Teaching and achieving standards of knowledge with the aid of animals

Paper

I am a 2nd grade teacher. Every year, I meet students who show a high degree of restlessness, low concentration, as well as students with various learning difficulties. Sometimes their problems are so severe that they try to avoid tasks which they expect to fail at and don't even attempt to complete them. These students need extra motivation, a lot of encouragement and above all understanding of their needs. I am always looking for methods and forms of work that would help them gain self-confidence, higher productivity and better motivation. This time I decided to try something new, something unusual. Because research has shown that animals have a very special impact on people, I've had the idea to connect my love for animals with my work. I announced to the students that we would get a furry visit in class, but only if certain rules were followed. I had to specially prepare students for animals to be kept in class. We had an introductory lesson aimed at learning about the characteristics of guinea pigs. I felt great joy when I found that children love animals and finally, the day arrived, when I brought my guinea pigs to class. The furballs were warmly received, and to my great surprise, the students followed all the rules we set in the introductory lesson. Because I could trust the students, the guinea pigs were regular guests in our class. Their favourite classes were the ones where students pampered them by reading fairy tales aloud. Guinea pigs, however, not only allowed themselves to be pampered, but were also of great help in achieving minimum and basic standards of knowledge.