UNIT TITLE: Learned Helplessness
Author: Dave Schaberg
E-Mail Address: dschaberg@southsuburbancollege.edu
School: South Suburban College: South Holland, IL
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THEME: Learned Helplessness BROAD CONCEPT: Identifying and Overcoming Learned Fears and Doubts |
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GRADES: Basic Writing/Developmental English in Community College
INTEGRATED SUBJECTS: Psychology and English
UNIT GOALS AND PURPOSE: This unit will provide basic writing students the opportunity to
learn more about narrative essays, sentence boundaries and the concept of
learned helplessness (including two studies conducted by Martin Seligman
that helped establish the relevance of learned helplessness in the field
of psychology/mental health). Since at-risk students, perhaps even more than
most other human beings, have accepted certain negative attitudes about what
they can and cannot do, exploring the concept of Learned Helplessness will
encourage these students to begin to monitor and control the attitudes that
so significantly affect their lives. The students will be evaluated primarily
by the final draft of the narrative essay they submit, which will be word-processed
using Microsoft Word.
TIME FRAME: This unit will last five
weeks (2 ½ hours of class time per week)
OBJECTIVES:
In this lesson, students will:
· Demonstrate an understanding of the key components of narrative structure
· Demonstrate an understanding of sentence boundaries
· Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of Learned Helplessness
· Apply this concept to their own lives in the form of a narrative essay
· Learn to monitor the doubts and fears that exist in their lives
MATERIALS:
General materials and equipment
Textbook containing information on narrative essay writing
Excerpt from Seligman’s work on Learned Helplessness
Technology tools:
Electronic “Smart” Board
“Synchronize” Software
Personal computer with MS Word
Compact Disc: Song “The Inside of My Head” by David Wilcox, from
the cd What You Whispered.
Software Used in this Unit
Brainstorming (Inspiration)
Word Processing (MS Word)
Other software pertaining to
unit (Synchronize, Microsoft Media Player)
STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT:
3.A.3 Write compositions that contain complete sentences
and effective paragraphs using English
conventions
3.A.5 Produce grammatically correct documents using standard
manuscript specifications for a variety
of purposes and audiences.
3.B.5
Using contemporary technology, produce documents of publication quality for
specific purposes
and audiences; exhibit clarity of focus, logic
of organization, appropriate elaboration and
support and overall coherence.
3.B.4c Evaluate written work for its effectiveness and
make recommendations for its improvement.
3.C.5a Communicate information and ideas in narrative, informative and persuasive writing with clarity and effectiveness in a variety of written forms using appropriate traditional and/or electronic formats; adapt content, vocabulary, voice and tone to the audience, purpose and situation.
3.C.5b Write for real or potentially real situations in academic, professional and civic contexts (e.g., applications, job applications, business letters, resume, petitions).
STUDENT ACTIVITIES THAT WILL PROMOTE ENGAGED LEARNING:
Lesson
1: Using Inspiration software, students brainstorm a list of common fears
(e.g. fear of heights, spiders)
in groups. Each group then shares their brainstorming with the whole
class as the teacher continues to
compile a master list of fears. Yet how do we come to fear what we
do? Students are asked to offer
potential causes. Are these fears innate or learned or both? Students
are assigned to compile a list of
their own fears (and doubts).
Lesson 2: After sharing personal doubts and fears (perhaps written anonymously), students are asked, “How do these doubts and fears affect our lives? Are they beneficial, harmful or both?” Students are then introduced to the work of Martin Seligman and studies conducted on learned helplessness, one of which involves caged dogs. (The studies are summarized in Roger Hock’s book Forty Studies that Changed Psychology). The dog study is explained and discussed. Students are asked, “What does this study say about human helplessness?” Students are assigned to write one page (word-processed with MS Word) describing a fear (or negative attitude) they possess, how they believe it impacts their lives and what they believe has caused it. Before the class ends, students listen to “The Inside of My Head” by David Wilcox, which addresses the need to monitor debilitating negative thoughts.
Lesson 3: Using Synchronize software and a “Smart” Board and Projector, excerpts of student work are projected onto Smart Board, not only to facilitate class discussion on learned helplessness but to initiate an informal introduction to complete sentences. The rest of the period is spent discussing these and other examples of learned helplessness. Students are assigned to write “a story” related to the development of one fear of doubt in particular.
Lesson 4: Using Synchronize software and a Smart Board and Projector, various stories are projected individually onto the Smart Board. Thus begins a discussion of narrative structure. What are crucial features of a good story? These features are addressed, wherever possible, using student writing: Conflict, Climax, Resolution.Also discussed are vivid description and dialogue.
Lesson 5: Students revise first drafts of narratives in class using Microsoft Word.
Lesson 6: Today marks the first day of intensive instruction on sentence boundaries. Students are asked to define a complete sentence and create several examples of sentences and non-sentences. Fragments and Run-ons are defined in contrast with what is agreed is necessary for a complete sentence. The rest of the period the class examines run-on sentences, either in the textbook or online. Students are assigned to read about run-ons and do an exercise or two using Microsoft Word.
Lesson 7: Review run-on sentences and assigned exercise(s), then begin focusing on fragments. Students work in groups to write fragment sentences that demonstrate certain commonly misunderstood patterns. Use Synchronize to project each group’s examples. Students are assigned an exercise or two using Microsoft Word.
Lesson 8: Instructor and students review run-ons and fragments. Instructor projects on the Smart Board a prepared writing sample that contains multiple fragments and run-ons. Students are asked to approach Board, identify and correct sentence boundary errors. Students are assigned more run-on and fragment exercises to be done in MS Word.
