Motivating the Unmotivated:Practical Strategies for Teaching

the Hard-to-Reach Student

BER workshop attended 12/2/09

Presented by: Chick Moorman

Instructions

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Enjoy!

Index

1. Three most prevalent types of unmotivated students1. Power2. Models3. Connectiveness

2. Strategies1. Power2. Models3. Connectiveness

3. Behaviors that Indicate a Problem With:1. Power2. Models3. Connectiveness

The three most prevalent types of unmotivated students

1. Students who are looking to gain Power

2. Students who are lacking appropriate Models

3. Students who are lacking Connectiveness

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Power Definition: Having the resources, the opportunity, and the capability to influence the circumstances of one’s own life.

A sense of power is about:- Having the competence to do what I must.- Believing that I can do what I set out to do.- Feeling that I can handle what is put before me.- Knowing that I can get what I need in order to do what I must.- Feeling that I am in charge of my own life.- Knowing that others cannot make me do anything I really do not want to

do.- Feeling that I can make decisions and solve most of my problems.

Go To: It’s a Problem if… Behaviors that Indicate a Problem with Power Power Strategies Index

Behaviors that Indicate a Problem with Power:

1. Often stubborn and excessively bossy.2. Frequently act helpless.3. Control through aggression or withdrawal.4. Avoid being in charge of others.5. React poorly to frustration.6. Avoid taking responsibility and blame others.7. Do not exercise initiative.8. Avoid tasks that are challenging.9. Lack emotional self-control.10. Use unself-responsible language.11. Use “give up” excuses.12. Withhold resources that others need.13. Undermine decisions that others make.14. Unilaterally alter rules.15. Take credit for the accomplishments of others (inc. cheating).16. Are excessively critical of others’ accomplishments.17. Have trouble making decisions.18. Don’t follow through.19. Create distractions.

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It’s a Problem If…

Number: If a student does a lot of the behaviors mentioned.

Frequency: The student does the behaviors often.

Intensity: The student does the behaviors with emotionality or to the extreme.

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Power Strategies:1. Choose, Decide, Pick (3 Strategies)2. Please Make a Different Choice3. Use Freedom Phrases4. Stretch, Risk, Challenge5. Risk Pads6. Please Make a BE Choice7. Employ Attribute Theory8. Employ the “I Can’t” Antidote9. Behave Calmly and Consistently10. Move UP Before You Move IN11. Teach Conflict Resolution12. Involve Students in the Process of Evaluation and Self-Evaluation13. Make Yourself Dispensable14. Invite Student Input15. Refrain from Teacher Talk that Escalates16. Communicate Anger Without Wounding the Spirit

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Choose, Decide, Pick Strategy 1

(go to Strategy 2, Strategy 3) The essential strategy in helping students become empowered is

promoting their ability to make decisions. Any decision we can get them to make successfully adds a small increment to their sense of personal power.

Offering students a choice invites them to exercise control and participate in self-management. Choice-making opportunities enable students to experience and see the control they have. When you give students choices you are empowering them.

Teacher Talk: “You can choose to do it on the green paper or the red paper.”

Examples of Controlled ChoicesPower Strategies IndexIndex

Examples of Controlled Choices

1. For language arts, place three pictures on the chalkboard and have students choose one to write about.

2. Make a math assignment that requires completing either the odd-numbered or even-numbered problems.

3. Give students two choices for how to make up work missed while absent.4. Let students make their picture on red or green paper.5. Allow cooperative groups to choose to do a skit, write a commercial, or

create an advertisement to demonstrate their learning.

For more examples, please see Liz

Go to: Strategy 1 Strategy 2 Power Strategies Index Index

Choose, Decide, Pick Strategy 2

(go to Strategy 1, Strategy 3, Index) Use Choose, Decide and Pick to help students see the choices they are

making. In many daily situations children do not see themselves as responsible.

They blame the other person (“He made me do it.”) or they disown their problems (“It’s not my fault.”) In many cases, children are not aware at a conscious level that they are making a choice. Our job as teachers is to confront them gently by pointing out their choices and bringing them to consciousness.

