How to Educate a Backward Child? | Psychology

The following article guides you about how to educate a backward child.

“The Backward child is one who is unable to do the work of the class next below that which is normal for his age.” — Cyril Burt

One of the problems which every headmaster or teacher of the secondary school has to face in that of teaching backwards children — children who show inability to progress normally in school work. It is being increasingly realized that such children need special care at the hands of school authorities, parents and others. The problem of educating backward children has joined vast dimensions with the advent of democracy in most countries and the consequent acceptance of the principle of “education for all the children of all the people.”

Definitions of Backwardness:

(1) Schonnel, F.J.:

“Backward pupil is one who compared with other pupils the same chronological age shows marked educational deficiency.”

(2) Burton Hall:

“Backwardness in general, is applied to cases where their educational attainment falls below the level of their natural abilities.”

(3) Cyril Burt:

“The backward child is one who is unable to do the work of the class next below that which is normal for his age.”

Types of Backwardness:

Backwardness among children is of two types:

1. General backwardness:

When a child remains unsuccessful in every subject included in the curriculum, he is said to be a case of general backwardness.

2. Specific backwardness:

When the child exhibits lack of progress or backwardness in a particular subject or a specific area of knowledge, he is said to be suffering from specific backwardness.

Who is a Backward Child?

A backward child is a slow learner. He is unable to do the work of the class in which he is placed or even of the class below that. He does not respond satisfactorily to the ordinary school curriculum and to the usual methods and procedures of the classroom teaching. He is not up to the attainment levels in various subjects which are normal for his age or grade. Burt describes a backward Child as one who in mid-school career is unable to do the work of the class next below that which is normal for his age.

His educational ratio, which can be obtained by first ascertaining the average attainment level or age in all the subjects and then dividing it by his chronological age, is below 85 whereas a medium child has educational ratio or quotient between 85 and 155. The main feature of backwardness is educational impoverishment.

The educational impoverishment may be shown in one or two specific subjects or in all subjects or in general. Accordingly backwardness may be other specific or general. Slowness in arithmetic, spelling or history, in learning, reading, geography or science may be due to intellectual deficiency or dullness, but there are many children who are scholastically backward but not dull. Those who are generally backward are dull in all the subjects or intellectual activities, although not equally.

Although backwardness is primarily an intellectual or scholastic condition it is a psychological characteristic that arises from and affects the pupil’s entire personality. It results from a complex of innate equipment and environmental influences. It is tantamount to psychological failure of the total child.

Causes of Backwardness:

Burt, Schonnel and Segal have made very comprehensive studies in the causation of backwardness. One thing on which all agree is that it is a phenomenon of multiple causation.

1. Poor intellectual ability or low intelligence:

Poor intellectual ability or low intelligence in a major factor in 60 per­cent of cases. Some children are born with an inherited lack of vitality or a week developmental impulse which causes them to grow slowly.

2. Physical defects and diseases:

Physical defects and diseases contribute considerably to the causation of scholastic backwardness. These may be defective vision, impaired hearing, speech defects, left-backwardness, chronic catarrh, bronchitis, enlarged tonsils or adenoids, fever, digestive disorders and other glandular affections. Other physical conditions which cause debility, headache and mental fatigue and seriously interfere with the problems of attendance in school and study at home and result in sub-normal scholastic achievement are malnutrition, tuberculosis, epileploid conditions and chorea.

A child was referred to our child guidance clinic sometime back. His father and teacher complained that the boy was doing very unsatisfactory work in the classroom. He was failing in almost all the subjects for the last one year. He lacked concentration and his memory was poor. The case history and interviews were happy and conducive to successful adjustments. Tests of intelligence administrated placed him in the I.Q. range of 110-115.

But the medical examination showed that he was running temperature (which had evidentially gone unnoticed) due to chronic and septic tonsils and adenoids. These physical conditions affected his concentration and memory rather adversely leading to his scholastic backwardness.

