Spring Greetings,
Most of you are
back from spring break. I hope you took the time to do the
pleasurable things that re-energize you and you are ready to roll
through the back stretch of the 2006/7 school year. I want to take
this opportunity to thank you all for your hard work and dedication
and give you a few suggestions for motivating the students that have
lost whatever enthusiasm for learning that they may have had.
The most
frustrating students, if my contacts and case load are any
reflection, are the ones who do not want to do anything. Notice, I
did not say “the students who just don’t care.” These
non-participating students do care about many things; some even care
about their educations. They just don’t care about what you may be
teaching. They don’t see the relevance to their here and now
lives. Most have little ability to consider the experiences they
may have in the future if they do not complete the work they have to
do now. Helping them do just that is one way to do motivate them to
perform.
Here are a
few suggestions to help you push, pull, or prod your non-performing
students into finishing the necessary assignments in order to pass
this school years:
1)
Ask questions.
Ask each student or a group of students who are not performing what,
if anything you could do to help them pass. Tell them you know what
they need to do, but maybe there is something you could do to help
them that you have thought of so far.
Be careful to ask this question with
sincere concern. You may have to put aside your feelings of
frustration or your judgment of the student’s character. If you
can’t do that, don’t ask because it won’t help.
You may be surprised when you hear their
responses. Sometimes they have some idea of what they need to be
successful. Sometimes they just need to know that you genuinely
care about them as people.
2)
Describe the future
outcome in positive terms and feeling language.
Instead of telling them that they may
fail and have to take your class over, describe for them how good
they will feel when they actually made it through your class.
EX: Think how good you are going
to feel when you make it to the next grade (pass this class.) Even
if you think you don’t care right now, there is no doubt that you
will feel relieved, a proud that you made. Proud is a good feeling
and only you make that happen for you.
3)
Make a “short timers
calendar” for them.
Soldiers fighting overseas typically
make a “short timers calendar” when they are near the end of their
tour of duty. It helps them focus on a happy future and not on the
fears of the moment so they make them out of all kinds of materials
and they make a visible mark each day. Help them make a calendar
for themselves or put one up in your classroom. Fill in the
required assignments. Make it big and celebrate each milestone.
4)
Set up a competition
between students who are behind in handing in assignments.
Let the students compete for who buys
lunch or washes the other’s car or something else that might work.
Let the winner be the one who get’s the most assignments completed.
Most students fail because they fail to do the assigned work, not
because they fail all the tests.
5)
Tell them that your
success if tied to theirs.
If you established a mutually respectful
relationship with a student, you can ask them to please do the work
so that your teaching record is not marred by their failure. Lot’s
of students will do things for you, if they like you, that would not
do for themselves.
