Reflection of Film

While watching the video on learning disabilities for this weeks class, I found myself continuously thinking and reflecting on the tendency of teachers to both find comfort and control in their position of authority, as well as rely on punitive measures or external rewards when students, in the case with learning disabilities do not behave or respond according to what the teacher has declared as acceptable. This was demonstrated in various different sections of the film. When the teacher was speaking about the effect of perception on student behavior, he demonstrated how teachers have the tendency to respond in punitive ways when they assume a student is not paying attention or when a student doesn't respond in a manner that the teacher has decided he/she must, but students often are not aware of why they are being punished because of a difference of perception. Another section of the film demonstrated  4 ways that teachers often respond when a student is not able to answer a specific question. 

1. Teachers often tell students to look harder 

2. Offer to give the student something if they are able to come up with the answer

3. Teacher begins taking things away

4. Teacher blames the victim, tells student that they are not trying hard enough. 

This is yet another example of teachers tendency to react to students who do not comprehend, a focus on punitive measures and external motivators, however as shown in the movie, students with learning disabilities are not lacking motivation. 

Lastly, a quick note that was just briefly mentioned in the film stood out to me as being a very important  critique of the environments of many classrooms. The teacher presenting in the video mentions how students are often discouraged to take risks in the classroom in fear of what will happen if they get an answer wrong. He talks about how this specifically relates to students with learning disabilities, and mentions that these students are less likely to take chances later on in life because of this. I think that this can be applied to both students with learning disabilities and students who do not have learning disabilities, as the classroom is not often a place where risk taking is valued or encouraged.