3. Again, poverty, poor home condition:

Again, poverty, poor home condition such as over-crowding, insanitation, negative intellectual and emotional atmosphere may not enable the child to do his best in studies. Crowded homes, suffer from one serious defect apart from noise and lack of amenities-they provide very meagre parental contacts for encouragement and stimulation.

Other causes include frequent absence from school whether due to illness, truancy or other reasons, double promotion, change of school too often, unsympathetic, teachers, lack of individualized attention, discipline based on fear, lack of regular and intensive drill in skill subjects, and previous deficiencies which are carried over.

4. Emotional disturbance:

Our experience with such children tells us that one of the important factors is the emotional disturbance of the child on account of unhappy, interpersonal relationships at home or in school.

Recently, a girl was brought to our clinic by her father because she had failed to achieve anything scholastically inspite of his best efforts. He was desperate and wanted help. The girl was 12 year old and was still in class III. She had been sent to a good progress in school for a number of years. The parents had arranged for her a number of individual tuitions as well. Her health status was very satisfactory.

After a couple of interviews with her parents and with her, we administered a couple of intelligence tests on her and found to our surprise that her I.Q. was above 110. The case history material, the data collected from interviews and other teaching showed that the girl was suffering from a sense of terrible insecurity and inadequacy. The child was unwanted by both the parents.

The mother managed at her constantly and made invidious companions with her younger brother who was about 5 years old. Father did not take much interest in her studies and pursuits because of the nature of his job. The intra-parental conflicts over the method of discipline and other matters were frequent and took place in the presence of the children. The girl disliked the mother to such an extent that she turned disobedient and stubborn and resented all suggestions from her including that of studies.

5. The influence of neighbourhood:

The influence of neighbourhood is another factor which might contribute to the problem of educational sub-normality in children. Companions may colour their outlook on life, on work or studies. In some questions, for example, boys regard it as more manly to profess a distaste for books and lessons. They express scorn for the teacher and make fun if “learning” or “conscientiousness in studies”. Such attitudes will damp the enthusiasm of a conscientious student in his efforts to study.

Children who belong to rural areas are likely to acquire attitudes of indifference to matters of study from their parents whose motivations are not favourably inclined towards sending children to school.

All these causes are operative even in specific backwardness, although Schonnel has pointed out to specific causes explaining specific types of backwardness. Backwardness in reading, For example, may be attributed to weakness in perception of visual pattern of words, weakness in auditory discrimination of speech sounds, adverse emotional attitudes, defects of visual acuity, organic immaturity etc.

Similarly, backwardness in spelling has been ascribed to weak visual perception of verbal material, weak auditory perception of verbal material, visual defects, inattention, defective hearing, speech defects and others.

How Do We Discover and Diagnose Backwardness?

A teacher should be a keen observer to be able to say whether a particular child is backward or not. Besides the ability to observe, he needs to have an understanding of other diagnostic techniques. For ascertaining general intelligence we can depend on standardised, verbal and un-verbal individual tests of intelligence.

For assessing sensory acuity, span of perception, steadiness, speed and accuracy of head movements, other tests may be used. Tests of temperament and personality may be useful in ascertaining persistence, assertiveness, attention to details, concentration, attitudes to authority towards school work and emotional stability.

Even projective techniques of personality may be used for assessing conflictual situations and their causes. Standardised attainments tests in various subjects are found useful in forming a correct estimate of the child’s actual attainments in a particular subject as compared to other children.

Observation of the child’s mind at work under simple and controllable conditions in the classroom may be very much needed for diagnostic purposes. His recreational, occupational and extra-curricular interests may also be ascertained through observation and interviews.

A knowledge of his physical and medical check-up results, of home conditions, of family constellation, parental attitudes of the type of discipline prevailing, the cultural activities encouraged and the general moral tone of the home may also be useful in understanding the causes.

