Dear colleague,
I'm writing to see if we might help one another out. Would you be willing to describe for me a student you are working with who appears to not care about the work of learning? In your description, be sure to:
- Protect the student's anonymity.
- Describe what you've tried to do to help the student care about the work of learning.
- Describe what the student has said or signaled regarding their specific reason(s) for being demotivated.
What I'll do is examine each workable scenario I receive and propose methods or approaches that may help in cultivating motivation within that student's heart.
Best,
DSJR
Stephanie says
I have an eighth grade student that I’ve been encouraging to participate more in his own education. He argues with me that I should just let him draw. He tells me that all his other teachers have just let him draw because then he doesn’t cause trouble. He does indeed create disturbances with other students if he isn’t drawing. I believe this is also work avoidance. I’ve tried to give alternatives — drawing the scene of the book for the hero’s journey rather than a narrative retelling. But there is only so much I can do and my feeling is that if he keeps avoiding the work — he keeps avoiding the work.
Dave Stuart Jr. says
Stephanie, I’ve got this scheduled as a blog post for later in the fall. But, just in case you’re reading, I wanted to share some of what I wrote right here:
>>Analysis: What’s Happening with this Student
Here’s I’ll just pull lines from Stephanie’s submission and share what I’m seeing:
> I’ve been encouraging to participate more in his own education. Each attempt at encouraging a student like this is a signal to that student that you care about their development. This builds Credibility.
> He tells me that all his other teachers have just let him draw because then he doesn’t cause trouble. If this is true — and we can’t be sure that it is — then it’s bad for the default Credibility that this student will bring to all of his classes. He’s learned that teachers care more about order in the class than they do about him actually learning.
> He does indeed create disturbances with other students if he isn’t drawing. I believe this is also work avoidance. I agree that it sounds like work avoidance. This lends credence to the claim that other teachers allow the student to draw as a sort of unspoken “peace treaty”: you get to draw, I get to run this classroom without your disruptions.
> I’ve tried to give alternatives — drawing the scene of the book for the hero’s journey rather than a narrative retelling. But there is only so much I can do. I love the effort here. However, I don’t think that recasting assignments is necessary for cultivating more motivation.
> My feeling is that if he keeps avoiding the work — he keeps avoiding the work. Yep. And: if he keeps avoiding the work, he will keep not growing toward mastery.
In terms of the Five Key Beliefs, this is what’s going wrong:
> Credibility is a problem because teachers have allowed the work avoidant behavior to persist.
> Value is probably the biggest problem here, for a couple reasons: 1)Drawing holds a very HIGH value for the student, and when drawing is always an option then the work of learning is always going to pale in comparison. Its this “always an option”-ness of drawing that makes it a harder thing in situations like this than, say, it would be if the student was instead highly Valuing playing video games. Video games aren’t at hand during the school day, and so even though video games may be highly Valued for many of our students, during class we’re not competing with video games because they’re not there — the context is video game-less. 2) If other teachers are really letting the student draw instead of work, they are signaling to the student that the work really isn’t that Valuable.
> Effort and Efficacy are obscured for us. It is likely that the student doesn’t know what good effort looks like and that the student has experienced past failure. BUT: we can’t know for sure because right now we’re just trying to get the student to engage with work.
> Belonging is likely a problem, too. Though we don’t have any student language in Stephanie’s comment, it’s likely that the student would tell us that they just don’t fit into school, that school’s just not for them, that they are not a school person, etc. In other words: we’d get language that indicates that his sense of self — his identity — is not aligned with the context of school.
So: what do we do?
>>Action: What to Try with this Student
A key strength of my approach to student motivation is rather than needing to differentiate for each individual student you can instead blanket the whole class with regular high-leverage strategies (e.g., Woodenizing effective effort, unpacking assessment outcomes, turning your class into a feast of knowledge) that lend themselves to self-differentiation. (To see the ten strategies I include in my book, check out the Table of Contents here.)
