Presenting Material

• Students who are afraid can be overwhelmed by large groups and by too much information. Introduce new material in small chunks and try to do it small groups. This may include rotating groups through math, science, social studies or reading stations and then having each small group have a turn with the teacher.
  
  Cuing their natural curiosity is another way to help these students overcome their fears. Intrigue them by starting with a scientific experiment, finding books that match their interests or encouraging them to use math manipulatives.
  
  

Managing Tasks

• Students who are afraid of learning are usually intimidated by independent tasks. They may feel that they can't do them, or can't do them right. Start by breaking assignments into smaller tasks (such as having them do the first five problems on a worksheet instead of the whole thing, or write three sentences instead of a paragraph). Check their smaller tasks immediately and as positively as possible, then have them do the next chunk of the assignment.
  
  For students who can't even start the assigned task, give them an activity they can master independently. If the student is intimidated by double digit addition, start with single digit addition practice. If the simpler task is easy for them, then you can progress onto increasingly harder tasks until they are able to do the classwork. If the simpler task is at their level, the student obviously needs to work at a different pace than the rest of the class.
  
  

Organizing

• Sometimes students are too overwhelmed with handling classroom life, as well as a challenging home life, to be open to learning. Focus on teaching them organization and self-care skills first, before trying to teach them new academic information. Teach them how to keep their desks organized, how to tie their shoes, how to keep hats and mittens tucked into coat sleeves, how to focus and how to ask for help.