It is time to help students see the choices that they make, and that they communicate these choices through their behaviors. It is also time to help them know that they can make other choices.

Teacher Talk: “I see you chose to ignore her when she teased you.” Helping children perceive the choices they make is important. You let them

know you know they are choosing when you use Teacher Talk that contains the words choose, decide, and pick.

Examples of using choose, decide and pick to notice choices or inquire about choice

Examples of using choose, decide and pick to notice choices or inquire about choice

1. I noticed that you chose to feel angry during PE class.2. I see you decided to staple it rather than use tape.3. What behavior did you pick when the assembly ran over?4. I see you decided to work with Carlos.5. What attitude did you pick when the problems got tougher?6. I noticed you picked words to tell him about your frustration.

For more examples, please see Liz

Go to: Strategy 1 Strategy 3 Power Strategies Index Index

Choose, Decide, Pick Strategy 3

Use Choose, Decide, and Pick to formulate consequences Students don’t always see the connection between the choices they make

and the results which follow. By using Teacher Talk that includes choose/decide/pick you help them take ownership for the consequences that flow from their choices.

“If you choose to do it on the wrong side again, you’ll be deciding to do it over.”

“If you decide to bring you library books back by Monday, you’ll have chosen the opportunity to check out another book.”

It’s not the severity of the consequences, it’s the certainty of them (you can’t give in!).

Go to: Strategy 1 Strategy 2 Power Strategies Index Index

Power Strategy 2: Please make a different choice

“I’m being distracted by that noise. Please make a different choice.”

“Sharpening pencils is not appropriate at this time. Please make a different choice.”

“If you’re standing next to someone you can’t sit by at the assembly without distracting others, please make a new choice.”

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Power Strategy 3:Use Freedom Phrases

Use the Freedom Phrase “you decide” when the answer to a student’s question would be yes. If it is not okay for the student to do what they are asking, simply say no.

Using this phrase places the decision-making responsibilities on the students and frees the teacher from the authoritative role.

Examples of Freedom PhrasesIndex

Freedom Phrases

You decide. It’s up to you. You choose. You can pick. You get to decide. You make that decision. I’m comfortable with whatever you decide.

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Adding a Condition to Freedom Phrases

Through adding a condition to a Freedom Phrase, you help students develop their decision-making ability.

Regardless of the phrase you use, the message to the students is one of respect. You are telling them, “I trust your judgment. You are capable of making many of your own decisions. You know what is best for you and your class.”

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Examples of Adding Conditions to Freedom Phrases

Q: “May I sharpen my pencils now?”

A: “If you can do it without disturbing the reading group. You decide.”

Q: “May I go to the library now?”

A: “My concern is that you be back here at 11:15. You choose.”

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Power Strategy 4: Stretch, Risk, Challenge

To encourage your students to stretch and accept the risk of self-challenge, add the cue words risk, challenge, and stretch to your teacher talk.

This teaches that mistakes are valuable and useful.

Examples of stretch, risk, challengeIndex

Examples of stretch, risk, challenge

“Thank you for taking a risk.”“Who would be willing to take a risk on this

one?”“That was some stretch you attempted.

Thanks!”“Who feels like accepting a challenge

today?”

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Power Strategy 5:Use Risk Pads Risk Pads are a tool that will encourage risk

taking among students. Risk Pads are simply pads of scrap paper that a

teacher can give to students to try new and difficult problems.

Through the use of special pads with a special name, a teacher will legitimize taking risks and accepting challenges in the classroom.

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Power Strategy 6:Please Make a BE Choice

“Who do you want to be?”

Being gives birth to doing.

Although you may not always choose what you get to do in this class, you can always decide how you want to be.

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Power Strategy 7: Employ Attribute Theory Students who feel unempowered attribute the things that

happen to them in their lives to luck, magic, circumstance, no cause of their own, etc. “She gave me a B.”

