Causes & Cures in the Classroom: Getting to the Root of Academic and Behavior Problems

by Margaret Searle

Whether students leave the classroom confident and goal-directed or frustrated and aimless depends on our ability to do two things: diagnose their needs and deliver support. This challenge can be daunting when students come to school with weak vocabulary, poor planning and organization skills, and problems with memory, impulse control, and attention span. Causes & Cures reveals new neurological research about the root causes of these obstacles and lays out a comprehensive five-step protocol designed to help all educators identify and address common student academic and behavior issues. This essential guide provides
* Illuminating case studies that walk you through the protocol in a variety of content areas and grade levels.

* Strategies and tools to help you diagnose root causes and develop targeted, effective interventions for your students.

* Guidance for extending individualized interventions to large groups.
Most of us went into teaching with the dream of helping all our students succeed. We can't let students who struggle wear us down or wait us out. No matter which subject or grade level you teach, this indispensable resource will show how you can help students overcome difficulties and experience real success in the classroom.

Genres: Education, Professional Development, Nonfiction, Teaching, Leadership

179 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to use these strategies in my classroom this fall! According to this book, 5 basic questions will help students improve even if they have attention issues. I want to see this in action.

[Valerie Biggam · Rating 4 out of 5]

📊Good suggestions on how to design classroom based interventions that don’t rely on the constant need for pull out services.
📊Love the flow charts!
📊 Like that there are examples of all content areas and some electives.
📊The problem solving steps were useful.

😳I will say some of the classroom examples went to great lengths on the frequency of data collection that I don’t think would be possible for most teachers. Could be overwhelming.
😳The suggestions in the reading section were a bit general and some are dated as well.

[Alex Valencic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent strategies but nothing that really made me go "Wow!" Also, I feel like the author relies on visualisation as a strategy far too often. While acknowledging that being a non-visualiser affects my experiences (I have aphantasia), I prefer to present students with a wide array of strategies for describing their goals.

[Wes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like the premise of this book. This is the only education book that I have read that says kids cannot. Most have the attitude that kids can do it, they just need more assistance or the extreme books that say a teacher that cares. There are a lot of good strategies in this book that teachers can use though. It gives information on students with 'processing delays' otherwise know as students that you find in your classes. There are a lot of interventions that are useful for a teacher to implement to improve student achievement and perceived motivation. I just cannot get over the fact that the author said that kids cannot. A lot of the proposed help in this book most certainly comes from a laboratory type of environment because in the scenarios presented the teachers has a lot of resources available. These include content coaches and support specialists, that is people with actual specialties (reading disabilities, behavior problems and others) not T.A.'s with assigned job titles. I recommend the book as a resource for teachers with typical kids or for new teachers to discuss with an experienced teacher.

[Julie Ariano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to general education teachers who struggle to understand the kids in their classes who consistently fail to meet their expectations. I think the author does a good job of providing typical scenarios that deceive educators who do not have a good understanding of the impact of executive function on school success, and who often dismiss unsuccessful students as indifferent, lazy, or incapable. As a Special Educator and Advocate, I found the problem solving model a much needed tool to enter into conversations about struggling students where judgements can be identified and removed so the task of working toward a realistic solution can ensue.
A quick, easy and informative read. I highly recommend it.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read. This book synthesizes all the current brain research many of us know (Marzano, Dweck, Frayer), and helps explain how we can help students develop their habits of mind. Specific flow charts of where understanding/participation break down are going to be CRITICAL in my student support meetings this year. The case studies are spot on — I have truly had variants on every single child profiled.

This book is exactly what I have needed when I felt like I've done everything I can do instructionally and relationally and still come up lost. I am grateful to have had my thinking pushed further, and I know my students will benefit.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooof, this book kind of stresses me out - the interventions are so complex and full of data collection and analysis that I don't even know where I'd begin to implement these ideas. I'd like to get my own copy of this to mark up and go over a bunch of times! I mean....it really seems like it WOULD work. I wish this had been the center of an entire grad school or intensive professional development course so I could kind of take it piece by piece and step by step.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book helps educators take a different angle to viewing student concerns. There are lots of charts and organizers, but it boils down to understanding the roots of issues, and knowing your students.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and easy to read. This text makes the case for looking at each individual student's needs and trying to determine the physiological causes of student behaviors which negatively impact learning.

[Meg Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the concept that helping a student can be viewed as not a behavioral issue, but as an issue with executive functioning, and that certain strategies can be helpful with managing executive functioning.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read for all teachers. A friend loaned it to me, but somewhere during Chapter Three, I realized I need it for my own library, so I can return to it for not only the strategies, but also in order to refresh my mindset from time to time.

[SSC Professional Library]

Strategies

[Mills College Library]

371.1024 S4394 2013

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teacher help book

[Happyreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Professional development book - lots of good info.