An ASCD Study Guide for Doing Poorly on Purpose: Strategies to Reverse Underachievement and Respect Student Dignity

1. The Preface introduces you to Matt, an academically capable 5th grader who refuses to complete schoolwork he finds irrelevant. Who is your personal "Matt" (most teachers have met at least one student like him), and how did you try to make things work for him or her in school? What worked, and what didn't work?
2. When people hear the word underachiever, other words typically come to mind, such as slacker, lazy, or belligerent. Can you think of any positive words that describe students who underachieve? Why is it important to focus on these terms and not just the negative ones?
3. The "Bottom of the Top" syndrome can exist in highly capable students who, when placed in classes with other highly capable students, come to believe they are "the dumbest of the smart kids." If you find this situation in your classroom, how might you address it directly with your students?
4. After you've read the section of Chapter 1 that distinguishes between underachievers and selective consumers (pp. 14–18), consider the students you have taught who might fit into each category. Are you more successful with one type of student over the other? Why do you think this is so?

Chapter 2. A Little Light Research

1. Much of the research on underachievement has been frustratingly inconclusive about what works best with these students. Why do you believe this is so?
2. Joanne Rand Whitmore's experimental program to serve highly gifted underachieving students in primary school is regarded as one of the most effective approaches used with this population. What elements of her program might be incorporated into classes for students in middle and high school?
3. If you were to examine the school records of students identified as "behaviorally disordered," "emotionally challenged," or some other nomenclature used in your district, how many of those students do you think would also be considered intellectually gifted or highly capable? How could you bring those students to the attention of school administrators or special education teachers?

Chapter 3. Getting to A: Autonomy

1. The word dignity is prominent in the subtitle of this book. Why is this attribute so important when dealing with students who choose to do poorly in school and, in doing so, are not providing dignity to the teachers who work with them?
2. A focus of this chapter is the importance of providing students with autonomy regarding what and how they learn. How can you reconcile this as both important and doable when students are not even completing the work they've been assigned?
3. Distinguish, in your own life, how risk-taking and risk-making have affected your academic, personal, and career decisions. How might you share these anecdotes with your students in ways that would be helpful to their own growth?
4. Self-image and self-esteem are terms that are often used interchangeably. However, an important distinction between them is highlighted in this chapter. Have you previously considered this distinction, and is it an important one to remember as you work with underachievers and selective consumers?

Chapter 4. Getting to A: Access

1. This chapter opens with an anecdote about Adam, a high school student who, by most accounts, is a successful high achiever. I say "by most accounts" because Adam himself does not feel fulfilled, despite his outward appearance of success. He gets by academically yet feels hollow inside because he doesn't believe he is learning anything important. How many "Adams" have you taught or counseled? What have you done (or could you do) to help these students see their education in a more meaningful light?
2. Curriculum compacting is the process of eliminating from a student's workload material that he or she has already proven to have mastered and replacing it with a more relevant and interesting curriculum. In your own time as a student—from grade school through college—did you ever benefit from curriculum compacting? How can you make this happen for even one student with whom you currently work?
3. What programs exist in your school that entice students to learn, apart from their regular classes? How can you encourage underachievers and selective consumers to take part in such activities? What support might they need from you if they opt into these programs?
4. How do you teach time management and study skills to students who have never needed to use them before? What are the frustrations they might face, and what can you do to help them overcome these hurdles?

Chapter 5. Getting to A: Advocacy

1. This chapter is devoted to understanding how students can become their own best advocates in making their educations relevant. Which specific ideas from the chapter seem most realistic for you to put into practice?
2. Is there a time in your own life—as a student or as a professional educator—when you have "taken the bull by the horns" and advocated for an enhancement or change to the assignments or duties you were expected to complete? What approaches worked, and which ones did not. Why?
3. What role does the quest for perfection play in your various life roles as educator, friend, significant other, or colleague? Are you able to recognize the distinction between the quest for perfection and the quest for excellence? What are the differences?
4. People often talk about the "pursuit of happiness" as a goal in life—a search for things that make you feel fulfilled on many levels. How is the pursuit of happiness different from the "happiness of pursuit"—that constant desire to learn something new and different? Consider which pursuit guides you more in your own life.

Chapter 6. Getting to A: Alternatives

1. What non–brick-and-mortar school alternatives have you seen as beneficial to the students you've taught or counseled? Homeschooling? Virtual learning? Unschooling? Under what conditions might you recommend one or more of these alternatives?
2. What could happen if the basic curriculum standards for your school were eliminated and students, teachers, and administrators were charged with coming up with a personalized learning plan for every student? As far-fetched as this possibility might seem, what are some of its potential positive outcomes?
3. What does inviting students to learn mean to you? As you reflect on the teachers who affected you the most, what was it about them or their teaching styles that caused you to want to succeed?
4. Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs are becoming increasingly popular in schools. Investigate the benefits of and drawbacks to each of these alternatives to see if either or both would enhance the learning options for students in your school who do poorly on purpose.

Chapter 7. Getting to A: Aspirations

1. Even students who do poorly on purpose have aspirations for their futures. Have you ever asked them what their aspirations are? Have several conversations with students whom you believe fit the description of underachiever or selective consumer, and simply listen to their dreams. Offer advice only if they ask for it.
2. Who are your favorite film, television, or book characters that manifest some of the qualities of underachievers or selective consumers? What might these fictional characters have to offer of value to the real students who caused you to open this book in the first place? Which real-life individuals do you admire who overcame academic adversity and became successful by their own personal standards?
3. Mindfulness, psychosynthesis, relaxation strategies—call them what you will, but these techniques are seen by many as becoming increasingly important to students (and educators) who feel considerable academic and life stress. How might you introduce these "soft-skill" precipitators into an already rushed school day? Why might it be important to do so?
4. Connecting underachievers and selective consumers with adults who love what they do—artists, doctors, carpenters, government officials—is one of the best ways to encourage students to pursue their dreams and goals. What can you do in your school to make sure your students understand the importance of selecting a career (or more than one) that is personally fulfilling?

Chapter 8. Getting to A: Approachable Educators

1. The most important factor in the eventual success of an underachiever or selective consumer is not the curriculum but the people teaching it. In what ways do you encourage students to see you as someone who is passionate about learning and life? What are your passions, and how can you share them in ways that students will be encouraged to explore their own?
2. Ask your students—especially those who are not academically successful—to identify attributes a teacher must exhibit if he or she is to be memorable and important to them. Follow up by asking how many of those teachers they have had, and ask them to describe one who best fits their mold of an "ideal teacher."
3. A lunch bunch is an informal collection of students and one or more teachers who get together every now and then just to talk about stuff that is important to students' lives. Are you willing and able to offer such an invitation to students? It might make all the difference in the world to even one student, and that will make it all worthwhile.

Doing Poorly on Purpose: Strategies to Reverse Underachievement and Respect Student Dignity was written by James R. Delisle. This 158-page, 6" x 9" book (Stock #118023; ISBN-13: 978-1-4166-2535-3) is available from ASCD for $21.56 (ASCD member) or $26.95 (nonmember). Copyright © 2018 by ASCD. To order a copy, call ASCD at 1-800-933-2723 (in Virginia 1-703-578-9600) and press 2 for the Service Center. Or buy the book from ASCD's Online Store.