Student with a strong inner sense of personal power attribute the things that happen to them to effort, energy, persistence, study, commitment and their behaviors. “I chose a C.” “He studied harder than I did.”

Please see Liz for a variety of attribute awareness activities that you can do with your students.

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Power Strategy 8:Employ the “I Can’t” Antidote Don’t tell kids to “Try.” To try and not succeed

equals failure. Instead, tell your students to:

“Act as if” they know what they’re doing. “Pretend” that they’ve done this before. “Play like” they know what they’re doing. “If you did know, what would you do?”

This is designed to get a student doing, not necessarily doing it correctly. At least they are doing it.

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Power Strategy 9:Behave Calmly and Consistently Do not overreact to the loud, boisterous

students. Their goal is to get you angry so they can focus

on your anger rather than on their reaction in the situation.

They are also invested in having you blow it and then feel guilty.

Liz has a great vignette that shows this.

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Power Strategy 10:Move UP Before You Move IN One important aspect of managing students low in power

is learning to move UP in your consciousness before you move IN with your action.

To insure that the action you take flows from love as well as logic – pause, take 3 deep breaths and actively change your frame of mind before you respond.

Liz has a great vignette about this strategy.

5 Strategies to Move UP before Moving INIndex

Make a BE Choice Before You Make a DO Choice

As educators, we make DO choices regularly.

Not as familiar to many teachers is the concept of making a BE choice. A BE choice occurs when you purposefully choose how you are going to BE when you do whatever it is that you decide to do.

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Talk to Yourself Before You Talk to The Child By paying attention to your thoughts and purposefully

shaping the conversation you have with yourself, you take charge of your attitude, your energy, and your relationship to the teaching moment that is before you.

Using encouraging self-talk is one way to effectively take charge and manage your own mind. This will help you to create the frame of mind you desire. “I don’t have to take this personally. This isn’t about me.” “The behavior is age appropriate.” “Helpful lessons spring from uncomfortable situations. This

situation has the potential to create learning and healing for me and this student.”

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See It All As Perfect

Another mind management technique you can use to Move UP in your consciousness is to choose to see your present circumstance as perfect.

If all your students pass a chapter test, that’s perfect. If they all fail, that’s perfect too. You now have the perfect information you need to design what you will do next.

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Accept That What is, is

If you find yourself thinking that things should be other than they are – that your students should be different, that they should know better, or that you should have done something differently – you are emotionally resisting and fighting what is.

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Make No Assumptions

As adults, we think we know – we think we know why the student lied to use, we think we know what the student is thinking.

Allowing assumptions to control your mind leads to conflict and misunderstanding.

Tell yourself: “I may not know for sure what is going on here. I will keep an open mind. Understanding is my top priority.”

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Power Strategy 10:Teach Conflict Resolution

Help students be aware of how they make decisions. Point out the choices they are making.

Teach and use decision-making processes. There is a close correlation between democratic processes and a sense of power (voting, consensus seeking, using representatives).

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Give students a solution-seeking process:

Teach children to solve problems. Give them the opportunity to work out their own solutions, but also show them methods for attacking problems.

Give students a solution-seeking process: Define the problem List alternatives Reach consensus Implement the plan Evaluate later

Model the search for solutions.

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Power Strategy 11:Involve Students in the Process of Evaluation and Self-Evaluation

Evaluation is a power issue.The one who evaluates has the power.

Liz has numerous examples of how to involve students in the evaluation and self-evaluation process.

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Power Strategy 12:Make Yourself Dispensable

All power-raising activities have to do with turning significant decisions over to students. Class jobs Common supplies Other experts/peer counseling Routines Time management/prioritizing “Ask three before me.” “Someone in your group knows.”

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Power Strategy 13:Invite Student Input Actively seek student opinions, ideas,

suggestions, and concerns on a wide variety of topics.

It matters less what specific opinions are shared and more that teachers simply be there to acknowledge them without judgment.