But with particularly challenging students like our Drawer friend, targeted interventions are needed. I’d recommend three things:
1) First, conduct a 2×10. For ten school days straight, pull this student aside for two minutes and have a non-academic conversation. Talk of school is strictly prohibited. (Here’s an explainer video of the strategy, here’s an explainer article.) This will have a few important impacts:
You’ll solidify your Credibility. You already have some from the encouragement you’ve been trying and for your attempts to differentiate the student’s assignments. 2×10 this will lock you in.
You’ll start cultivating Belonging because folks tend to identify with places where they experience genuine care.
2) Second, try some Why Conversations. In my book, I examine these in Strategy 6: Valued Within, but here’s the gist: pull the student aside and genuinely ask them, “Hey, I’ve been trying to figure out how in the world something like [insert your class here] is important for someone like you. I just can’t figure it out. Can you help me?” What you’re trying to do is ask the student to be the expert on why your class is Valuable. Treat is like something that’s genuinely puzzling you and that you genuinely want their perspective on. Ask them to be creative. Tell them you plan to use what they say with future students.
This is the basic pattern that attributional retraining studies tend to use for creating shifts in mindsets. I examine these kinds of studies in my Student Motivation Course.
3) Once these are established, begin requiring the student to attempt all work. Whenever the student is drawing instead of working, tell them you love their artwork but that now it’s time to do [insert current task]. Wait by their side until they put the drawing away and get back to task. Ask them if they need any assistance and remind that that you’re after their growth.
These three things should help quite a bit.
For those still reading, do you have any other ideas? Place them in the comment.
Best,
DSJR
Debra Hodgens says
We began school on the 28th and I have one student who is presenting some challenges. He is constantly trying to get out of class to roam and go to the bathroom and he is a distraction to others. The worst part is that I can tell he is very intelligent, but his work avoidance is crippling all of us. I pulled him out into the hall to tell him that I would do anything in my power to help him, but that he needed to make some good decisions about his learning. He admitted that he did not like school (I asked) and that he got into some trouble last year. At this point, all I can do is show him that I care about his learning and set consistent behavioral expectations. I have not given up on him yet.
Anne Klara says
I have an adult student who does private Business English lessons with me. She likes the materials we use in class , especially when there are visuals and videos. However,when I ask her to do some homework (nothing that would take more than 15 minutes, such as reviewing the new vocabulary and structures studied in class, she always tells me she has no time for extra minutes spent studying. I have told her that her learning would be much more efficent (money and timewise) if she reviewed before class, at least. I know she only studies because she needs to become more fluent for her job and they pay for specific Business related lessons. Any suggestions?
Hong says
Yes, I have more than one student who are like this. What can I do to motivate them?
Mal says
I have a 7th grader who desperately wants to connect with the boys in his grade, but he can be quite obnoxious. For example, he’ll repeat the same joke or a variation of the same story, and then double down when he begins to notice he’s losing the attention of his peers. He’s quiet during whole-group instruction and sometimes raises his hand to participate — but his comments are typically odd attempts to joke about other students in a misguided reach for camaraderie rather than on-topic contributions. During class, he often “zones out” when others are working which may soon lead him to fall behind. He’s hard of hearing and wears hearing aids. His parents can be overbearing and critical, but they are very invested in his success. It’s heartbreaking to sense this student’s embarrassment and self-loathing when his attempts at connection are unsuccessful or he struggles to hear. He continues to try to engage, but I think he’s at risk of giving up. My thoughts while typing this are 1) support him in practicing specific social skills, 2) look for a possible friend, 3) utilize all available auditory supports, and 4) continue to intentionally build an inclusive class culture. I welcome any suggestions from the group!
