http://www.drdavidgleason.com Just another WordPress site Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:49:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.drdavidgleason.com/independent-school-academic-support/independent-school-academic-support/#comment-468 Dr. Ed Zadravec Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:49:54 +0000 http://www.drdavidgleason.com/?p=162#comment-468 After reading your blog post on falling stars, I'm reminded of a song from the movie Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges. I'm not sure what the song's title is, but the line I'm thinking of goes like this: "Ain't it funny how fallin' feels like flyin'...for a little while?" As you point out, many adolescents who encounter academic difficulty in high school don't see it coming. How could they, particularly when they have primarily experienced mastery of prior scholastic demands? As a psychologist and a parent of two teenagers, I have seen many adolescents struggle with the added complexity of high school expectations. It's so easy for many kids to not recognize the fact that they are falling, or to avoid dealing with it, particularly when they do not understand their underlying cognitive strengths and weaknesses which set them up for trouble. You make a great case for cognitive assessment when such difficulties arise. In my experience, even having an accurate assessment doesn't guarantee a turnaround. However, you correctly point out the need for concerned adults (as well as the student) to gain perspective on the student's struggle and to find the resources which enhance perspective-taking. This post is a good example. I look forward to the next one! After reading your blog post on falling stars, I’m reminded of a song from the movie Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges. I’m not sure what the song’s title is, but the line I’m thinking of goes like this: “Ain’t it funny how fallin’ feels like flyin’…for a little while?” As you point out, many adolescents who encounter academic difficulty in high school don’t see it coming. How could they, particularly when they have primarily experienced mastery of prior scholastic demands? As a psychologist and a parent of two teenagers, I have seen many adolescents struggle with the added complexity of high school expectations. It’s so easy for many kids to not recognize the fact that they are falling, or to avoid dealing with it, particularly when they do not understand their underlying cognitive strengths and weaknesses which set them up for trouble. You make a great case for cognitive assessment when such difficulties arise. In my experience, even having an accurate assessment doesn’t guarantee a turnaround. However, you correctly point out the need for concerned adults (as well as the student) to gain perspective on the student’s struggle and to find the resources which enhance perspective-taking. This post is a good example. I look forward to the next one!

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