It is important to develop questions that have multiple right answers: What’s one good reason… Why might they have…

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Ways to Invite Student Input

What would you do if…? If you lived in a world… Paragraph Piles “I urge” telegrams Add-on opinion chains Sharing time Journal writing Rank order Goal profiles Academic contracts Responsibility contracts

Liz has more details about all of these.

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Power Strategy 14:Refrain from Teacher Talk that Escalates

Asking questions to which you already have the answer: Do you know where your seat is? What did I just tell you?

Such questions are thinly veiled accusations that require no answer, and these questions tend to be smacked with ridicule and sarcasm.

If your intention is to show irritation or frustration, openly state that you are irritated or frustrated to the student.

If your intention is to remind students of something, come right out and remind them.

Deliver your message in clear, direct, respectful language.

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Power Strategy 14:Refrain from Teacher Talk that Escalates

Giving information they already have: When you give students information they already have,

such as stopping a lesson in order to tell a student who is late that they are late, you are publicly humiliating the student.

This kind of information: Serves no useful purpose Invites embarrassment, resentment and resistance Accuses rather than welcomes Is counterproductive

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Options for giving information

Instead of “you lost your place,” say, “We’re on page 72.”

At the time of the offense, the less said the better.

Your immediate reaction will reinforce or extinguish behaviors.

Too much attention (positive or negative) will encourage the behavior.

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Power Strategy 15:Communicate Anger Without Wounding the Spirit

Use the describe/describe/describe teaching technique:

Describe what you see or hear. Describe what you’re feeling (one word). Describe what needs to be done.

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Models Definition: One must be able to refer to adequate examples in order to establish meaningful values, ideals, and personal standards

Students with a strong sense of models:- Use models to make sense out of their lives.- Use models to clarify their own standards and live up to them.- Know the standards of performance by which they will be judged and realize how close they are to those standards.- Know what quality work looks like.- Make sense of what is going on around them.- Use their values to guide them.- Look up to and respect positive attributes in others and themselves.

Go To: It’s a Problem if… Behaviors that Indicate a Problem with Models Models Strategies Index

Behaviors that Indicate a Problem with Mental Models Do not respond well to instruction. Waste time. Get confused easily. Sloppy and messy with self and materials. Usually not well organized. Often do not tell the truth (don’t know if it’s the truth or not – not outright liars). Have difficult time deciding what to do. Do not seem headed in any direction. Are unclear about what they want to say or do. Do the minimum amount of work. Often insist there is only one way to do something. May have rigid standards. Often act contrary to ethical standards they espouse (strongly against animal cruelty

and then you find them torturing flies). Confuse impulsive acts with goals they have agreed upon (save money for the prom

and then spend it on a new iPod).

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Model Strategies

1. Use the Teacher Talk strategy, “Next Time”2. Teach how to do things in class3. Make expectations clear and simple4. Use the One Minute Behavior Modifier5. “Because…”6. Give constructive examples of how students can improve7. See one, do one, teach one8. Divide and limit information9. Check on students soon and often10. Create structure11. Be redundant12. Help students get organized13. Demonstrate patterns14. Help students set goals15. Provide role models – mentor and mentee16. Hold students accountable17. Be consistent18. Use visualization

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Use the Teacher Talk Strategy, “Next time.”

“Next time” helps students understand how to change their behavior to meet your expectations.

Ex: “Next time, please let me finish my sentence before you begin talking.”

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Teach How to do Things in Class

Make sure students have a clear understanding of how to do things in class. Spend time teaching (and write out) directions, rules and regulations, train students how to work effectively in your classroom.

If you want a behavior, you have to teach the behavior.

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Make Expectations Clear and Simple.

Anything you can do to reduce ambiguity will help students understand expectations. Let them see, touch, hear an example of “quality” work.

Limit to 3-5 things to remember/do.

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Use the One Minute Behavior Modifier

I love this one! First, you have to pick a behavior and make a

commitment to eliminate it. Then, give it a name – If you can name it, you can tame it!