Donna Leary says
My student who fits your description is an 8th grade young man who was apparently passed from 7th grade to 8th grade because though he failed all 4 content-area courses, he went to two weeks of summer school and “made up” 2 classes. Since the first day of school (Aug. 30), he has come to class laughing and continued to laugh throughout the entire class. He does no work. I’ve tried to work with him, and instead of listening to me and participating, he calls me “bro.” I’ve moved him through 3 of the 5 steps in our team’s classroom management plan daily. Today, I wouldn’t let him go to his next class unless he completed the step 3 reflection sheet (I said I’d write him a late pass). I discussed his reflection sheet with him. He said he laughs all the time because he’s bored and likes to get peer attention. I explained that if he followed along with the lesson and worked with me and his group, he wouldn’t be bored. I told him I thought that he has the ability to participate positively in class and to affect class as a cooperative leader. He said that he knows he doesn’t have to work. He also said that he knows that he’s distracting other students who are trying to learn and disrupting class. He said that he knows, but he doesn’t care. I’m forbidden to send him to the office. I’m not allowed to contact his parents unless he reaches step 4– he knows this and just repeatedly goes to step 3. I don’t know how to “repair” the damage that’s been done to this student by previous teachers who’ve managed to ignore his disruptions and administrators who just pass him along. He doesn’t have diagnosed ADHD or ODD. I can use all the help I can get. Thanks!
Jennifer S. Roth says
I have been working with this student for several years now and haven’t seen much progress toward caring about his learning. He is disruptive in class, often comes to class unprepared. When materials are provided for him, he usually chooses to put his head down and not engage. I have tried 1:1 conversations with him; he usually shuts down and refuses to talk about what can be done to help him. I have tried working with him in a small group in class; he usually just copies the answers from another students paper. When he does have something to say, it is usually inappropriate and has nothing to do with the topic (Civics class). I know that he has some serious academic gaps and I wonder if he is frustrated with what he perceives as an inability to learn. I believe he can learn, I am just at a loss for how to help him see it!
Keep Inspiring says
I don’t think I can add anything new to the aforementioned examples.
The challenge for me isn’t connecting with them to motivate them one-on-one; the challenge is there are more and more such students in each class every year and they take away all emotional and mental resources from those who are there to engage, grow and learn. I have taught a group of GED students who were on parole—and that’s much easier. A small group who is not motivated due to life’s inequities and then choices. But 7th grade? And then being passed along grade after grade? I think—what if we could have provided the parents some kind of mandatory support when the student was 6.
Finally, there is zero parental involvement. At best, parents are apathetic—what can I do? At worst—combative.
Amanda Adams says
Ive got a junior, who is new to me this trimester and she fits the bill of not only an unmotivated student but is prickly. All.The.Time. Everything is dumb. The lesson is dumb. You name it, it isn’t something that she is interested in. I did notice that she had some questions on an activity that we were doing and her work was by far the least detailed of her group. She missed a few key ideas and had some observations that were not filled out. I told her she had two options: she could turn it in as is (to which she rolled her eyes and said “but i will lose points”) or she can take a copy of the excerpt home and finish it up. She chose to make a screen shot to complete the worksheet, which I saw as a win. She wants to do well, and understands that bare minimum doesn’t cut it, but it is hard to reach her and stay positive.
Sarah H. says
I have a high-school-aged student in language arts who is tricky to figure out. He is in a very small class that allows for one-on-one attention, but I never get attention from him. He is always trying to have side conversations with his peers during instruction or discussion. If he isn’t talking, he is fiddling or rapping to himself. These things by themselves are not signs he is demotivated, but he just doesn’t follow through with applying reading or writing strategies. My thought is that he’s really not sure what to do. However, I feel like I fight a losing battle as I endlessly model or ask him questions but he looks and acts constantly distracted, and several weeks into school, he hasn’t demonstrated progress in anything. My instinct is…the readings are too advanced for him? I want to experiment by giving everyone some more engaging readings…at a lower academic level, to see if I can get him to actually do something. I won’t see this student again till next week because there are some big activities this week in school. When I come in Monday, what should I be prepared for? What should I try next?
Ann S. says
I have 2 8th grade students who are currently failing my class for not turning in any assignments. And we are only into our 5th week of school.
One comes from a broken home whose parents are currently going through a divorce. He is very capable but super unmotivated (and quite discouraged) and has stated many times before how much he does not enjoy school.
The other student struggles with basic executive functioning skills; this student has photographic memory and is beyond brilliant. He shuts down, however, and doodles every time there is an assignment check. He is currently receiving the lowest grade so far, but is most likely in the TOP 10% in intelligence!