Lesson 9: Students edit the second drafts of their narratives in class, either individually or in groups, paying particular attention to sentence boundaries.
Lesson 10: Students who wish to read essays aloud should do so. Afterwards, instructor plays Wilcox’ “The Inside of My Head” once again and leads a discussion of the impact of negative thoughts on our lives.
SHARE YOUR IDEAS:
Throughout this unit, students will be asked to share their work, from a brainstorming of ideas to a first draft, to a second draft to a final draft. Of course not all students will have an opportunity (or may even have the desire) to share their stories. The culminating project, of course, is a final draft of a narrative essay (at least 500 words) on Learned Helplessness, which will be graded using the following criteria:
Organization: 33% (33 points)
Developmemt: 33% (33 points)
Editing (Particularly regarding sentence boundaries): 33% (33 points)
STUDENT AND TEACHER ROLES:
The teacher will serve the role of facilitator, creating a safe environment
for students to discuss and share
their doubts and fears (and inspire students to realize how demoralizing
those negative thoughts can be). The
teacher, of course, should consider sharing his or her own feelings
of helplessness and their causes. Students are
expected to reflect on their lives in a sincere and thorough manner
and develop their abilities to communicate via
storytelling.
THE FOLLOWING BOOKS/ARTICLES CONTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TOPIC:
1. Hock, Roger Forty Studies That Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research
2. Peterson, Christopher, Learned Helplessness:
A Theory for the Age of Personal Control
3. Hiroto, D.S. and Seligman, M.E.P.
(1975). Generality of learned helplessness in man.
Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology,
31, 311-327.
4. Miller, W.R. and Seligman, M.E.P. (1975). Depression and learned helplessness in man.
Journal of
Abnormal Psychology,
84, 228-238.
5. Rosellini, R.A. and Seligman, M.E.P. (1975). Frustration and learned helplessness. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 104, 149-157.
FOR ADDITIONAL ONLINE
INFORMATION AND MEDIA PERTAINING TO THIS UNIT,
TEACHERS MAY WANT TO USE THE FOLLOWING INTERNET ARTICLES/SITES:
Title 1: The Learned Helplessness Forum
URL 1: http://www.psych.upenn.edu/~fresco/helplessness.html
Description 1: This page “provides a forum for the scholarly discussion of learned helplessness.” Although under construction, the site includes information on various topics related to Learned Helplessness ranging from “Aging” to “Academic and Business Achievement” to the development of Learned Helplessness.
Title 2: The GRAM: Learned Helplessness and School Failure
URL 2: http://www.ldaca.org/gram/gordon.htm
Description 2: This site presents the work of Robert and Myrna
Gordon, two educators who detail the
prevalence
of Learned Helplessness among students who have little motivation to succeed
in school. The
Gordons quote
Seligman who argues that identifying and monitoring negative thoughts is
the key to overcoming
Learned Helplessness.
Title
3: Eliminating Learned Helplessness, Dependency, Low Self-Esteem and
Low Achievement
URL 3: http://www.foothill.net/~moorek/eliminating.html
Description 3: This site focuses on the challenges educators face
when working with students who appear to
possess any of the characteristics identified in the title.
Title 4: Martin Seligman Abstracts
URL 4: http://www.psych.upenn.edu/seligman/cvabs.htm#ab31
Description 4: This site offers abstracts and a complete catalogue of Seligman’s work on Learned Helplessness.
Title 5: Men’s Learned Helplessness
URL5: http://users.erols.com/afc/learned1.html
Description 5: This article focuses on the prevalence
of Learned Helplessness in men, particularly in regard to
parenting.
Title 6: Learned Helplessness and Attribution for Success and Failure in LD Students
URL 6: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/self_esteem/helplessness.html
Description 6: This article reviews the history of work done on
Learned Helplessness and examines its impact on
students identified
as “Learning Disabled.”
RELEVANT INFORMATION - STUDENTS WILL VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEB SITES:
Title 1: A Brief Guide to Writing Narrative Essays
URL 1: http://www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/OWL/Narration.html
Purpose of Use 1: Provide information on critical aspects of narrative structure
Description 1: This site describes several features of essays
that rely on description and narration.
Title 2: Principles of Writing Narrative Essays
URL 2: http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/narrative.htm
Purpose of Use 2: Provide information on critical aspects of narrative structure
Description 2: This site describes several features of essays
that rely on description and narration and also
offers multiple examples.
Title 3: Escape from Depression
URL 3: http://escapefromdepression.com/
Purpose of Use 3: Provide students with a first person narrative about the author’s struggles with depression and learned helplessness
Description 3: This site details the personal account of Jon Eden
who describes how he recovered from clinical
depression (and learned helplessness).
Title 4: Sentence Boundaries: Test Your Knowledge of Fragments, Comma Splices and Fused Sentences
URL 4: http://www.way.peachnet.edu/faculty/tstrick/quizzes/basics/index.html
Purpose of Use 4: Additional exercises to allow students to increase awareness of sentence boundaries
Description 4: This site offers students a quiz on the previously
mentioned sentence boundary errors.
Title 5:
Writing Workshop On-line: Sentence Structure and Boundaries
URL 5: http://www.dc.peachnet.edu/~drobinso/095/gram_sent_str.htm
Purpose of Use 5: Additional explanation and examples of sentence boundaries
Description 5: This site offers students even more information
on sentence boundaries and sentence structure.
Title 6: Descriptive Writing Techniques
URL 6: http://www.montanalife.com/writing/descriptive_writing_techniques.html
Purpose of Use 6: Provide students with basic information on writing descriptively
Description 6: This site offers brief information on recalling
and describing subjects from memory.