Example: If a student calls out, you can name it “Illegal Word Burst”. Other examples are “Verbal Violence” or “Illegal Pencil Sharpening”.

See the steps on the next page…

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One Minute Behavior Modifier

When the student does the behavior, say:(Student), that is (name the behavior). Then say, “It’s against the class rules” or “It doesn’t work with

me.”Give a reason (start with word “because”).Then, teach the new, appropriate replacement behavior.

Ex: “Anthony, that’s whining, and whining doesn’t work with me because I can’t understand you and it hurts my ears. What works with me is to ask in your normal voice. Sometimes you’ll get it, sometimes you won’t. Let’s practice.”

See Liz for more examples.

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One Minute Behavior Modifier

The Power of One You need to do this every single time you hear or witness the

behavior you want to get rid of. Only do this for one behavior at a time. Treat each incident as if it’s the first time it’s ever happened –

if you start to get frustrated, you may want to add consequences, such as a “whine-free zone.”

For the example on the previous slide, you would say everything written, then add, “This is a whine-free zone. If you continue to whine, you can go to the whining zone, which is over there, in the back of the room. When you are ready to talk in your normal voice, you may re-enter the whine-free zone.”

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Model Strategies 5-7

5. “Because…”: You should always tell your students why they are learning something.

6. Give Constructive Examples of how Students can Improve: Give specific, descriptive feedback. Refrain from evaluative comments.

7. See One, Do One, Teach One: Make sure to show students an example, have them perform the skill, and then have them teach it! Teaching the skill will make it stick in long-term memory.

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Model Strategies 8 and 9

8. Divide and Limit Information: Divide information into small bits. Presenting smaller units of information increases the number of closure points.

9. Check on Students Soon and Often: The quicker you get to a student to make sure they understand, the less likely a student is to learn information the wrong way. Also, by checking on students often, you are helping them to stay on task.

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Create Structure

Students who are low in models need structure and routine.

- Structure reduces ambiguity

- Reducing ambiguity lowers anxiety

- Lowering anxiety increases learning

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Models Strategies 11 and 12

11. Be Redundant: Repetition is needed for students who are low in models. Also, using more than one learning style is recommended.

12. Help Students get Organized: Use assignment notebooks, checklists, check-ins, routines, etc.

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Demonstrate Patterns

Creative work is often difficult for students low in models.

Showing the patterns in creative work helps these students to produce (outlines, the steps for solving a problem, etc.)

Acronyms help these students (ex: the three C’s of a classroom)

Use graphic organizers for note taking and studying.

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Help Students Set Goals

These students need realistic goals that they have a 70-80% chance of achieving.

Creating a goal and listing possible activities that they can do to reach the goal will help them to produce a picture in their minds of how to achieve the goal, keep track of progress, and celebrate small successes along the way.

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Models Strategies 15-17

15. Provide Role Models – Mentor and Mentee: Bring positive role models to your classroom

16. Hold Students Accountable: Make sure students face the consequences of their behavior. This clarifies the cause and effect relationship between how students act and what happens as a result.

17. Be consistent: Say what you will do and then do what you say.

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Use Visualization

Teaching students to mentally picture a desired outcome helps them to focus on the end results rather than the problem.

Visualization creates a model of a desired behavior. Visualization allows students to do a mental run-through

of an event. Visualization helps students to imagine alternatives to

behaviors so that they are able to choose the appropriate way to act.

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Connectiveness: A sense of belonging, closeness or affection to people that are important to me.

A sense of connectiveness is about:- Being part of something.- Feeling related to others.- Identifying with the group.- Getting involved in and enjoying group activities.- Learning to make friends and build relationships.- Learning to communicate verbally with people.- Feeling comfortable around other people.