Ann Engelhart says
I have a student who is a third year freshman. He has earned 1 credit during this time. He qualifies for EL services, so this year, we pulled him into my class just for small group learning and so that I can give him extra attention, even though he scores high enough on the state assessment to show that language is not the issue. His family runs a business, and he just wants to drop out as soon as he can and work there. He is very social and likes coming to school, but he has decided that he will not complete assignments. He does enjoy participating in classroom discussions when the topic is interesting, and I think he will like the novels and dramas that we will read together in class this year. He is on a waiting list for our district’s alternative online education program, but it unlikely that his number will come up this year. He cannot attend our career center program for juniors and seniors because he does not have enough credits.
Raquel Franco says
It’s early in our school year, but the student on my mind begins every assignment with, “how long does it have to be?” “Which is the shortest book I can read?” Essentially, how little effort can I apply to your class. I’ve tried to reduce her anxiety about assignments, change the focus to work well done, reading done at your pace. Would love advice!
Suzanne Honrath says
My situation is a bit complex. I have one specific period of juniors that is over half iep and 504. The class is ERWC English. A few of them are really low. All of them are pretty sweet. I am really struggling to foster any kind of love of learning. I try to make class as fun as possible but they struggle to follow the simplest direction or complete the simplest task. There are 26 students in this class. We are talking about 8 of them. Kicker…at least 4 of them know they will pass with a “d” due to their IEP. One student in particular is capable but says things like. “You know I don’t like anything to do with partner talk…etc.” these kids do the bare minimum (some of their accommodations allow for reduced assignments but this is insane.) I’m caught between being faithful to a curriculum and trying to get these kids to engage with something…anything.
Charissa Gerke says
Seventh grade boy in my remedial math class. He loudly declares that he’s not even going to try when I put up the bell ringer puzzle. He makes noises and tries to get others to laugh instead of doing any work. It’s early in the year, but I have tried setting expectations and holding to them (using Michael Linson’s methods), building the relationship (MGC), and encouraging him when I do see any effort. It is sad to see someone so demotivated, and I would love any suggestions. Thanks!
Lindsay Luetje says
Student is in 8th grade. Many ODRs in 6th and 7th grade. Traditional discipline, Title One services, connecting about football/sports (he’s a 3 season athlete), meetings with parents including with him there, restorative practices, MGCs by advisor, teachers, and admin, getting coaches on board, created a “Trust Chart” with his input and his needing to complete it (when I did this, I had his advisor give him a note I wrote to him once he reached his goal. I figured I would find it crumpled on the floor. I peeked and it was taped inside his locker), one on one support in Math, SpEd referral, grade level team approach for resilience intervention. And yet he stills displays a lack of regard for teachers, learning, and many of his peers. He’s often off task, disrespectful, and has flat out told us that he just does not care about school or his work. He comes for the social and sports opportunities.
Holly says
I have worked MGC’s and positive identity cards along with a quick blurb on the value of education. I know this student would like to be a chef but the main goal for this student is to smoke weed. No one in the family has graduated high school and this student is dead set on following in the footsteps of brother and sister (who happens to live with a wealthy drug dealer!). I have tried to encourage getting them to graduation and coming to eat (which is my hobby) at their place of work. This student has invited me to the party they are attending this weekend so I know they trust me but not sure how to motivate them to do the hard work.
Katie Peterson says
I have a 9th grade male student that swears he does not need a high school education, let alone anything further. He lives on a farm and says he is just going to be in agriculture, and an education is not necessary for that. He is a very bright kid. He was adopted as a child and is on a behavior plan. I have developed a good relationship with this student, and plan on using that throughout the year to try and convince him otherwise. I have a fishing club and he loves to fish, so that should be more opportunity to get him to trust teachers and trust the process and importance of getting, not just any, but a GOOD education. And I plan on teaching him how much some sort of further education can help him in the agricultural field. I am working on trying to figure out how to incorporate that into a math lesson if you have any ideas! haha
John Dredla says
The male student is the child of our behavior dean, who is a man. He came from a school where behaviors were different from our school. Outside the classroom, he is an athlete. In the classroom, he holds himself still so that he won’t “do anything wrong”. The trouble is, he also doesn’t participate in learning. He acts like he is too cool for school.