected to work as needed.
Principles for accompanying children at risk
- Trust atmosphere. It does not matter who conducts the conversation: a social educator, psychologist or head teacher for educational work, first of all, it is an adult who seeks to liberate the child, help him understand his actions and give them an objective assessment. In a conversation, the teacher not only considers a specific situation, but also helps to overcome the fear of responsibility and society.
- The interaction of all teaching staff working with children at risk at school. First, the problems of children in this group require a comprehensive solution that can only be achieved together. Secondly, if a child finds logical contradictions in the educational system applied to him, it loses meaning for him, and adults who imposed it lose authority.
- Close collaboration with parents. A school cannot and should not take full responsibility for raising a child. Even if teachers do everything possible to form a psychologically healthy and adapted personality, their efforts are not enough without the participation of the family.
Risk Group by discipline
Allocate a special "risk group" - these are children who regularly neglect discipline. Such children can be brought up in prosperous families and not have great learning difficulties. However, they constantly violate school rules, do not obey adults, both teachers and parents, can enter into conflicts and fights.
A possible cause of this behavior, which is important to detect in a timely manner, is congenital hyperactivity. In addition to non-compliance with discipline, such children from early childhood show high mobility and may have difficulties with prolonged concentration of attention.
The main advice of psychologists in this case is the constant involvement of the child in constructive activity: playing sports, wrestling, participating in outdoor games. In other words, the child’s energy needs to be channeled peacefully. If parents are interested in the process of education, then with age hyperactivity will take acceptable forms for life in society. In some professions, it can even become an advantage.
If a child from a prosperous family began to neglect discipline during adolescence, then it probably shows that parents have come to lower the level of control and begin to take into account the interests of the children, and provide more freedom.
"Risk group" on performance
It happens that children do not have difficulties in social adaptation, but regularly demonstrate lagging behind peers in academic performance.
When solving this problem, it is extremely important to correctly establish the cause of poor ratings.
Problems in elementary school may mean that parents should increase daily control over assignments and mastering subjects, help the child organize their learning activities, and “join” it. At the initial stage of training, control by the family is mandatory.
If the child is not sufficiently motivated to study, it is important to conduct a conversation with him and explain in an accessible form the importance of the educational process for his future life. If parents are interested in the success of their child’s education, they usually manage to find the right words and raise their child’s motivation to an acceptable level.
It can be extremely difficult for children to “catch up” with their peers, therefore, when adults help him learn the knowledge that is missing, the first successes in themselves become a good motivation for learning.
Finally, it happens that adults need to moderate their ambitions for the child and transfer the child to another school with slightly lower requirements. There are many cases when a diligent child gradually lost motivation, faced with too much for him the volume of material studied and homework.
After changing the place of study, such children most often successfully finish their studies and enter secondary specialized or higher educational institutions.
Communication Risk Groups
If a child with good learning abilities has poor communication skills, then you need to talk with parents. Possible causes of communication problems in a child are stressful experiences or poor family relationships.
If communicative illiteracy is explained by innate character traits, then a psychologist needs work with children of the “risk group”, a specialist will help to identify and correct mistakes in establishing contact with classmates.
Often the child himself does not go closer to his peers. Perhaps this is due to cardinal differences in interests. As soon as he finds "his" company, communication will improve.
Do not forget that the line between "safe" children and children of the "risk group" is a convention. All children and adolescents go through difficulties and at times are in dire need of the help of an adult that is meaningful to them.