Go To: It’s a Problem if… Behaviors that Indicate a Problem with Connectiveness Connectiveness Strategies Index

Behaviors that Indicate a Problem with Connectiveness Make little effort to join in group activities Are not involved in out-of-school activities Spend quite a bit of time by him/herself Are reluctant to communicate Are shy and have few or no friends Are disliked by other students Often actively avoid people or social situations Don’t volunteer to help you Are uncomfortable around adults More often relate to things instead of people Avoid intimacy Talk about family, race or ethnic group in negative way Are uncomfortable about touch or being touched, or may be overly clingy

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Connectiveness Strategies

1. Get Involved in a Long-term, In-depth, Skill-oriented Cooperative Learning Training Program

2. Structure Some Student-to-Student Interaction Time Every Day

3. Use Connective Teacher Talk4. Create an “Our Classroom” Feeling5. Create an “Our School” Feeling6. Reach Out

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Get involved in long-term, in-depth, skill-oriented cooperative learning training program

This does not refer to group work! Presented and structured unskillfully, group work

can lead to alienation and distancing. Develop proficiency in a cooperative learning

model that: Teaches interpersonal skills as well as task skills Purposely includes positive interdependence Teaches how to debrief lessons in ways that help

students stay conscious of the choices they make during work time and how to set goals for the future.

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Structure some student-to-student interaction time every day

Interaction Linker Examples: Tell your group what emotions you felt when I read the

poem. Tell your partner what you see on this map. With your story buddy make a sequence of main events

of the story. As I read this paragraph, listen for words that describe.

Tell your partner some that you heard. With your group, discuss ways that you can change this

display to attract more attention.

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The Three Interaction Linkers

1. Content – Whatever the subject matter is you’re intending to cover.

2. Thinking – Every one of these has a thinking skill in it.

3. Cooperation – Think together with a partner

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Linkers Layers of Rope

1. One Product: If have each student writing their own thing, they are less likely to truly work together.

2. One Material: Only give one ruler, so they have to share and work together. Or, can split one material in ½ and jigsaw it. If we have one picture of a moth and one of a butterfly and need to make a Venn diagram, we have to work together.

3. One Role: Give each student a role, and then have them switch after 5 minutes or so.

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Use connective Teacher Talk

Us/We/OurAsk 3 before meSomeone in your group knowsIs this a group question?

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Create an “Our Classroom” Feeling

A. Add-ons: Group product started by the teacher with students expected to add their own contribution (Ex: My favorite sandwich book)

B. Group Products: Allows classes to bond (Ex: Class mural)C. Group Goals: Builds classroom unityD. Class Names: Selecting a class name produces bonding, unity

and a feeling of togetherness/group validation.E. Service Projects: Helping others together helps the group to build

connectedness with one another.F. Class Meetings: Can be used to activate a sense of belonging

through solution-seeking and decision making.

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Create an “Our School” Feeling

Create opportunities to enhance students’ feelings that they are part of the school: Older class adopting younger class School festivals All-school projects School pride issues

Make a memory: Red day Hat day

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Reach Out

Actively reach out to students who appear to lack connection and feelings of belonging.

KEYS: Reach out when students least expect it Do not require students to respond

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Ways to Reach Out

A. “I noticed”

I noticed you like to wear red/you’re sitting in a new seat.

This is not an evaluation

The real message is “I see you”

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Ways to Reach Out (Cont’d)

B. Let students know when they have contributed to the overall progress of the class.

C. Share your interests, hobbies, activities, and family experience with students.

D. Use journals: When student writes daily and teacher responds nonjudgmentally and without correcting.

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Ways to Reach Out (Cont’d)

E. Use physical touch: pat on the back, high-five, light squeeze on the shoulder.

F. Touch in other ways: with your eyes – sustain eye contact. Do not insist that students maintain eye contact with you, though. Give eye contact, invite eye contact, but do not require it to be returned.

G. Engage in proximity behavior: being in the vicinity of the students you wish to influence.

H. Smile! We all think we do this, but do we really?

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Ways to Reach Out (Cont’d)

I. Use names: the sweetest sound in any language is the sound of your own name.

J. Give symbolic hugs: Note pad hugs, stuffed animals, quiet area, safe desk, stickers with hug themes.

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