Educational Guidance of the Backward Child:

In order to help educationally a backward child, it is necessary to find out, at first, the cause or causes of his backwardness. Once the cause or causes have been discovered, we should plan an integrated course of action with a view to educating him.

The school doctor, parents, teachers, a visiting teacher, if any, a school social worker if any, the school counsellor or psychologist all should work together in order that the correct causes are discovered and remedies are made available.

Many of the lessons learned by children have to be unlearned, before they can understand the advanced subject-matter. For this “remedial teaching” is needed which can be done either with an individual or with a small group of children.

The following are some suggestions that have been found useful in guiding backward pupils in the learning-teaching process:

(1) Slow learners require short and simple methods of instruction based on concrete living experiences with concrete materials. Verbal instruction should be reduced in their case as much as desirable. The use of educational excursions, dramatisation, projects, play activities or games and other audio-visual materials will be very profitable along with appropriately graded material.

(2) Habits of success must be developed if the child is to retain that self- confidence which is so vital to him. The teacher should lead him very slowly, making sure that each step is thoroughly mastered before the next is introduced. Trying to cover ground too fast will only create confusion in the child’s mind and discourage him completely. This discouragement will make it practically impossible for him to learn even what is within his power.

(3) The desired outcomes should always be kept in mind. Interesting but unimportant matters may be given brief attention; more energy should be expended on that which is important and essential. Certain abstract technicalities which characterise each subject should be excluded for the backward child.

(4) They should be encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities of the school according to their interests and abilities.

(5) Individual attention should be paid to such matters as health, social conditions, school attention, and teaching methods.

(6) The class-work should stimulate all the senses-The class-teacher should seek the help of specialists if possible, to remedy the defects of speech, hearing and sight.

(7) There must be much more individual instruction than is necessary for normal children.

(8) The teacher must have great patience, and a firm determination. Never to be discouraged, while at the same time clearly recognising the child’s limitations. Moreover, the teacher must respect the child. If he or she looks down upon him as being inferior because he will not attain what the average child can, then he cannot give him what he needs and is likely to be doing him real harm. A backward child needs praise, continuous help, sympathetic consideration of his difficulties and sustained interest on the part of his teacher.

(9) When a number of backward pupils are found together, a class may be organised specially for such cases. Sometimes such children may be retained longer in lower grade or may be specially sent to lower grade for learning skills which they lack.

(10) In the education of backward children, discipline should be as free as possible. Character training rather than mere intellectual tuition should be given greater importance than is actually given.

(11) In the time-table for the backward class the old lines of demarcation between one subject and another should be dropped or cut across. The syllabus to a large extent, will have to be planned in terms of projects rather than of subjects. The same flexibility should characterise other aspects of school organisation. The school should be so organised that there is plenty of activity and reasonable freedom of movements of the backward pupils.

(12) A special medical checkup should be arranged at the outset and facilities should be available for remedying the ailments or defects so discovered.

(13) In the case of backward pupils who have temperamental and emotional difficulties, no effort should be spared to bring about their readjustment in the home or in the school. Parental education which aims at changing wrong parental handling, a system of social science which aims at improving the medical and social environment at home and outside, can go a long way in such cases. The child guidance clinics play a vital role in this area to help the backward child.

(14) In the case of specific backwardness in specific subject area, remedial teaching has proved profitable. The remedial programme has to be planned according to the deficiencies shown by the diagnostic tests in the various processes, steps of learning and the various elements constituting the subject.

To illustrate, let us take the example of a child who has difficulty in reading or who is found to be word-blind, correct usual habits have to be built up so that the particular difficulty is overcome. Correct speech sounds have top built up in the mind of a child whose spelling mistakes are due to “word-deafness” or to an inability to comprehend the symbolic meaning of spoken words.

A programme of remedial teaching develops each pupil to the limits of his or her potential ability rather than pulls him towards the similarity of achievement as attained by others. At best it is an individual matter with different standards of achievement to be attained for different individuals. The cooperation of the specialists is highly necessary in dealing with specific backwardness.